The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle - Research Paper Example

?The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle The world we live in abounds with certain natural anomalies for which no scientific explanation can be found. There are times when these anomalies end up being a benefit to the world, other times, it turns into a terror that haunts the nightmares of people. These nightmarish anomalies then turn into something of a scientific whodunit. Causing scientists to form theories, people to form conspiracy theories, and others, simply turn the anomaly into a form of urban legend or folk tale. One the anomalies that continue to persist well into our highly advance technological times of the 21st century is the Bermuda Triangle. A body of water that seems to take human sacrifices, making both man and machine disappear as they trek across its waters. Be it by air or sea, it seems that there is an unnatural force existing in that area that our modern abilities cannot overcome. The Bermuda Triangle has thus, remained a mystery for many decades now. However, time has not satiated man's quest to explain the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. Rather, it has only fed his desire to conquer one of the most inexplicable places on our planet. Therefore, the questions continues to remain “What is the Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle?”. There have actually been a number of myths developing around the strange and mysterious disappearance that have happened in the area that can be traced all the way back to the time of Columbus and the discovery of the New World. Historically, there have been a long line of military and private vessels that have gone missing within the triangle area, the most popular disappearance being that of the fame female pilot Amelia Earhart. Most recently however, famed fashion designer Vittorio Missoni was also reported to have disappeared during a flight that took his plane directly into the triangle's path (Speigel, Lee “Vittorio Missoni's Disappearance Gives Rise to New Fears of Bermuda Triangle Worldwide”). I will be discussing some of these theories and disappearances in the latter part of this paper as well as providing my personal insight into the matter of the mystery as well. The location of the Bermuda Triangle according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pegged a region in the North Atlantic Ocean that forms a triangle using the bodies of water located within three key points; Miami, Florida, Bermuda, and San Juan, Puerto Rico (“The Bermuda Triangle”). When one views the and traces these location points on a current world map, one will easily notice the triangle formation that exists within the three. It is this very specific shape of the area that led to the name Bermuda Triangle, with Bermuda being the central point between the three. Although most popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle by most people, the name was never made official for the area. In fact, there is still a huge scientific and social debate as to whether the Bermuda Triangle actually exists or not. The area has not even been cordoned off ala Area 51. Instead, the stretch of water occupied by these points continue to be a source of air and water traffic for the region. There have been no reports of extra precautions being undertaken such as higher insurance premiums or vessel surveillance when ships and planes pass through the area. Agrosy Magazine was the first magazine to have used the term “Bermuda Triangle” in an article written by Vincent H. Gaddis in 1964. Gaddis is documented in the magazine article as being the first person to use the term in making a publicly claim that ships and planes disappeared under mysterious circumstances within this sea area. However, Fate Magazine in 1952 published the first documented claim that the area seemed to be infested with strange accidents (“The “Mystery” of the Bermuda Triangle”). These published claims helped fuel the various theories that added to the mystery and interest of the public in learning more about what lay beneath the mysterious waters. Covering an area of over 500,000 square miles, the area off the southeastern tip of Florida has long been documented by seafarers to have been exhibiting strange circumstances as ships passed across the waters. There are reports that Christopher Columbus was one of the adventurers who passed through the mysterious area during his early voyage into the New World. Existing documents related to his travels relate that he was witness to a meteor crash in the area with a strange light emitting from the same area weeks later. His reports of erratic compass reading have also led some scientists to believe that he had passed through what could have been the truth north and magnetic north area of the planet (“Bermuda Triangle”). In the annals of U.S. naval history, the U.S.S. Cyclops will be forever remembered as the first ship to have been scarified into the triangle in the early 20th century. The 542 foot naval cargo ship manned by 3.000 men and containing 10,000 tons of manganese went missing without sending out a distress signal in March 1918. It is believed that the ship may have sunk somewhere between Barbados and Chesapeake Bay. After having undertaken an exhaustive search of the area, no evidence of the ship could be found. Years later, in 1942, the sister ships of the U.S.S. Cyclops met a similar fate as they traversed a similar route