Why do People Vanish in the Bermuda Triangle? Deep Sea Mysteries

Why do People Vanish in the Bermuda Triangle? Deep Sea Mysteries
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Is the Bermuda Triangle Real?

First of all let me explain what is meant by the Bermuda Triangle. This an imaginary area of the ocean, which, as the name suggests, is triangular in shape. The three points of the triangle lie in Bermuda, Miami and San Juan; along the south-eastern Atlantic coast of the US. Please note that the name Bermuda triangle is not officially recognised by the US Board of Geographic Names, but still it is in popular use. Another popular name for this triangle is the Devil’s Triangle.

So what is all the fuss about all this triangle business? Actually this area has become rather infamous due to some mysterious occurrences in the region which do not have a scientifically proven reason. Most of these occurrences are related to the disappearance of marine vessels and aeroplanes in and around the region with no logical explanation.

USS Cyclops

There are many incidents connected with the Bermuda Triangle, but one that stands out prominently is related to the d

isappearance of the US Navy warship USS Cyclops. In the year 1918 this warship suddenly vanished from the region around the Bermuda triangle. Its disappearance remains a mystery till date. The wreckage of the vessel was never recovered, neither was there any trace of the more than 300 soldiers on board. The official version of the US Navy on this incident is that the ship sank due to unknown reasons.

F19

Another incident occurred nearly two decades after this in 1945 when a group of five US air force bombers simply disappeared off the coast of Florida, again without a plausible reason. There are dozens of other incidents related to the disappearance of ships, yachts and airplanes.

What’s with the Vanishing Act?

Government authorities and the scientific community do not formally accept the existence of any area known as the Bermuda Triangle. Researchers obviously stress the need to find out the exact causes of these disappearances although no concrete evidence has been found. Many theories have been put forth to explain the mysterious disappearance of objects in the region. None of these theories have been successful in explaining all the aspects of these incidents; given below are some of these theories.

Gas Effects

The Methane Hydrate Effect - some scientists claim that there are vast reserves of methane hydrate gas beneath the region of the Bermuda Triangle. It may happen that large quantities of this gas gets released into the water, and this results in substantial reduction in the buoyancy of water. Since a ship floats on water due to the buoyancy effect, the reduction in buoyancy leads to the weight of the ship not being supported by water. The only drawbacks in this theory are that it does not explain the disappearance of airplanes. There are also even bigger reserves of methane hydrate in other regions of the world that do not have this mysterious occurence.

Rogue Waves - Another such theory is a large wave coming out of nowhere. It’s possible these waves would have been responsible for several of the incidents that occurred in that area.

There are a number of theories relating to this mystery such as the presence of extraordinary magnetic fields in the region to the presence of extraterrestrial beings and even supernatural powers in the region.

So What’s the Truth?

The only truth about this mystery is that we do not know the full truth yet. Obviously this leaves room for speculation and new theories every day. Scientifically speaking there must be a logical explanation of all the incidents. Only time will uncover this mystery.

Many people consider this a fabricated mystery which is being promoted by fiction writers for personal gains. Some point to the fact that though the disappearance of vessels and aeroplanes is unfortunate, still the number of disappeared objects is not an proportionate to similar incidents in other parts of the oceans. Even classification societies such as the Lloyd’s register do not charge an extra premium for ensuring the ships passing through the hypothetical Bermuda Triangle.

Each day a large number of ships and airlanes pass unharmed through that area. In the absence of any conclusive evidence on either side, I leave it to the readers to make their own decisions regarding the phenomena.

Image Credits

Naval History & Heritage Command - A US Navy Website