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Over the years many things on the seas have been exaggerated or just plain made up. I wanted to ask everyone who was interested, if they had seen or known anyone who had seen anything like what I found regarding 'Ghost ships' or other strange phenomena on the seas. Here is a link for the most famous of ghost ships the "Flying Dutchman'.
link

I dont know much about ghost ships but I heard the Queen Mary was haunted ..they would have wet footsteps on board and doors opening and closing..not sure exactly what the story is or how it came about but I should find out and post more info on the Queen Mary

well, many many 'ghost ships' have been found/reported, and as one that used to be out on the sea on a regular basis, and lived and worked on it, I can well believe it. Many strange/unexplainable (to me) occurences in my own experience lead me to believe that such things are not only possible, but very likely.... ghost ships, hauntings, unexplainable sinkings, and things of that nature probably occur with fair regularity, however, I feel that our documentation of such events is more likely believable in modern times... the first time you see the ball lightning thing out on the open water, you start to see possibilities... lol
D

Arrr, accordin' to this here site mention'd. Thar be one that killed ev'ry one on board, then blowed up...

(its talk a a pirate day in my coven sorry, gotta follow the rules lubbers)

There is a ghost ship that appears once a year here in New Orleans, it appears off the riverside just in front of the Moonwalk. Have I seen it? Could have been the fog that was blocking the ship, making the eyes see things...But yes, I think I have.

I am not so sure on this subject. I mean I kind of believe in Ghost Ships but then again...it can be a little hard to beliee in them. I think that they could possible exist because of how many people have died on the open seas, but then aain there is the whole seeing is believing thing...but who knows maybe they do exist. As for seeing or experiencing any thing of this nature, I haven't but I had an uncle in the navy who would tell stories of seeing things like this all of the time. Ofcourse he could have just been trying to entertain us lol, but maybe he really did see something and that inspired him to tell his stories.

Some research is being done into what is called rougue waves. Large waves that move across the oceans undetected. Their are many first hand accounts of rougue waves but no scientific proof. At times they may cause a ship to capsize and possibly creat ghost ships, or at least ships that are out their floating around.

Alot of strange things can happen out at sea..see some pretty crazy stuff.
As for the rouges..They can come and you dont even know it..we almost got swamped one night by one..Good thing were were in a Hans Christian.

As for proof of these waves? Yep.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOKQL26WD_index_0.html


http://www.surfingthemag.com/news/surfing-pulse/08_20_04_freak_waves/

Giant wave detected in ERS-2 imagette data
Despite the relatively brief length of time the data covered, the MaxWave team identified more than ten individual giant waves around the globe above 25 metres in height.

"Having proved they existed, in higher numbers than anyone expected, the next step is to analyse if they can be forecasted," Rosenthal added. "MaxWave formally concluded at the end of last year although two lines of work are carrying on from it – one is to improve ship design by learning how ships are sunk, and the other is to examine more satellite data with a view to analysing if forecasting is possible

Now the one that hit us,was now where near 100 ft. But it shook things up,believe me..Another thing that can look other worldly is Phospherous..when you see something swiming through it from a distance,it really can look like a uwo ufo or some other "supernatural" thing..but it isnt.We have seen lights..or what appeared to be lights from the depths..stuff sitting on the surface that looked like aliens but was only a big Sunfish ..you know,stuff like that.Weird noises..such as Whale song Vibrating thru the hull..Thats kinda spooky sounding even when you know what it is...

"At times they may cause a ship to capsize and possibly creat ghost ships"

Sure could 10234..good point.

This is a interesting topic, ty for posting it.
I have never seen such phenonema but I would love to do a ghost ship hunt.

Here is a recent mysterious story that I found intriguing.

