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In keeping with "campfire ghost stories", the legend of the Flying Dutchman is one of those stories that crews might pass along during a nerve-itching fog or in waters where veteran sailors may have warned of horrendous beasts and ghosts of shipwrecked sailors. True maritime mysteries like the Marie Celeste would-in their day-only add to the mystique and fear of the Flying Dutchman's reputation. Like many legends, the story of the Flying Dutchman has many versions, all with certain similarities. Those similarities, in turn, share some commonality with legends and myths that precede it. As an overall principle, the legend states that the Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship that serves as a warning of impending tragedy. The first of such legends was written in 1795, when Irish pickpocket George Barrington wrote Voyage to Botany Bay. According to his report, sailors told a story of a Dutch Man-of-War (a type of ship) lost at sea during a horrendous storm. That same ship was later imagined to harrass and wreck other ships in bouts of ghastly fog. A suspected personage for the ship's captain was Bernard Fokke, a captain known for what some would call "devilish" speed on trips from Holland to Java. Some quite seriously postulated that Fokke was aided by the Devil, and thus he became ideal for the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Others claim to have seen the ship at the Cape of Good Hope, and the tutor of Prince George of Wales claimed to have seen the ghost ship near Australia in the late 19th century.
Despite the descriptions of ghoulish glows and the like, scientists have offered a more, well, scientific explanation. Called Fata Morgana (named for the legendary sorceress
half-sister of King Arthur), the mirage would occur when warm air rested (in calm weather) right above dense, cold air near the surface of the ocean (though the effect also takes place on the ground in mountainous regions). The air between these two masses acts as a refracting lens, which will produce an upside-down, distorted image of the upright object within these masses of air. Even though a ship may be beyond the horizon, the observing ship may see an inverted, blurry image of the "mirage ship". The mirage ship could appear several times larger than its actual size, it may appear much closer, and the colors (due to the sun's position) may be distorted.
Despite modern scientific explanations, legends of the Flying Dutchman serve to stimulate the imaginations of sailors, movie audiences, authors, and others in the creative arts. Like the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow or the creatures of The Village, such legends can serve to entertain us or frighten us into submission. Unlike Pirates of the Carribean, very few of the tales of the Flying Dutchman involve a giant sea beast, but instead serve as a warning of coming disaster. Whatever their intent at their advent, such tales-as benign as they seem in the modern world of scientific explanations-serve well to keep even the most veteran sailors on the lookout for true-to-life maritime dangers.
While most people agree the “history” of the ship is a legend, the Flying Dutchman has been sighted by reliable witnesses. All of these were in the Cape of Good Hope. Lighthouse keepers reported seeing her.
Despite the descriptions of ghoulish glows and the like, scientists have offered a more, well, scientific explanation. Called Fata Morgana (named for the legendary sorceress
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Despite modern scientific explanations, legends of the Flying Dutchman serve to stimulate the imaginations of sailors, movie audiences, authors, and others in the creative arts. Like the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow or the creatures of The Village, such legends can serve to entertain us or frighten us into submission. Unlike Pirates of the Carribean, very few of the tales of the Flying Dutchman involve a giant sea beast, but instead serve as a warning of coming disaster. Whatever their intent at their advent, such tales-as benign as they seem in the modern world of scientific explanations-serve well to keep even the most veteran sailors on the lookout for true-to-life maritime dangers.
Flying Dutchman, Selected Sightings
While most people agree the “history” of the ship is a legend, the Flying Dutchman has been sighted by reliable witnesses. All of these were in the Cape of Good Hope. Lighthouse keepers reported seeing her.
- 1823: Captain Owen, HMS Leven, recorded two sightings in the log.
- 1835: Men on a British vessel saw a sailing ship approach them in the middle of a storm. It appeared there would be a collision, but the ship suddenly vanished.
- 1881: Three HMS Bacchante crewmembers, including King George V, saw the ship. The next day, one of the men who saw it fell from the rigging and died.
- 1911: A whaling ship almost collided with her before she vanished.
- 1923: Members of the British Navy saw her and gave documentation to the Society for Psychical Research, SPR. Fourth Officer Stone wrote an account of the fifteen minute sighting on January 26th. Second Officer Bennett, a helmsman and cadet also witnessed the ship. Stone drew a picture of the phantom. Bennett corroborated his account.
- 1939: People ashore saw the Flying Dutchman. Admiral Karl Doenitz maintained U Boat crews logged sightings.
- 1941: People at Glencairn Beach sighted the phantom ship that vanished before she crashed into rocks.
- 1942: Four witnesses saw the old ship enter Table Bay, then vanish. Second Officer Davies and Third Officer Montserrat, HMS Jubilee, saw the Flying Dutchman. Davis recorded it in the ship’s log.
- 1959: The Straat Magelhaen nearly collided with the ghost ship.
The Legend
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2 comments:
A Great story of the past coming farward.
I have read this story many times. People are always imagining/reacting from tales spread before them.
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