The Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, is the name given to an area of water between Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Within this space, many planes and ships have mysteriously vanished. The mystery began in 1950, which a small article appeared outlining the strange disappearances of ships and planes in the area, and it was given the name the Devil’s Sea. In a feature in 1964, Vincent Gaddis christened the area with its most famous name.
One of the most famous disappearances in the triangle occurred in 1945. Flight 19 was a squadron of five naval bombers, all of which supposedly disappeared while flying over the area. The two planes that set out to rescue Flight 19 also disappeared and were never found. Naval ships such as the USS Cyclops and the Marine Sulpher Queen also disappeared without a trace.
Another disappearance was that of Donald Crowhurst, who was attempting an around the world voyage. A large ship carrying ore also mysteriously vanished in the area after only three days at sea. An official statement by the US Coast Guard states that repeated search attempts were made, but no traces were ever found of the missing planes or ships.
Popularity of the phenomenon reached a peak in 1974 with the publication of Charles Berlitz’s book, "Bermuda Triangle." At around that time, a film with the same name was also released. Many articles and books have since been published to try and give scientific explanations to the mystery, and some of the explanations have been more than credible.
The stretch of water where the disappearances occurred is notorious for tropical storms. Many of the reports at the time claim that the ships and planes were lost in calm waters, but weather reports checked since often do not agree with these reports. Also, the area of water under the triangle has large areas of methane gas eruptions. These eruptions create areas of gas that are incapable of supporting the weight of a ship.
Lawrence Kusche, a reference librarian at Arizona State University, conducted a lengthy investigation into the mystery. His conclusions cast doubt on many of the disappearances. Crowhurst’s diaries suggest that he was suicidal as he sailed around the world. An area of the sea off of Japan has the same strange magnetic elements as that of the Bermuda Triangle, and many disappearances have also occurred there.
There are also a number of discrepancies in the reports of the Flight 19 disappearance. The squadron was reported to have been manned by experienced pilots flying in calm weather. In fact, the flight was a training exercise for students and the weather had turned stormy. The last contact with the planes stated that they were running low on fuel. It's likely that the planes crashed, and no one could have survived the stormy seas.
For all Kusche’s credible explanations of the disappearances, one mystery remains: none of the crashed planes were ever recovered. As a mystery, the Bermuda Triangle is one that may never be solved. It is certainly an area that gives cause for concern to anyone traveling across it.