"High Aim 6 was a ghost ship found drifting in Australian waters, an obscure and rarely covered mystery from 2003. The ship is known to have left the port of Liuchiu in Taiwan on October 31, 2002. The owner of the ship, Tsai Huang Shueh-er, spoke last with the captain in December 2002. The ship was found without its crew on January 8, 2003. What happened after the last communication remains unknown. The vessel was registered in Taiwan and flew under an Indonesian flag.[1]"
link

What happen to them?

many years ago off the coast of buzards bay near boston there is a history of haunted ships on an island called GeorgesIsland and what has been said was there was a miltary ship that ported there ome rainy night in 1903 and a woman got off the ship she was known as the woman in black and when her husband told her to stay there while he left for business unknown but it was said that he was on a journey to the bermuda triangle he said to her that he would be
back for her and she waited every night for him and he never returned every night she would watch for him and finally in her last attempted to leave a message for him before she died many years later .she said in a letter she would haunt this place till he cam back .well when i went to this place when i was a child manys years after this story was first told my sister brother and i were playing in that tower wher the woman in black stayed and we saw her in full view and she was pointine to the shore and we heard he crying and we also saw her black coffin too and my brother was hiding on me in it and screeches came from that room and my brother came running out white as a ghost no pun intended and my sisterand i went to find out what was wrong he didn't speak for 3 day and when he did all hedid was scream my sister and i went back inside to see if we saw what he did and all we saw was the woman in black pointing to the shore still and crying sounds were heard also.

You happen to have a vid camera with you Unknown?

There are also the stories of Mary Celeste - a twinmasted briggantine who was found abandonded and has held her course in a steady upwind.

There is also the submarine Octavius.

Maritime lore is full of ghost ships.

Yes,there was a pretty extensive disscussion on the Schooner not all that long ago..I bet you could find it in the archives.

i know i have seen a gost ship in my life time and i think they are real

Tell us about that? Please?

well here is the actual story of the lady in black and it goes to show you some stories can be stretched over the years and i was only 7 when i went there with my parents so no oceanne there was no camera but nevertheless.here is the story.


The Lady In Black
George's Island
Boston Harbor, Massachusetts
1950s, Edward Rowe Snow Yarn




At the entrance to Boston Harbor is George's Island. Fort Warren was built on George's Island in the 1840s, and completed in 1850. The granite fort is pentagonal in shape, and was constructed with facilities such as barracks, ammunition magazine, store houses, hospital, kitchen, mess rooms, jail cells, and a battery of heavy guns that faced the sea.
During the Civil War, Fort Warren was used as prison for Confederate soldiers and dis-loyal citizens. Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, was the most famous person imprisoned at the fort. The island was an inhospitable place, and Confederate soldiers found the cold weather unbearable in comparison to their southern homesteads. During winter, Union soldiers had purportedly seen mysterious shadows when patrolling the lonely beaches of the island, and such occurrences are likely what led to the modern ghost story.

The Lady in Black is supposedly an apparition on George's Island; a young woman in black robes that wanders about the grounds. She is Mrs. Andrew Lanier, wife of a Confederate soldier that was imprisoned there in 1861. Edward Rowe Snow, a 20th century local historian, is most likely the initial source of The Lady In Black myth, and the following is a description of the story:

Mrs. Lanier received a letter from her husband that he had been imprisoned at Fort Warren. She was compelled to free him, making an epic journey from Georgia to Hull Massachusetts and the home of a Confederate sympathizer. Hull is only about a mile away from George's Island. Mrs. Lanier systematically observed the fort with a spy-glass, and on a stormy night in January 1862, had rowed across to George's Island and went ashore. She cut her hair short and dressed as a man, and brought with her an old pistol and small pick-axe.

She made her way to the dungeon cells, and from outside the fort signaled to her husband by whistling an obscure southern tune, to which he signaled back. Mrs. Lanier was able to squeeze through the slit-window of the cell, and was then hidden by the Confederate soldiers.

With the use of the pick-axe, the soldiers contrived to tunnel to the center of the fort, and then overtake the guards and obtain weapons. The tunnel took several weeks to dig, and on the eve of finishing the tunnel, a sharp blow of the pick had alerted a guard. The alarm was sounded, and the tunnel quickly discovered. As each of the Confederate soldiers was removed from the tunnel, a tally was taken. When all the prisoners were accounted for, Mrs. Lanier was to spring from the tunnel and capture a Union officer with the old pistol.

