Emily Lehmann
11/25/14
Do you believe in the Bermuda Triangle? The Bermuda Triangle is a mythical stretch of the Atlantic Ocean that is bounded by Puerto Rico, the island of Bermuda, and Miami, Florida. Thousands of ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared and it is often said that no wreckage or survivors are left behind. It is also referred to it as the Devil’s Triangle because the Devil is believed to be the cause. The area covers 500,000 square miles of the southeastern tip, which is about twice the size of Texas.
The reputation of this area may seem scary, but the triangle is traveled daily by small boats, large commercial ships, airliners, military aircraft, and private planes that are constantly traveling …show more content…
Gaddis. The first name came up with was the “Miami Triangle”, but Florida did not agree saying that they would lose visitors with such a name. “Puerto Rico Triangle” was next, they raised objections. Last was “The Bermuda Triangle”, the 21 square mile island formed the third corner of the triangle, and no one seemed to be bothered. Many people do not know that these strange occurrences began over 5 centuries ago when Christopher Columbus was traveling in the triangle. He had experienced compass malfunctions, saw a large fireball splash into the ocean, and recorded strange lights all in a diary. “The historical shipping records show that the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle are much older than many people realize. Ever since earliest days of oceanic exploration, sailors have witnessed strange sights.” (www.history.com)
The legend started to gain more attention when in 1945; a squadron of fire Navy Avengers had disappeared. In the early 1950’s, the stories of disappearances started to reach even much public awareness when it was declared as a serious and extreme danger zone after over 700 sailors vanished in just a short two years. People started to realize how unusually high the frequency of tragedy …show more content…
Five U.S. Navy Avenger Bombers with 27 men aboard altogether took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Two hours after takeoff they somehow became lost. The flight leader sent radio messages that the compasses were working incorrectly. The Navy sent out a rescue plane that had then disappeared as well. Investigators could never determine the cause of the loss of Flight 19. One of the earlier known ship disappearances was the Mary Celeste. The ship was abandoned off the coast of Portugal in 1872. Theories of the cause are alcohol fumes from 1,700 barrels of Cargo or insurance fraud.
The USS Cyclops was once the largest ship in the U.S. Army. In 1918, the ship never got to its designated destination; Norfolk, Virginia. Did the ship sink because of its heavy cargo, was it because of a strong storm, was it torpedoed because of the current event of World War I? The disappearance of the ship remains unanswered. The loss of 309 passengers on the ship was the single biggest loss in U.S. Naval history apart from