The Numbers of Unresolved Disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle - Essay Example

The Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle is an area located in the North Western area of the Atlantic Ocean and is also referred to as the Devil’s Triangle. This latter term arguably arises out of the mystery surrounding the unsolved numbers of disappearances that have occurred in the area dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. These disappearances are popularly associated with paranormal activities and/or extraterrestrial interferences (Cochran-Smith 2003, 275). On the other hand, it has been documented that a number of unresolved disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle are shrouded in mystery as a result of inaccurate reports and embellishment. In fact it statisticians maintain that the numbers of unresolved disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle are no different from those associated with other regions (Bermuda-Triangle.Org 2009). If the Bermuda Triangle disappearances is not larger in number than the disappearances in other areas, the mystery and intrigue surrounding the former is perplexing. Rosenberg (2002) offers a logical explanation for the mystery and attention that looms over the Bermuda Triangle. First it encapsulates a popular tourist attraction and secondly, the disappearances have been characterized as bizarre (Rosenberg 2002, 5-6). It is therefore not the numbers and frequency of the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle that generates mystery and intrigue, but the manner of the disappearances and the fact that it is also an area where a large number of ordinary citizens vacate. The combination of these factors lends itself to unprecedented attention and interest. The list of unresolved disappearances can be traced back to 1800 when the USS Pickering disappeared without a trace somewhere between Guadeloupe and Delaware with 90 people on board (Berlitz 1985, 24). In 1813, the USS Patriot disappeared with the daughter of former vice-president Aaron Burr on board en route from South Caroline too New York (Jeffrey 1973, 47). Thereafter a number of unsolved disappearances at sea in the general area known as the Bermuda Triangle were recorded during the 1800s. These disappearances included civilian vessels in which no trace of the vessels or the passengers were recovered. In a majority of the cases however, the vessels and all personnel aboard were lost and never recovered (Berlitz 1985). The disappearance of aircraft in the area intensified the mystery and attention to the Bermuda triangle. In 1945, five planes from the US Navy, referred to as Flight 19 left Florida for a training mission with the intention of remaining airborne for approximately two hours. However, the aircraft and the 15 persons on board disappeared and were never recovered (Gorman 2002, 4). Recorded messages from Flight 19’s leader indicated that the compasses on the aircraft had malfunctioned and that he had no idea where he was. Ultimately, the flight leader lost contact with the Navy base and after five hours Flight 19 vanished. One of the aircraft dispatched to find Flight 19 also disappeared (Gorman 2002, 5). The disappearance of Flight 19 only added to a growing list of strange disappearances in the area now known as the Bermuda Triangle. These disappearances are characterized by ships and aircraft disappearing with all aboard and no trace or clues left behind. Gorman (2002) explains however, that a number of ships and aircraft frequent the area. The area is understanbly busy and accidents are inevitable. No one characterized the disappearances of sea vessels and aircraft in the area as mysterious or bizarre until such time as a various authors began to write about them. One author even referred to the area as the “Triangle of Death” (Gorman 2002, 8). These writings drew attention to the area known as the Bermuda Triangle and specific note was taken of the Sargasso Sea situated in the area. The sea is rather calm and permits ships to simply float in the area. In any event, the myths and mysteries began to circulate (Gorman 2002, 7). Ultimately these myths include assumptions that supernatural events account for the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Others go so far as to attribute alien activities that abduct sea and air vessels and their crews and passengers. Others surmise that there are black holes in the area in which aircraft and sea vessels are lost. Yet still, there are other explanations attributed to time warps and the lost city of the Atlantis emitting rays of energy (Gorman 2002, 16). Regardless, neither of these theories lends any resolution to the mysterious disappearances in the area. If anything they have only contributed to intensify the mystery. There is still no infinitive explanation for why some compasses malfunction in the area or why radio and radar connections are lost (Gorman 2002, 16). Skeptics maintain that the entire mystery that surrounds the Bermuda Triangle is no more than a myth created to sell books and movies. They maintain that the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle can be reasonably explained by the fact that many survivors have