Mrs. Lanier succeeded in surprising the officer, but he slapped the pistol from her hand. The pistol went off and the bullet struck and killed her husband. As punishment for her deeds, Mrs. Lanier was condemned to death by hanging. Her final request was to be given female clothing, and a search of the fort produced nothing but some old black robes. She was executed in these robes and buried on George's Island.

According to King's Handbook of Boston Harbor by M.F. Sweetser (1883), the only notable prison escapes occurred after 1862. In 1863, a daring escape was made by six Confederate soldiers. They squeezed through slit-holes in the granite walls and made their way to the beach. Two of the soldiers attempted to swim to Lovell's Island, but the tide was going out and they were swept out to sea. A second notable escape was of two soldiers that constructed a crude raft and did make it to Lovell's. From there they obtained a small boat, and sailed out of the harbor. The pair were later re-captured by a coast guard cutter.

Early stories of ghosts on George's Island do not exist, but Sweetser states the following about Civil War era folklore, "The sentry-posts were often made untenable by the dashing of the waves, and the guards had to be replaced by patrols. No wonder that the unfortunate sentinels saw mysterious shapes, so that an order was posted at the guard-house, 'denouncing severe punishment in any case where ghosts were allowed to pass a beat without challenge and arrest.'


Please include links to copied information.

STABB

OK,the link worked,,thanks RAAG.
Something I would like to point out about the crew of that vessel..They were citizens of Taiwan.There have been many incidences of abandoned ships due to defection as well as pirates.They want to dissapear..what better a way?And pirates will dump a crew as fast as you can blink.
I know we carry fully automatic firearms on board anytime we sail into international waters for that very reason...

The Queen Mary now in Long Beach is one of th e more famous of haunted ships. Several ships have been reported with various sightings over the years. Unfortunately, most of the older cruise ships are no longer around... there are sailors that I've known throughout my life that talk about happenings onboard destroyers, aircraft carriers of those that have died onboard.

The Star of India, a over 150 year old sailing ship in San Diego is also haunted.

I didn't think about the pirate factor, it's sad that they are still around. I guess some legends never die.

Pirates are a huge factor when sailing certain waters..Indonesian waters are among the worst.

I remember in one of my history classes we discussed the Mary Celeste. What happened to the crew is unexplained. According what people said that the ship was cursed. It probably all started with the Captian dying on the ship. From there just a series of bad events happened according to urban legend. Of course no one on the ship survived so how would we really know what went on that ship. These tales give the ship a sense of "mystery" behind the disappearence of the crew. The lifeboats were still there and supposedly things were left untouched as if they just had to suddenly abandon ship. Then again if the ship was abandoned why were the life boats still there. My Classmates were comming up with theories as to what may have happened to the crew. Perhaps another ship came and abducted the crew. Who knows. Some people in class perhaps pirates came to the ship yet nothing was taken. Others said maybe the crew may have been carrying something more valueable than what they believed they had and someone killed and robbed the crew. Some say that they crew could have died of starvation and the wind blew them overboard but if thats true too...why is there no captians logg book on the ship. Some one else said that the butane from the alcohol could have killed them. Who knows what really happened but they did find sometime later that there were some bodies washed ashore in Spain. Of course that could be anyones body ...there are alot of fisherman off the coast of Spain and Portugal..

After working on large Yachts for a few years & sailing across a few oceans/seas I find I still get creeped out by large ships sometimes, especially the larger container ships. The oceans are a mystery in themselves & therefor I can see where stories of ghost ships come from. I myself have never experienced anything 'paranormal' whilst at sea!

i've seen rogues before, it's a wierd thing.. one i saw was only bout 45 feet maybe, and it was in broad daylight.. one of the crew w/ me thought it might have been caused by a meteor striking the water somewhere.. i guess it is possible, i've heard of meteorite strikes at sea...
D

We have been talking about them a little in another thread ..And anyone who goes to sea knows about the rouges..its not uncommon knowledge.

haha oh wow,am I messed up..its this thread!
here you go again.
Posts: 1096







Re: Ghost ships and other maritime events
Posted: 10:26:55 - Feb 10 2008
Times viewed: 88

As for proof of these waves? Yep.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOKQL26WD_index_0.html

They have also been known to happen in the great lakes too.Of course it is different in the lakes because of the ripple affect bouncing off the shore etc...