on the same path (“Bermuda Triangle”). It was at this point that the naval administration thought to begin observing the area for anomalies and documenting these events. What surfaced was a pattern that led to the disappearance of a ship in the area, with it either being found abandoned or not at all later on. One of the most inexplicable naval incidents to have occurred in the area was documented in 1945 as follows: ... in December 1945, five Navy bombers carrying 14 men took off from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airfield in order to conduct practice bombing runs over some nearby shoals. But with his compasses apparently malfunctioning, the leader of the mission, known as Flight 19, got severely lost. All five planes flew aimlessly until they ran low on fuel and were forced to ditch at sea. That same day, a rescue plane and its 13-man crew also disappeared. After a massive weeks-long search failed to turn up any evidence, the official Navy report declared that it was “as if they had flown to Mars (“Bermuda Triangle”). The rising number of mysterious occurrences in the area led prolific minds such as that of Charles Berlitz who wrote a fictional account in 1974 of a disaster based upon the events in the region. In all of these novels, the shipwrecks and air crashes are caused by aliens, Atlantis, sea monsters, and reverse gravity fields. These works of fiction, through constant reading and retelling over time, came to hold a special place in the mythology of the area. Some of the fictional information contained in the book found its way out of the pages and into the mainstream discussion relating to the region. The early books written then became part of the myths and conspiracies that began to slowly abound in relation to the mysterious happenings. These theories were more interesting to people instead of the complicated scientific theories that included waterspouts, magnetic anomalies, and eruptions of methane gas from the ocean floor (“Bermuda Triangle”). Even though there are numerous documented occurrences of ships and planes mysteriously vanishing within the Bermuda Triangle, the most popular of the 20th century disappearances is related to the disappearance and eventual death of famed female aviationist Amelia Earhart during her 1937 attempt at a world flight record. It is believed that she disappeared somewhere within the area of Howland Island where she was expected to land for refueling and supplies, including swapping her navigator for another partner, before continuing on her trek. Those who were present during the final hours of her flight communications with Itasca indicate that there was a problem with her radio signal and frequency. Although they could clearly hear her transmissions, she was possibly having instrument problems that caused her to not hear their reply transmissions. Others, believe that she was a government spy who assumed a different identity after establishing the death of Earhart. Although studies and investigations into the cause of the crash are often revisited in our modern times, there is still no conclusive evidence to prove that the Bermuda Triangle had something to do with the tragic events that occurred during the historic flight. Quite recently, another place crash was added to the Bermuda Triangle history books. World renown fashion designer Vittorio Missoni along with 5 companions were aboard a twin engine BN-2 Islander aircraft that went missing near the Los Roques island chain. The group was en route to Caracas before radio contact was lost with the party. Extensive search efforts have, just like in the case of the U.S.S. Cyclops and Amelia Earhart's plane crash, not revealed any wreckage within the search area. Apparently, the crash happened at the Los Roques Curse which is, “... not far from the infamous Bermuda Triangle -- bordered by Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico -- where people, planes and ships have vanished for decades.” (Speigel, Lee “Vittorio Missoni's Disappearance Gives Rise to New Fears of Bermuda Triangles Worldwide”). One of the more popular myths about the existence of the Bermuda Triangle has to do with the Lost City of Atlantis. There are some people who believe that the city is located deep within the bowels of the sea on this particular area of the ocean. Now there is a belief that energy crystals once powered the city and it is those very same crystals that wreak havoc on the panel instrumentations of the vehicles passing above sea. Theorists try to prove this theory by telling the following story: Sometime in 1970, a scuba-diving Atlantis proponent claims he found a mirrored pyramid of some type, deep under the Atlantic, somewhere around the Bahamas. Other theorists have even more evidence, pointing to what they say is obvious, more easily seen evidence: the Bimini Road, a strange rock formation composed of uniform, seemingly sculpted towers of rock just of the coast of the Bahamian island of Bimini. The Atlantis proponents claim it was once a dock; geologists claim it's the work of natural forces. (“Top 10 Bermuda Triangle Theories”) It is interesting to discover the many myths and legends that people continue to perpetuate about the mysteries of the triangle. It keeps books and magazine articles in publication. Television specials about the triangle also bring in good ratings. But just like everything else that was considered mystery eons ago. Modern scientific research has managed to develop an explanation