1Kinsman Gwendolyn KinsmanEnglish 11227th November, 2007

Do You Want To Hear A Ghost Story?

Why is the sea such a mystery? Maybe it is the fact that more is known about the surface of the

moon than is known about the surface of the sea floor. The earth is covered with seventy percent

of water, making it virtually impossible for us to know what is covering every inch of the seas

floor. According to Angus Konstam, author of c “Many of the mysteries of the seas, the legends

of ghost ships, and the tales of vanishing ships are made all the more fascinating and

unbelievable because they are set against an environment which we will never fully understand.”

(Konstam 11). Author, Richard Winer, in his book, Ghost Ships: True Stories of Nautical

Nightmares, Hauntings, and Disasters, concurs with Konstam when he writes, “Most stories of

the seas, especially those with a strange and fateful twist, have been so distorted that they fall

well into the realm of the unbelievable. But for every thousand or so contrived or totally

distorted tales of the sea, there is at least one story, one happening, with enough document facts

to be completely believable… believable, even for the biggest skeptic.” Along with mystery and

intrigue come legends, myths, and tales. One such enigma that haunts the seas, ports, and

maritime legends is that of the ghost ship. According to AgeofSail.Net, a ghost ship is, “A ship

that appears as a ghostly apparition such as the Flying Dutchman, a ship that is said to be

haunted such as the RMS Queen Mary, a ship that simply disappear such as the USS Cyclops, or

a ship which is found floating at sea with no sign of the crew such as the Mary Celeste.

(AgeofSail.Net). However, many of these definitions are taken from legends, tales of the sea, and

folklore. They have never been proven true.

The most famous ghost ship in the world today is the Flying Dutchman. Brenda Guiberson in her

book, Tales of the Haunted Deep, had this to say about the Dutchman, “Its captain,

Vanderdecken, […] is an arrogant man who will do anything to get what he wants. He tried to

sail around the Cape of Good Hope during terrifying weather, ignoring his crews request to stop.

In their next run against the wind the ship went down and the entire ship and crew were doomed

to sail the seas forever.” (Guiberson 11). Author, Bradley Sheard in his book, Lost Voyages:

Two Centuries of Shipwrecks in the Approaches to New York, parodies Guiberson report of the

Flying Dutchman’s captain as well. “The legend recounts how the ancient marine Captain

Vanderdecken […] is condemned to perpetually sail the seas until Judgment Day. Vanderdecken

recklessly swore to round the Cape of Good Hope despite a terrible storm, putting his passengers

and crew at risk. For his poor judgment he was condemned to his eternal fate. (Sheard 49). Other

ships over the years have claimed to have seen the ship appear to warn of impending doom, or

sailing on the open seas; however, this has never been verified. While the Flying Dutchman at

one time had been real, the legends and folklore were created to teach a life lesson about greed

and putting others needs before your own. There is another such story, that of the Lady

Lovibond, she was a ship that sailed near the Goodwin Sands in the British Aisle. On February

13th, 1748, the captain, Simon Peele decided to get married on his boat and have a large

celebration on board with all his family and friends. Unbeknownst to him and the people aboard

the ship, his first mate had fallen madly in love with his new bride. In a fit of jealous rage, the

first mate drove the ship onto the sands and rocks killing everyone on board himself included.

Sailors have claimed that every fifty years on the night of the tragic event, the ship reappears as

an apparition. If you happen to get close enough you can supposedly hear singing and merriment

on board as if the party from so long ago was still going strong. However, in 1948 and 1998,

there were no reports of seeing the Lady. These stories of ghost ships are folktales and legends,

made up to tell the story of a tragic event, or to teach a lesson.

The next type of ships we will be looking at are the ships that are said to be haunted by ghosts.

While not as far fetched and unbelievable as the first definition of ghost ship, this definition is

met with skepticism and disbelief. The ship that is usually thought of when you mentioned

haunted ships is the RMS Queen Mary. It was originally built to be a luxury liner and cruise ship

for celebrities and royalty. However, it was needed to transport military personnel during World

War II. In an article in the Daily Forty-Niner, an independent student newspaper for California

State University at Long Beach, author Bradley Zant reported, “Long Beach is haunted. Or at

least, the Queen Mary is. Don’t believe me? Don’t believe there are restless spirits there,

stranded souls still lingering on board the haunted ship docked in the this city’s very own harbor?

Then take an hour and find out for yourself. Nothing compares to the kind of feelings you’re

likely to experience when touring decks and bowels of the Queen Mary, as if you were intruding.

(Zant 1-3). Jeff Belanger author of The World’s Most Haunted Places”, interviewed a medium

and psychic. When asked about the haunting on the ship they psychic agreed with Zant’s

statement when he said, “The RMS Queen Mary is the most haunted place I’ve ever investigated.

