The ocean is that last corner of the world that even today we have not been able to decipher or discover completely. In ancient times it was a place full of legends and myths, some of which have been uncovered thanks to modern scientists, but others remain unsolved.
Some of them are the terrifying ghost ships, missing ships that suddenly reappeared, with full supplies and in perfect condition, but without any crew…
Mary Celeste
31 meters long and almost 300 tons in weight, a brigantine that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. When it was found, the ship was sailing at full speed, and despite being able to accommodate a large crew, when they boarded it they did not find a single soul.
Many theories pointed out that it could have been provoked by a pirate assault since the lifeboats were in place, however, there was something that made it all very mysterious: the food was served in the dining room.
And although you might think it might have been left there long ago, in a place like a ship that never stops moving and wobbling, how long could a bowl of soup have stood on the table? Without a doubt, one of the most inexplicable mysteries of the open sea.
The Octavius
The ship was returning from a transatlantic voyage to England when it was trapped by ice. Or at least that was what people believed since it had been given up for lost until in the year 1775, a whaling ship crossed the Octavius sailing aimlessly and they decided to board it.
When they did, the scene seemed unreal: the entire crew of the Octavius was there, but their bodies were frozen by the cold of the Arctic. The most frightening thing was to see the captain’s log, which was dated to the year 1762, which would result in a ship that had sailed aimlessly for 13 years with its lifeless crew.
Lady Lovibond
The sailboat departed in 1748 for Porto, Portugal, and the entire trip went smoothly until it reached the Goodwin Sands, an area of approximately 10 miles and which is full of fine sand, which when moving with the current creates changes in height affecting the boats.
They are so deadly that 2000 wrecks are known in the area. And even though the crew was experienced, there was something the captain could not foresee. One of his subordinates was in love with his wife, and anger over unrequited love led him to sabotage the rudder, causing the entire crew to perish in the quicksands.
Years later, another ship sailed across the sands again, and in the captain’s log, it was described that they had encountered a sailboat with the same characteristics as the Lady Lovibond, only that despite the maneuvering, there was no one on deck. The captain tried to follow him, but the ship slowly disappeared into the fog.
SS Baychimo
A cargo ship that worked efficiently for years, until in 1931 it was trapped in the ice of Alaska, being abandoned by its crew in the middle of a storm. When the weather cleared they wanted to return to the ship but it had disappeared.
Immediately it was considered sunken, however, sometime later rumors began to spread that it had been seen sailing along the coast of Alaska only to disappear again.
The last time the ship was seen was in 1969, almost four decades after the first disappearance.
Ryou-Un Maru
More recently, in the year 2012, a Japanese fishing vessel appeared on American territory. After traveling for an entire year allegedly without a crew. Because of the tsunami that hit Japan, the boat lost its way and ended up sailing and going around the world by itself.
And although the whereabouts of its crew have never been mentioned, if anyone was there at the time of the disaster, the ship was not ready for a supply boarding, and surely perished in the year adrift.
Which of these ghost ship stories did you find more interesting?