about the existence of the triangle. The scientific explanation exists even as theorists do their best to perpetuate the myth of the Bermuda Triangle. The first evidence that disproved the mythical claims about the triangle emerged in 1974 when Larry Kusche, a simple librarian from Arizona State University documented the various disappearances that occurred within the triangle as presented in various articles and books. By looking deep into the background of the “mysterious disappearances”, he discovered that all of the crashes and sinking can easily be explained away by a simple check of the weather and location records from that particular time in history. Kusche documented the results of his investigation in his published book “The Bermuda Triangle Mystery - Solved” where he gave detailed explanations as to the reasons behind the historical crashes and sinking. The results of his investigation produced evidence that most of the events that occurred within the triangle were often the result of human error. Kusche explained in his book that most of the strange incidents did not always happen under the most dire of circumstances. In what came to be known as the Kusche Theory, the explanation emerged that; Often a Triangle writer had noted a ship or plane had disappeared in "calms seas" when the record showed a raging storm had been in progress. Others said ships had "mysteriously vanished" when their remains had actually been found and the cause of their sinking explained. In one case a ship listed missing in the Triangle actually had disappeared in the Pacific Ocean some 3,000 miles away! The author had confused the name of the Pacific port the ship had left with a city of the same name on the Atlantic coast. (“The “”Mystery” of the Bermuda Triangle”). This is a theory that is strongly supported in the scientific community where there is a belief that environmental considerations need to be addressed when delving into the “mysterious” previous disappearances within the area. Most specially since the Bermuda Triangle is know to be in the pathway of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes. Even the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard do not believe that there is anything supernatural about the historical disappearances in the area. As far at they are concerned, the accidents and crashes that happened in the area all boil down to the existing weather conditions, condition of the ship or plane, and human error. All of which, when combined, can produce seemingly inexplicable disappearances. A highly detailed explanation of the scientific explanations regarding the disappearances in the area extensively explain that: A significant factor with regard to missing vessels in the Bermuda Triangle is a strong ocean current called the Gulf Stream. It is extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase evidence of a disaster. The weather also plays its role. Prior to the development of telegraph, radio and radar, sailors did not know a storm or hurricane was nearby until it appeared on the horizon.... Many other US Navy ships have been lost at sea in storms around the world. Sudden local thunder storms and water spouts can sometimes spell disaster for mariners and air crews. Finally, the topography of the ocean floor varies from extensive shoals around the islands to some of the deepest marine trenches in the world. With the interaction of the strong currents over the many reefs the topography of the ocean bottom is in a state of flux and the development of new navigational hazards can sometimes be swift (“The Bermuda Triangle”). Personally, I believe that the mysteries of the Bermuda triangle will not be fully explained because , even though we have advanced so far as a people technologically, we still understand very little about the earth's magnetic force and the world under the sea. This lack of knowledge will help to continue the perpetuation of the Bermuda Triangle myths right alongside the scientific and logical explanations for the occurrences in the area. It will be impossible to explain the Bermuda Triangle in a single theory or scientific explanation. However, modern technology seems to have helped avert disasters from further happening in the area through better use of on-board radar systems, compasses, GPS, and satellite based communication systems. There seems to be no logical reason at the moment to believe that any of the myths and theories about the triangle have a breath of truth to them. After all the Bermuda Triangle is still a part of the modern air and sea-faring route with no mysterious disappearances being reported. Works Cited “Bermuda Triangle”. history.com. history.com. n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. “The Bermuda Triangle”. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. noaa.gov. n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. “The Bermuda Triangle:. Naval History and Heritage Command. navy.mil. n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. “The “Mystery” of the Bermuda Triangle.” The Museum of Unnatural History. unmuseum.org. n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. “Top 10 Bermuda Triangle Theories”. Life & Earth Science. discovery.com. n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. Speigel, Lee. “Vittorio Missoni's Disappearance Gives Rise to Fears of Bermuda Triangles Worldwide. huffingtonpost.com. huffingtonpost.com. 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. Read More