And I’ve literally been around the globe with hauntings. This is number one as most haunted

place in the world. There are at least 600 active residents on the RMS Queen Mary.” (Belanger

21-28). Why so many ghosts you ask? Apparently the ship did not have air conditioning, and

while transporting over 16,000 troops, one sailor would die every seven minutes. After serving

her time in the war and crossing the ocean many times for cruises, she was brought to Long

Beach, California. She is now resting in the harbor as a restaurant and major tourist attraction.

Many people have toured her, and some claim that you can hear faint screams of soldiers who

have died, and can see the apparitions of the ghosts who are apparently haunting the ship. While

a haunted ship makes a great story, there have never been any pictures, video, or proof that there

is any paranormal activity going on in the ship; in fact, many claim that when they toured the

ship they felt nothing at all.

As we look at other definitions to describe ghost ships, the type that comes to mind and has been

a major puzzle and mystery for many years is the ship that simply set sail and is never heard

from again. Literally thousands of ships over the past two hundred years have left their ports and

were never seen or heard from again. Some of these ships disappeared in times when the

technology was not as advanced as it is now, and that could explain some of the disappearances.

However, what explains the ships that have advanced technology on board? Believe it or not,

even with advanced multimillion dollar ships with the newest technology have disappeared as

well. The USS Cyclops was one of those ships. The USS Cyclops, a collier went missing with

309 men on board, both crew and passengers. She set sail from Rio de Janeiro on February 19th,

1918. After making a quick stop in Barbados on the 3rd and 4th of March, she set sail. March 5th,

1918 was the last time anyone saw the USS Cyclops and her men still alive, even though she was

equipped with a radio. That was the single largest loss of life in the Navy not including a ship

involved in combat. Gian Quasar says in his book, Into the Bermuda Triangle, “She is the

greatest mystery of the sea. In 1918 she sailed into the Triangle with 309 sailors aboard, and

never was seen or heard from again.” In the article, “Strange Mystery of The Vanished Sister

Ships, author David Grover shares Quasar’s enthusiasm for this topic by stating, “The USS

Cyclops, the fleet collier who disappeared in 1918 has become on of the greatest of modern sea

mysteries. (Grover). Since 1918 ships have continued to disappear, ships outfitted with advanced

multimillion dollar technology. Why are so many ships still disappearing? Is the Bermuda

Triangle at fault here? Some would like to think so. The thought of a conspiracy and paranormal

activity going on is both exciting and fascinating. However, as enticing as this theory might

seem, scientists have started to uncover some of the mystery surrounding these strange

disappearances. Scientists in Germany were the first to discover a phenomenon that had never

been heard of. The phenomenon they saw was what is now known as rogue waves. Rogue waves

are unpredictable and intense; some waves can get as tall as a 10-story building. In his USA

Today article titled, “Ship- Devouring Waves, Once Legendary, Common Sight on Satellite,

Robert Britt expounds on this by explaining, “Windows of luxury liners get broken. Supertankers

are disabled and left vulnerable to the whim of the next wave. Many ships disappear.” (Britt).

Scientists now believe that rogue waves account for more than half of the ships that have

disappeared in the last twenty years. The rest of the ships disappearing are attributed to mutiny,

piracy, and other bad weather.

The fifth type of ghost ship according to AgeofSail.net is the ship that is found aimlessly sailing

the open sea with no sign of life. The most famous ship to have ever been found this way was the

Mary Celeste. The Mary Celeste was found on December 4th, 1872 sailing peacefully on the

North Atlantic Ocean; however, there was no one on board. There was no sign of struggle, no

damage to the ship, and no stolen or ransacked cargo. What happened to the captain, his wife,

and daughter? It is still a mystery that haunts the world over 130 years later. While the Mary

Celeste is by far the most famous of these ships found, Sharon West tells of a ship in her article,

“Ghost Ships Blowin’ in the Wind.” “The ship called the ‘Dundee Star’ ran aground off Midway

Island. In four years time, the abandoned ship drifted completely around the earth and came to

rest in 1891 back at Midway Island, the very spot she had started her lonely journey.” (West).

While the previous two ships that were found sailing the seas happened over a hundred years

ago, there are ships that have been found recently in the same position. In fact, in February of

2007, a yacht was found floating off the coast of Queensland, Australia. According to the Sydney

Morning Herald, in the article, “Mystery of Kaz II’s missing crew” reported, “An unmanned

yacht found drifting off the north Queensland coast had computers running and even found food

on a table ready to eat- but no crew.” (Yarushima). While these stories are mystifying and

captivating, there is a story of one ship that was found that has helped shed some light on what

may have happened in a few of these cases. The story is that of the MV Joyita. Author David

Wright, in his book Joyita: Solving the Mystery writes, “Although it is a sad tale, the story of the

Joyita remains a fascinating one, bringing together a classic unsolved marine mystery, and

various kinds of intrigue.” (Wright 4). The MV Joyita was commissioned by the United States

Navy to be a patrol boat during World War II in 1931. She served twenty four years until the

fateful day came when she disappeared. On October 3rd, 1955, Joyita left Samoa for the Tokelau

Islands loaded with medical supplies, lumber, and food. She never reached port so a search party

was dispatched to look for her. Over a month later and 600 miles off course she was found half

submerged. Her crew and cargo was missing, and her radio was tuned to the international marine

distress signal. What happened to Joyita? That is where the intrigue Wright talked about earlier

comes into play. The majority of the theories that have arisen from this particular wreck are that

of paranormal activity; however, of the theories that have been raised, historians believe that in

this case, she was a victim of piracy. The way in which the ship was left, the things taken, and

the missing crew led them to believe that they had come across pirates or an illegal fishing

operation. Historians believe that her crew was murdered; she was ransacked, and partially sunk

to cover up any sign of their wrongdoing.

