THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
{The Devil’s Triangle}
The history of the Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, is a long and mysterious one. Situated in the region of the NorthWestern Atlantic Ocean {which stretches from Bermuda through to Puerto Rico and Miami} the Triangle has been blamed for many mysterious disappearances of ships, boats, and planes. Indeed, on many occasions, nature seems to have played a part too, acting in such a way that it goes beyond the realms of human understanding, the realms of possibility.
It was Christopher Columbus who documented first the unnatural goings on within the Triangle itself. Indeed, in the year 1492, October 11, he wrote that ‘he and his crew observed strange dancing lights on the horizon.’ Apparently they viewed these ‘lights’ for quite some time. On other occasions he wrote about ‘flames in the sky and strange compass bearings within the triangle.’ The following quote from him is taken from his log book dated the same year, 1492 11th October:
‘The
land was first seen by a sailor, Rodrigo de Triana, although the Admiral, at ten o’clock that evening standing on the quarter deck saw a light but so small a body. that he could not affirm it to be land. Calling to Pero Gutierrez, groom of the King’s wardrobe, he told him he saw a light, and bid him look that way, which he did and saw it. He did the same to Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, whom the King and Queen had sent with the squadron as a comptroller, but he was unable to see it from his situation. The Admiral again perceived it once or twice, appearing like the light of a wax candle moving up and down, which some thought an indication of land. But the Admiral held it for certain that land was near…’
It had taken modern scholars to since, surmise that the lights he saw were simply cooking fires. These were the cooking fires of the Taino natives upon their canoes, or situated on the beach. Why the compass readings where wrong was simply that the false reading was based on the movement of a star.
The first articles of any description about the Triangle began to appear in newspapers during the early 1950s through the Associated Press. Since then there have been literally hundreds of reports of disappearances within this strange area. It is interesting to note that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. Also the U.S Board does not keep and maintain any official documentation about this area. Furthermore, there is an area named the ‘Devil’s Sea’ by Filipino and Japanese seamen, this can be found off the East Coast of Japan and holds the same mysterious disappearances and magnetic characteristics that its more famous cousin holds.
ABRACADABRA {and now they are gone}
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 19
December 5th 1945 and Naval Air Flight 19 takes to the skies from Fort Lauderdale. The five Avenger Torpedo Bombers included a crew of 14 men, 13 of whom where on the last stage of their training, they were led by a Lt. Charles Taylor. All of the five crew members had been transfered from the Miami Naval Air Station. It was Lt. Taylor that was familiar with the Florida Keys, but he was unfamiliar with flying over the Bahamas, this was actually the direction that Flight 19 was heading in.
The reason for the flight that day was to do a practice bombing at hens and chicken shoals, which was fifty six miles away. On completion of that mission, the Avengers would move Eastward for another sixty seven miles, from there they would then head north, seventy three miles. After that their direction would be Southward on their way home. This flight path would have been triangular through the Bermuda Triangle itself.
It was around about 3:50 pm that Lt Robert Cox, who was a Flight Instructor, and his pilot, was about to come in to land. Just as they were about to land at Fort Lauderdale a transmission came over the radio, which the both of them overheard. It seemed to be addressed to someone called ‘Powers’. The reply came from Powers, who stated ‘I don’t know where we are? We must have lost our bearings after that last turn.’
It was sometime later that Lt Cox managed to establish radio contact with another pilot from the lost Avengers. From what we know, he spoke with Lt Taylor who stated that the compasses were not working and he was absolutely certain that they were in the ‘Keys’ {this was meant as the ‘Florida Keys’}. He also stated over the radio that he did not know how to get to Fort Lauderdale. It was Cox that insisted that he, Taylor, should head North, toward Miami
‘if you are in the Keys’.
It seemed to be a huge error of judgment, for Taylor was not in the Keys at all, but in the Bahamas. In fact, he took Cox’s advice and headed North, subsequently putting him further out to sea. In the meantime, the effort by Cox and others to try and find out the exact location of Flight 19, was being hampered by poor communication. It was at some stage during the flight, that Taylor was advised to turn over the control of the flight to one of his students – apparently, he did not do this.
Dusk was approaching fast over Fort Lauderdale, and all their suddenly came to the realization that Taylor and his crew, on the Avengers, had absolutely no idea where they where…in fact, they were lost. The radio signals where being hampered also by the atmospheric conditions and this was getting worse – especially at sunset. It was almost impossible to establish radio contact. With what little contact they had, Lt. Taylor stated that they would head north-north/east for a short time, then head back north again.
