The sea abounds with mystery; it consists of ever-changing horizons hardly touched by human hands. When we sail, we go as foreign travelers upon a vast and enigmatic world. For generations, the lure of the sea has fueled some of our greatest myths and legends, from the birth of Venus to the underwater city of Atlantis. Is it any wonder that tales of ghost ships, unmanned vessels plying the waves and then disappearing, seemingly into thin air, should likewise capture our collective imagination? Here are some of the most compelling real-life and legendary tales of ghost ships through history.

The Flying Dutchman

The fantastic tale of The Flying Dutchman begins in the 1600s with Captain Hendrick van der Decken (the Dutchman) stubbornly and blasphemously vowing to sail on through a storm as he attempts to round the Cape of Good Hope, despite the urgings of his crew to turn back and wait it out. Legend has it that the Captain was eternally cursed for his act of rebelliousness and forced to sail ever after without rest, serving as a sign of doom to all who sight him. The story may have faded over time if it were not for several eyewitness accounts of just such an ominous, otherworldly ship appearing to different mariners at different times, some of whom met a disastrous end. The ship is said to vanish without a trace, only to materialize at another place and time as a harbinger of ill.

Some scientists say that the appearance of ghost ships can be accounted for by an atmospheric phenomenon known as Fata Morgana, in which a sort of mirage effect is created, distorting and superimposing images of ships no longer visible on the horizon. The result is that a kind of reflection of the ship actually appears to be floating in a narrow band just above the horizon, while the ship itself is no longer in sight. However, this phenomenon usually occurs in calm weather and certainly does not account for all the mysterious, ill-fated circumstances surrounding this legend.

The Lady Lovibond

In 1748, the Lady Lovibond, a three-masted schooner, sailed from England on her way to Portugal, Captained by Simon Reed. Despite the superstition that it was bad luck for a woman to sail with the ship, the captain's new wife, Annetta, was also aboard as the couple planned to spend their honeymoon on this voyage.  As it happened, the First Mate, John Rivers, was also in love with Annetta. His jealousy overcame him, and he intentionally wrecked the ship in a notorious spot called Goodwin Sands, killing everyone aboard.

Fifty years to the day after the Lady Lovibond wrecked, a captain of a passing ship logged an encounter with a three-masted schooner with sounds of celebration emanating from her as she broke apart. He dispatched a rescue team who, upon closer inspection, could find no trace of a ship or passengers. Another fifty years passed when local residents reported a three-masted schooner sailing toward the Goodwin Sands. In 1848, another sighting occurred of a shipwreck in the area, but no evidence of a vessel was found. The last recorded sighting happened in 1948 when Captain Bull Preswick reported seeing a three-masted schooner, glowing with green light, entering the Sands. Though some made their way to the area in hopes of sighting the famous ghost ship in 1998, no further appearances have been recorded.

The Baychimo

The tale of this real-life ghost ship began in 1931, when the Hudson Bay Company's cargo steamer, The SS Baychimo, became trapped in pack-ice near Alaska, leaving the crew no choice but to abandon ship. Although the captain was sure his vessel had sustained ample damage to promptly sink, instead, the ship was repeatedly spotted off the coast of Alaska for the next 38 years. She sometimes appeared stuck in ice, and other times, she was sailing freely through the waves, but improbably, she never seemed to succumb to the power of the sea. Though some sought to retrieve the abandoned ship, she repeatedly proved elusive, unreachable, and unrecoverable, sometimes disappearing for long stretches only to be sighted again. The Baychimo was last seen in 1969, though as late as 2006, some Alaskan groups were seeking to recover the lost ship.

Legends of ghost ships continue to thrive and remain as fascinating as the seas we travel. Contact us to set sail upon your next boating adventure today.