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Task_rpts/2002/ppliu02-3.html

http://www.math.uio.no/~karstent/waves/index_en.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2002/freakwave.shtml

No. How can something that doesn't live have a ghost [e.g. ships].

souls that died on the ship still haunt it because they can't move on maybe

They have a Ghost Ship Festival coming up in the first week of March.

http://www.ghost-ships.org/

One of the more lesser known (but mentioned in a recent horror movie) is the wreck of the Mary Celeste. Here is a bit of info on that story.

Launched in 1860 under the name Amazon, the Mary Celeste started her ill fated life. In the 10 years before she was to become the Mary Celeste, the ship was involved in several accidents and went through several owners. She was sent to the New York salvage auction where she was purchased for $3,000. After extensive repairs, she was christened Mary Celeste.
The new captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, and young daughter, along with 8 crew members departed New York on November 7, 1872 bound for Genoa, Italy. The cargo consisted of 1700 barrels of raw American alcohol.
On December 5, 1872, the ship Dei Gratia came upon the Mary Celeste floundering on the sea. The captain of the Dei Gratia knew Captain Briggs and was surprised to see the ship derelict as Briggs had a reputation as an excellent captain. Men from the Dei Gratia boarded the abandoned Mary Celeste to determine what was going on.
The ship was found in good seaworthy condition. It appeared as though the crew had left in a great hurry. They discovered that the chronometer and sextant were missing. There was water between the decks and the Galley was in bad shape. The stove was knocked out of place and cooking utensils were strewn about. There were no lifeboats aboard the ship and everything was soaked. A rope was found hanging over the side of the ship trailing in the water.
The crew from the Dei Gratia managed to get the Mary Celeste into port. When the cargo was unloaded, they found 9 of the barrels of alcohol empty.
What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? Some feel that the cargo became unstable and that the captain decided to trail behind the ship in the lifeboat until such time that it was safe to board. However, for some reason, the ship outdistanced the lifeboat leaving the crew helpless on the sea.
Another theory involves foul play. However, no evidence was ever found to prove that. Still other think that the ship was caught in the middle of a seaquake. And still others claim the crew was eaten by sharks during a swim.
Whatever the reason, the story of the Mary Celeste stills fascinates people. Something about the image of a ship sailing alone, the crew and captain missing..... without a trace.


Please include links to copied information.

STABB

Never seen or known anyone that has experienced ghost ships, and Hollyweird always blows stuff out of proportion, but anything is possible. there are a lot of pirates out there, so that could be a part of it.

Hollywood does tend to exaggerate things. I forgo the name of that movie..but its the one with Russell Crow. His whole crew disappears. Whats kind of funny is how does hollywood know what happened in that ship if there were no survivors. I can see how stories can be dramatized to tell a tale.

Yes I do believe that these mysteries are true, two well known ones have been brought up the mary celeste, and the dreaded flying dutchman. Many ancient ships from our past have been reported to be seen later in years, yet I have not been witnessed to this. thanks for the great posts.

I have heard many a tails of ghost ship... as well as many other maritime events..

I always love to hear tail of mermaids...

Pun in tended.. lol

Verrry funny...MBD :)
I have to post this next one for you..
I've been in some heavy seas, but this is one amazing little bit of footage..possibly a rogue...music suxx tho.
Keep in mind this is an cruise ship..not all that small.
The hangtime going into the trough is incredibly long.



So it really isnt hard to see how a whole crew could get washed over board.

I would love to know what cruise line that was, what storm and what year.. I worked as a travel agent for awhile and never saw any thing like that..

I will see if I can find that information for you.I couldnt believe it when I watched that..The seas have to be enormous for a cruise ship to act like that.

yeah no kidding they has all sorts of stuff built into them now days to keep waters from tossing them around. i know people who get car sick but can go on cruise ships just fine now days.

