What is the Bermuda Triangle?
The Bermuda Triangle, which is also called the Devil’s Triangle, is a mysterious area where countless ships, airplanes, and people have vanished. It is a triangular sea area that connects the Florida Strait in the southern United States, Bermuda Island, and Puerto Rico. The zone is approximately 500,000 to 1,510,000 square miles. This extensive triangle does not exist on the world map and is not recognized by the United States as an official area (Goyal, 2013).
Accidents in the Bermuda Triangle
- In March 1918, the USS Cyclops, a huge collier bound for Baltimore from Brazil, went missing. The ship had 306 crew members and was carrying 11,000 tons of manganese. The missing people and even the wreckage of the ship have not been found. There was no call for help on the USS Cyclops ship. The weather was also good on the day the ship went missing. Marine investigators have not yet determined the cause of the ship’s disappearance (Frost, 2018).
- On November 29, 1925, the steam-powered cargo ship Cotopaxi, which was en route from South Carolina to Cuba, disappeared. The freighter was carrying coal and had 32 passengers (Williams, 2020).
- On December 5, 1945, five naval planes that took off from Florida disappeared without a trace. Neither the body nor the wreckage could be found (Mayell, 2003).
- On December 4, 1872, the Mary Celeste ship, which was bound for Geneva, Italy, from New York in the United States, went missing. A few days later, however, a British ship discovered fragments of the Mary Celeste in the Atlantic Ocean, but the passengers and crew on board were not found. The inside of the found ship remained intact (Mambra, 2021).
Theories about the Bermuda Triangle
Many people have studied the causes of mysterious accidents in the Bermuda Triangle. Although no clear cause has been found yet, various theories have emerged.
- A lot of methane gas is found at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle. Some experts argue that methane gas is the cause of the incidents. When methane gas is emitted strongly into the sea, the density of seawater decreases at a high speed. This phenomenon makes ships unable to float in water. Methane-generated spikes can cause the plane to crash by making incorrect figures (Goyal, 2013).
- Some claim that the accidents or incidents were caused by unusually large and strong waves. These dangerous waves occur unpredictably and suddenly. In general, the altitude of the waves is 15 meters at maximum. However, abnormal waves can reach a height of up to 30 meters. The power of the waves is as high as 100 tons, so ships are forced to break (Goyal, 2013).
- Some meteorologists claim it is caused by unusual hexagonal clouds that explode in the air. These clouds are made by microbursts. When the air pocket collides with the sea, dangerous waves occur. If trapped in these clouds, there is a high risk of falling from the sky (Ratner, 2016).
- There is a theory that the change in the earth’s magnetic field caused the accidents and incidents. The Earth’s magnetic field changes every 20 to 25 years. A magnetic field is created by moving a liquid-like substance in the center of the earth. The Bermuda Triangle is an area where the magnetic field is unstable. As the magnetic field changes, an earthquake can occur suddenly, and a strong magnetic field can break down electronic devices and compasses. As a result, pilots or captains may be unable to operate normally and lose their sense of direction (Stimpson, 2022).
Conclusion
Some theories about the Bermuda Triangle include the theory of alien abduction, Atlantis, and Time Leaf (Goyal, 2013). The Bermuda Triangle, which has many mysterious theories, is one of the transportation routes used by many ships and aircraft and has a lot of traffic. As the traffic volume of ships and aircraft is high, many accidents can occur. However, the Bermuda Triangle has a lower accident rate than other traffic routes do. The biggest reason for unknown disappearances in the past is that GPS wasn’t as developed well as it is now. In addition, tropical storms and hurricanes frequently occur in this area. If the missing people collided with a hurricane, rescue or debris could be hard to find (Williams, 2020). For these reasons, scientifically proven theories have supported the cause of accidents in the Bermuda Triangle.
References
Frost, N. (2018). Bermuda Triangle Mystery: What Happened to the USS Cyclops? [online] HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/bermuda-triangle-uss-cyclops-mystery-world-war-i [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Goyal, S. (2013). The Secrets of Bermuda Triangle [PowerPoint presentation]. Available at: https://www.scribd.com/presentation/100577530/Bermuda-Triangle [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Mambra, S. (2021). 5 Famous Mysterious Stories of the Bermuda Triangle. [online] Marine Insight. Available at: https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/5-famous-mysterious-stories-of-the-bermuda-triangle/ [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Mayell, H. (2003). Bermuda Triangle: Behind the Intrigue. [online] History. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/bermuda-triangle-mystery-disappearance [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Ratner, P. (2016). The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle may finally be solved. [online] Big Think. Available at: https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/bermuda-triangle/ [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Stimpson, A. (2022). There Are 7 Chilling Conspiracy Theories About the Bermuda Triangle. [online] Popular Mechanics. Available at: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a39750723/what-is-the-bermuda-triangle/ [Accessed 30 September 2022].
Williams, D. (2020). A ship was believed to have vanished in the Bermuda Triangle. Scientists found it after almost 95 years. [online] CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/31/us/bermuda-triangle-cotopaxi-scn-trnd/index.html [Accessed 30 September 2022].