With the five defined types of ghost ships, another definition arose after the United States was

attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1947. The military decided that it would be in the nation’s best

interest to form a reserve fleet. They nicknamed it the ghost fleet, and called all the ships within,

ghost ships. The United States quickly began pulling all the rusting and decaying destroyers out

of retirement to do some quick renovations. These ghost fleets were placed in various areas

around the country. As of right now according to HistoryLink.Org, “There are currently five

reserve fleets in the United States; one in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, California, and

Washington. These ships are used for marine museums and tourist attractions, but are equipped

and ready to be deployed at any time.” (HistoryLink.Org). The United States also created the

ghost fleet to preserve its reputation.

Based on the five definitions given above, the United States has had many ghost ships. In fact,

the United States has lost over two hundred ships, found three ships sailing on the open sea

without a crew, three of it ships are believe to be haunted, and one has appeared as an apparition.

(Winer 36-68). The ship I am referring to in this case is the USS Stewart. The USS Stewart was

in enemy waters on March 2nd, 1942, when she found herself with only one torpedo left, and no

allies near to help. The commanding officer made the only decision he could. After evacuating

his men he gave the order to blow the ship up and sink it on site. The Us Navy wrote her off as a

total loss as explained in this article, “The Phantom Destroyer” by Mal Wright, “For all intents

and purposes the old Stewart was finished. (Wright). Author Robert Parkin put it another way

when he said in his book Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II, “Her

name was stricken off every Navy record and list on March 25th, and four months later, her name

was assigned to a new destroyer escort.” (Parkin 48). The ship laid at rest off the coast of Japan

for over a year before United State Air Force pilots started reporting they saw what looked like a

United States World War I destroyer in the Japanese Imperial Navy. The Air Force had never

been known for their ability to recognize American ships; and despite multiple reports over a

period of two years, authorities believed it to be a mirage or illusion. Air Force Pilots were

adamant however that they were in fact seeing an apparition of the USS Stewart. Rumors spread

throughout the sea that perhaps they had seen the apparition of the Flying Dutchman or some

other ship that had been lost at sea. On October 15th, 1945, about a month after having dropped

an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a group of naval inspectors noticed an odd vessel moored at

Hiroshima Bay. “After boarding her and scouring through her compartments, they realized this

ship was indeed none other than the old USS Stewart! (Parkin 48). The United States had

underestimated Japan’s tenacity and determination. After lying a full year partially submerged,

the Japanese in a desperate attempt to gain the momentum in the war on the seas raised the

damaged destroyer and renovated her into an escort ship. They removed all signs of her former

United States armament, refitted her, and renamed her Patrol Boat II. The ship the air force had

seen was not an apparition at all; it was in fact, the ship they had thought all along. On

November 3rd, the United States commissioned her with her old number and was nicknamed

RAMP. The initials standing for, Recovered Allied Military Personnel. In other words, she was a

freed prisoner of war. Once she arrived in San Francisco, she was met with amazement and

wonder. However, much bigger ships were being scrapped for metal, and she had no future in the

Navy. The Navy however, recognizing her good service, and her amazing heroics against all

odds, decided to give her a proper farewell. This ship that had been bombed, blown up, sunk,

raised, repaired, recaptured, and survived an atomic bombing all in the matter of three years was

recognized for her outstanding endurance. On May 24th, 1946, the Navy gave her a Viking’s

Funeral, and sent her out to sea. She was used for target practice for the Coast Guard, the Navy,

and the Air Force. She went down somewhere off the West Coast, where to this day she lies. The

USS Stewart has been documented in many books and articles over the years; she is quite

possibly the only true ghost ship story, and one of the greatest maritime mystery stories of all

time.

The sea in all its glory can be a cruel and fickle mistress, kind and gentle in one moment and

terrifying and unsympathetic the next. The sea has caused many ships to disappear, has killed

many seafarers and sailors, and has provided countless tales, legends, and folklore. Are ghost

ships real? The USS Stewart was certainly real, as are the ghost fleets. What about the Flying

Dutchman and the Lady Lovibond? Is the RMS Queen Mary haunted, what really happened to

Mary Celeste, MV Joyita, and the USS Cyclops? Perhaps these questions will never be answered.

One thing is certain however, as long as the sea remains a mystery, stories of ghost ships,

whether they be true or not will live on forever.