I sent you something on the same ship..could you imagine being on the bow of her when she hit that wave?
And imagine a Brig or another sailing vessel going into that..she could do it,but if caught by suprise? No one tied on? They would go flyin.There is another phenomena called a white squall..they have done some real damage and weird things to ships and smaller vessels as well.Left them floating empty of all hands...

very true, they have made many a ghost ship sail into harbor with out a crew.

there is quite a few in england.one was in norfolk , and a ship was taking gold and the daughter of the owner and the captain mutinied and the ship caought fire annd its somtimes seen.if planes fly over one of the norfolk broads a girls face appears and looks up at the pilot.
the registry number of titanic reads no hope when read in a mirror.my great grandmother was on the oceanic .

Ok,the ship is called the Voyager and she was caught in a cyclone.So what we saw is not a rogue wave like I had hoped to bring to you,even though the one caught on film was a monster.

Here's a little less known one for ya.
Ourang Medan

In February 1948, distress calls were picked up by numerous ships near Indonesia. The SOS calls came from the Dutch freighter SS Ourang Medan. The signals claimed, "All officers including captain are dead lying in chartroom and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead." This message was followed by indecipherable Morse code then, "I die."

Within hours of the first distress signals, the first rescue ship arrived on the scene. Upon arrival, the rescue vessel tried to hail the Ourang Medan but there was no response to their hand and whistle signals. A boarding party was sent to the ship and what they found was astonishing. All the crew and officers of the Ourang Medan were dead, their eyes open, faces looking towards the sun, arms outstretched and a look of terror on their faces. Even the ship's dog was dead, found snarling at some unseen enemy. When nearing the bodies in the boiler room, the rescue crew felt a chill though the temperature was near 110°F.

The decision was made to tow the ship back to port. As the ship was prepared to be towed, smoke began rolling up from the hull. The rescue crew left the ship and barely had time to cut the tow lines before the Ourang Medan exploded and sank.


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STABB

I am not sure to what extent I believe, but having been in the Navy.. I can say that there is defintinely a feeling of not being alone on some of the ships I have been on..

I couldnt let this thread close without a dedication to the hands of the Edmund Fitzgerald.One of the most mysterious maritime disasters of our time.

The myth of the mummy aboard the Titanic has intrigued and fascinated people for years. Here is the story.

In the late 1890's a rich, young Englishman visiting the archaeological digs near Luxor purchased the coffin and mummy of The Princess of Amen-Ra. He arranged for it to be shipped back to his home, but was not there to receive it. He disappeared, never to be found. One of his companions on the trip later died, another lost an arm in an accident and a third lost his fortune in a bank failure.

The coffin reached England and was purchased by a businessman. Three members of the businessman's household were injured in an auto accident and his house caught on fire. Convinced that the mummy was unlucky, the man donated it to the British Museum.

The staff at the museum reported hearing loud banging and crying noises coming from the coffin at night. Things were thrown around the exhibit room without explanation. Finally a watchman died. Then a photographer took a photo of the coffin. When he developed it, the image that appeared was so horrifying that the photographer killed himself.

The museum wanted to get rid of the unlucky mummy, but with it's reputation they could not even give it away. Finally, an American archaeologist, who didn't believe in the stories, purchased the mummy and coffin and had it sent back to the states on board the Titanic. The rest was, well, history...

Could the mummy have been responsible for the island of ice that the great liner encountered or any number of the other "unlucky" events that plagued the Titanic???


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STABB

wow i never heard of the mummy being on the titanic..very good story. But if the king tuts tomb was cursed and a bunch of people found bad luck while excavating, I dont see why the titanic mummy w0uldnt be cursed as well. After all, Egyptians believed in hexes, spells, and curses so it wouldnt be unusual to have an item on board to deem bad luck

I've felt cold spots onboard the Queen Mary in very warm rooms; as well as the feeling of someone walking right through me. When comparing notes with others and those with the ghost tour, they confirmed the areas as high volume ghost spots.

Have been stories of feeling strange and hard to explain thoughts and feelings by those taking the transatlantic route going near where the Titanic went down so long ago.