So, on they went at the heading they said they would follow, changing to veer only a little, to the east. At around 5:15 pm the message came through from Taylor that they where now heading west, actually he was overheard, speaking to his colleagues. He was telling them that they should join up, when one of them runs out of fuel, they would all go down together.
It was around 5:29 when the sun sank over Fort Lauderdale, this had now become a full blown emergency and bad weather was not making the situation any better. Nobody had any idea where the location of Flight 19 could be, everybody was speculating over this, but nobody had any conclusive answers to give. Around about 6 pm and the radio reception managed to improved for just a little while. Cox took advantage of this to urge Taylor to switch to 3.000 kilocycles {this happened to be the emergency frequency}. Taylor, quite understandably, refused this, as he feared that by doing so it would put him out of communication with the rest of the flight.
In fact, interference from Cuban commercial stations, and the inability to translate the Fort Lauderdale training signal, by the coastal stations, had doomed Flight 19…she was now cut off from the rest of the world. At some point that evening, it was thought that the ComGulf Sea Frontier Evaluation Centre thought that they had actually found the flight’s position. This was thought to be east of New Smyma Beach, Florida, and to the north of the Bahamas.
Subsequently, they sent out a rescue craft, around 6:20 pm, they thought that they had actually lost the Dumbo boat too that had been sent out to rescue those on Flight 19. It was ice on the antenna that had caused the radio block out of the Dumbo. Yet more rescue craft joined in the search for Flight 19, within the hour, that evening the sea was very rough indeed and the weather was very overcast. At some point in the evening, another flight, {Martin Mariner}, failed to turn up at its appointed rendezvous. All radio calls to this flight, seemingly, were not received. 7:50pm and a huge explosion was reported by the crew of a ship nearby. Fire, like a sheet of flames, shot up toward the sky. This explosion was undoubtedly caused by the dowining of the Martin Mariner. A rescue mission for this flight was not attempted, as the conditions were so hazardous as to be too dangerous to try.
By this time it was assumed that Flight 19 was down after having used up all of their fuel. 7:04 pm, when Taylor’s last transmission was heard. The search for the missing flight continued on throughout the night. Hundreds of ships, planes and boats joined in to look for the missing flight…but all to no avail, Flight 19 had disappeared off the face of the Earth. No wreckage, no trace, no bodies where ever found from that doomed flight.
The above is one of the most famous cases of a whole flight disappearing into thin air. Indeed, there have been others too, others like the SS MARINE SULPHUR QUEEN {which was the world’s first liquid sulphur tanker}. This tanker disappeared off the Florida Keys – Key West, Florida. on February 4th 1963. The paranormal experience of Pilot Chuck Wakely in the year 1964. The disappearance of Yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst, on 29th June 1969. These are but a few of the cases that you, the reader, can check up for yourselves. Suffice to say that the Bermuda Triangle, to this day, remains one of the world’s foremost mysteries. Indeed, it is a mystery that may never be solved. Myself, personally, I believe that there is some kind of anomaly that has – and still is – going on within the Triangle. An anomaly that is terrifying in its frequency and unexpectedness.
Anyone who survives to tell the tale about their experiences of the Triangle tell off disorientation, confusion, lost bearings. In nearly every single one of the cases recorded, men, seemingly very experienced in flight, or ship travel, and also experienced enough to know the area well, all reported the strange occurrences within the Triangle itself. The calm weather, and yet the sun acting in ways which where impossible, {the sun spinning, or falling out of the sky}. Strange spiral cloud formations, the sea boiling and bubbling over, where once it was calm. Compasses acting and spinning, freak waves appearing out of nowhere from a calm sea. What are we to make of this? Also, what are we to make for the fact that there is never any wreckage found?
This brings us neatly to another question, is the Triangle some sort of ‘gateway’? A gateway to another dimension no less? There have been many strange craft hovering over the sea, could these UFOS, be the cause of what has been going on there? Could they be the cause for the disappearance of so many ships and planes?
Yes, there are many questions and so few answers. One question that has been plaguing me during the writing of this article is this: Do the conditions within the Triangle have to be just right? Many ships pass through the Triangle on a daily basis without any incident whatsoever. This then leads me to the same question that you the reader may ask. Indeed, it may sound like I am repeating myself but, do the ingredients have to come together? Do they have to be just right so as to trigger the unnatural causes that happen within the Triangle? I leave you to make up your own minds…as for me, well, I leave you with this, to ponder, that there are more things in the heavens, upon the Earth and in Hell, then anyone can ever imagine possible.