been recovered and a large number of these survivors explain that the sudden appearance of storms accounted for their abandoning ships (Gorman 2002, 18). In fact a number of wrecks were found long after their disappearances. As Gorman (2002) explains, wrecks can be very difficult to locate because the ocean in the area is quite deep and the current is fierce. Moreover, valleys and trenches on the floor of the ocean can hide debris. Rosenberg (2002) injects some reality into the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. He explains that in any attempt to explain away the mysterious disappearances in the area, it is helpful to bear in mind that the area is host to the Atlantic’s deepest waters. In fact the water in the area is at least 30,000 feet deep (Rosenberg 2002, 7). In fact, scientists have also found that the current in the area is at hundreds of feet below the Gulf Stream and runs in opposing directions. Complicating matters, the Bermuda Triangle also has two north measurements when the remainder of the world only hosts one. The first north in the Bermuda Triangle is referred to as the magnetic north and can be picked up on a compass. The second north is referred to as true north and this refers to actual geography. The two Norths are separated by 20 degrees and is referred to as the compass variation. The variation is used to take account of the difference between the two Norths (Rosenberg 2002, 7-8). In the final analysis, not many actual facts are known about the Bermuda Triangle. Fear of, and interest in the unknown is a natural human instinct. When this factor is added to the disappearances in the area, intrigue and interest in the disappearances are only going to intensify. Ultimately, hundreds of vessels and aircraft have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle since the 1800s and no one is the wiser. These unresolved disappearances are therefore open to interpretation. Reports from persons who have passed through the Bermuda Triangle only add intrigue and mystery. For instance Charles Lindbergh, having flown through the Bermuda Triangle in 1928 reported that he had passed through a fog characterized as strange. According to Lindbergh, the fog eventually cleared and he noticed that he had flown much farther than his fuel could have or should have accommodated (Miller 2009, 18). Do reports such as these add anything of value to the unresolved mysteries of disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle? One thing is certain, these kinds of reports raise a number of questions. For one thing, what makes the fog different from any other kind of fog? It is conceivable at least that an unusual fog could account for a ship or aircraft getting lost. But what of the equipment designed to guide vessels when there is little or zero visibility? Since Lindbergh managed to navigate through the fog unscathed, can we be sure that fogs of this kind can account for the loss of the ships and aircraft claimed by the Bermuda Triangle? Lindbergh’s report of flying farther than his fuel should have allowed likewise raises questions of relevance or irrelevance. Could Lindbergh have miscalculated the amount of fuel on his aircraft? If he was accurate about the fuel supply, how is it related to ships and aircraft disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle? The relevance of reports such as these are not obvious. The only facts that are not open to interpretation about the Bermuda Triangle is the fact that ships and aircraft have disappeared without a trace for close to 200 years. According to reports, so have ships and aircraft in other parts of the world. The sheer depth of the ocean should satisfy the curious. For some reason this does not satisfy all observers and is as reasonable an explanation as any. What is not clear is what happened to people who have disappeared from ships that were recovered. Recovered survivors explained abandoning the ships as a result of sudden storms. It is certainly plausible that persons abandoning ships caught in a sudden storm were lost at sea in an attempt to escape. Sudden storms can also account for the loss of radio contact and compass malfunctions. The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is perpetual. It would appear that the attempt to find answers has given way to even more mystery and intrigue. In an attempt to find answers to the unknown, we are caught in a mystery that breeds mystery. Could it simply be, that there is no known solution and the Bermuda Triangle disappearances are better left to their characterization of unresolved? The more we speculate, the more mysterious it becomes. References Berlitz, C. Without a Trace. Ballantine Books, 1985. Bermuda-Triangle.ord. 2009, http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/ (Retrieved March 15, 2010). Cochran-Smith, M. “Bermuda Tirangle: Dichotomy, Mythology and Amnesia.” Journal of Teacher Education 2003, Vol. 54: 275. Gorman, J. The Bermuda Triangle. Gareth Stevens, Inc. 2002. Jeffrey, A. The Bermuda Triangle. Midway Copy Service, 1973. Miller, C. The Bermuda Triangle: The Unsolved Mystery. Capstone Press, 2009. Rosenberg, A. The Bermuda Triangle. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002. Read More