I've heard of one called the Rouse Simmons, which disappeared along with its cargo of xmas trees in november 1912 (same year as the Titanic...)

"…There is no shortage of mystery connected to the Rouse Simmons story. Nor is there a shortage of ghost sightings. Just ask around. There are even specific times said to be best for spotting the phantom ship. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are both supposed to be good, as well as the anniversary date of its loss on November 23. Some say the ship appears most often on misty horizons at dusk, while others will tell you to look for the ship in the twilight mists of dawn.
But most often, it is said, the ship will return in the same way she left that fateful day nearly a hundred winters past: fighting her way through a violent gale."

Taken from http://www.christmastreeshipbooks.com/superstitiouswarnings.html

From the day man had first learnt to sail they discovered that the ocean was full of mystery. The tales of giant squids, strange lights, fierce storms and the list goes on and on.

We have laughed at the giant squid stores yet now we have these animals washing up on our beaches. We have yet to descover the greatest debts of our oceans.

It is a known fact that we still pick up radio messages from years gone pass. I know of the Titanics mayday call being heard not long ago. When this first started being reported it was said to be a hoax, then we discovered that it could happen as radio beams keep going until they hit something and bounce back.

In other words one day we say things cannot happen then we find out they can.

What is to say that these ghost stories cannot be true, only us. And we havent had a good running in saying things cannot happen and it all a hoax. Given time all ghost stories will be either confirmed or not. But to say no just because we cannot explain it is a joke.

This is not saying all stories are true, things cannot just disappear for no reason. Wether it alian, pirates or what ever there is always a reason, we just need to discover it.

I have seen the lady of the sea during a thunderstotm of the coast of clearwater fla

Are you speaking of haunted ships or ships that appear that are suppose to be from other time periods and cursed or something remotely connected. I am fascinated by the Flying Dutchman tales.

I have never seen a ghost ship or anything like it but I do believe in them. As many mysterious things happen to ship in places like the Bermuda Triangle, for instance, the ships have to go SOMEWHERE. I think they disappear for whatever reasons but possibly don't 'sink', they go sailing on an unknown course until they are spotted sometime later.

I have never seen one but with all the reports and things of that nature as was previously stated they ahve to go somewhere so I to believe that it is possible. There are some great stories in here!

I do have a question. How can an inanimate object possibly have a ghost? No soul. Nothing to be left behind.

NocnaMora I believe it's the people that die inside of the ship that would make it considered a ghost ship...

Well when you put it that way it makes some sort of sense, although it does ruin the fun I had in asking the question lol. But then again wouldn't it just be considered a ghost passenger with no ship included?

Some Swear they see some or sometimes takes pics and go hell is that what i think it is no luck here but i dont believe there really true ghost ships but hell what do i know

I live out here in southern cali were the famouse Queen mary ship is sationd.And everyone who has claimed it haunted whos been there.There was an episode of taps where they went to the ship.They got a bed unmakeing and then it was suposed to have been someone playing a prank on them one of the crue members but nobody came forward.So taps is going back again.

My father use to be in the Australian Navy and he told us about an incident when they went through the bermuda triangle.

They were towing a barge and basically it disappeared although the rope was straight out stiff as if there was still something attached to the end of the rope and they couldn't pull the tow rope in. Then all the sudden the barge appeared again.

My father was a 19 year old at the time.

slave ships used to go through the triangle and dumped sick slaves over board.sometimes ships have heard african songs as they sail over that area.a glowing late medieval ship haunts lock ness.have people read about the USS Eldritch?

The ocean is a massive area and these Ghost ships etc have been seen by ppl who have spent a lot of time on it and all are of sound mind so who are we to judge them and say it is all made up.

In my country, Chile, we have the story of a ship, the CALEUCHE, that sails the down south sea, taking the souls of all the people who can see it... it´s a wonderful story... and also we have the PINCOYA, this wonderful woman who sings and enchants the sail men with her voice and beauty, but when they get closer, she kills them...

I'd also have to wonder how there could be a 'ghost ship'. But I think there could be boats haunted by ghosts.

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