7 Bermuda Triangle Mysteries You'll Never Know the Truth About
The Bermuda Triangle is as infamous as it is mysterious. Also called the Devil’s Triangle, it’s a long stretch of the Atlantic Ocean whose borders reach all the way from the Florida coast to the Bermuda Islands to Puerto Rico. Ships, planes, and people have long been known to enter its waters and never come back out. The mysterious disappearances date back centuries.
Speculation as to why entire ships and squadrons of planes seem to be swallowed whole inside its borders range from supernatural forces to aliens to terrible weather. Some even claim that inside the Bermuda Triangle, magnetic forces disrupt compasses and other instruments, making it impossible for pilots and ships’ captains to know where they are or where they’re going.
Would you dare take a trip inside the Bermuda Triangle? Here are our Top 7 Bermuda Triangle Mysteries that will keep you up nights.
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Flight 19
Possibly the most famous disappearance within the Triangle is Flight 19, a squadron of 5 military planes that disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on December 5, 1945. It was a routine training exercise, one they’d made many times before, but this time the squadron’s leader got lost in bad weather and radioed for help. Eventually, the flight fell silent. A rescue crew was quickly dispatched to guide them back safely, but they, too, lost radio contact. Both Flight 19 and its rescue crew disappeared that day and were never seen again. Bad weather, or just another day in the Triangle? -
The Spray.
It may not be the first disappearance within the Bermuda Triangle, but it’s one of its most famous. Josh Slocum was one of the greatest sailors of the nineteenth century. In 1895, he successfully sailed solo around the world and lived to tell the tale. He was the kind of man who knew how to handle himself on the water. In 1909, he set sail from the east coast of the United States aboard his ship, the Spray, headed for Grand Cayman. His path took him directly into the Bermuda Triangle. It was the last anyone ever saw of him. Another victim of the Triangle’s forces, or just bad luck?
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USS Cyclops.
The USS Cyclops was a U.S. Naval vessel that carried coal for the U.S. Navy and stuck mostly to the eastern coast of the United States. Until 1918, that is, when it was asked to head for Brazil, where several Allied ships were waiting to be refueled. The last time anyone saw it was when it stopped in Barbados en route. They left Barbados’ port in March and were never heard from again. No trace of their ship was ever found. The loss of life totaled 309 people and remains the largest death toll in U.S. Naval History outside of combat. A terrible accident, or another victim of the Triangle?
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Star Tiger.
A British South American Airways Tudor IV plane, the Star Tiger, was making a routine trip from England to Bermuda in 1948 when it and its 31 passengers disappeared entirely and were never seen again. Though no one can say for certain, it’s been suggested the plane’s heater was malfunctioning due to a faulty compass, forcing the pilot to fly lower than usual to keep his passengers warm. Flying so low to the water would have been risky, leaving little to no time to maneuver the plane out of danger should it arise. So was it really a faulty compass, or was the Triangle just doing its job?
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Great Isaac Lighthouse.
Think staying on land means you’re safe? Not when it comes to the Bermuda Triangle. Erected in 1859, the Great Isaac Lighthouse is 151 feet tall and stands on a small island just 20 miles from the Bimini Islands, where many believe Atlantis once stood. In the early hours of August 4, 1969, its two keepers were discovered missing. There was no note and no sign as to where they’d gone. They literally disappeared without a trace and were never seen again. Some blame the hurricane that passed through the night before, others think the Triangle’s mysterious forces took them. What do you think?
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Flight 201.
In 1984, a group of Cessna employees with decades of experience between them left Fort Lauderdale headed for the Bimini Islands. Halfway there, the plane drastically cut their speed but never sent out any distress calls. Without warning, the plane fell out of the air into the water and vanished off the radar. To this day, no one knows what caused the plane to crash so suddenly. A woman who witnessed the event said she saw the plane fall, but nothing else. No wreckage was ever found despite search efforts. So was it a malfunctioning compass, engine problems, or just the mysteries of the Triangle?
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Piper Navajo.
November 3, 1978, brought clear skies and warm temperatures to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Irving Rivers, a pilot for Eastern Caribbean Airways, was flying his Piper Navajo solo from St. Croix to St. Thomas. It was a perfect flight. Rivers approached the airway in St. Thomas and was cleared to land. The control tower actually saw his plane’s blinking lights... and then they vanished. One minute the plane was there, the next it had disappeared from radar. An emergency search was made, but the plane and its pilot were never found—just one mile from the landing strip. So what went wrong that day?
Possibly the most famous disappearance within the Triangle is Flight 19, a squadron of 5 military planes that disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on December 5, 1945. It was a routine training exercise, one they’d made many times before, but this time the squadron’s leader got lost in bad weather and radioed for help. Eventually, the flight fell silent. A rescue crew was quickly dispatched to guide them back safely, but they, too, lost radio contact. Both Flight 19 and its rescue crew disappeared that day and were never seen again. Bad weather, or just another day in the Triangle?
It may not be the first disappearance within the Bermuda Triangle, but it’s one of its most famous. Josh Slocum was one of the greatest sailors of the nineteenth century. In 1895, he successfully sailed solo around the world and lived to tell the tale. He was the kind of man who knew how to handle himself on the water. In 1909, he set sail from the east coast of the United States aboard his ship, the Spray, headed for Grand Cayman. His path took him directly into the Bermuda Triangle. It was the last anyone ever saw of him. Another victim of the Triangle’s forces, or just bad luck?
The USS Cyclops was a U.S. Naval vessel that carried coal for the U.S. Navy and stuck mostly to the eastern coast of the United States. Until 1918, that is, when it was asked to head for Brazil, where several Allied ships were waiting to be refueled. The last time anyone saw it was when it stopped in Barbados en route. They left Barbados’ port in March and were never heard from again. No trace of their ship was ever found. The loss of life totaled 309 people and remains the largest death toll in U.S. Naval History outside of combat. A terrible accident, or another victim of the Triangle?
A British South American Airways Tudor IV plane, the Star Tiger, was making a routine trip from England to Bermuda in 1948 when it and its 31 passengers disappeared entirely and were never seen again. Though no one can say for certain, it’s been suggested the plane’s heater was malfunctioning due to a faulty compass, forcing the pilot to fly lower than usual to keep his passengers warm. Flying so low to the water would have been risky, leaving little to no time to maneuver the plane out of danger should it arise. So was it really a faulty compass, or was the Triangle just doing its job?
Think staying on land means you’re safe? Not when it comes to the Bermuda Triangle. Erected in 1859, the Great Isaac Lighthouse is 151 feet tall and stands on a small island just 20 miles from the Bimini Islands, where many believe Atlantis once stood. In the early hours of August 4, 1969, its two keepers were discovered missing. There was no note and no sign as to where they’d gone. They literally disappeared without a trace and were never seen again. Some blame the hurricane that passed through the night before, others think the Triangle’s mysterious forces took them. What do you think?
In 1984, a group of Cessna employees with decades of experience between them left Fort Lauderdale headed for the Bimini Islands. Halfway there, the plane drastically cut their speed but never sent out any distress calls. Without warning, the plane fell out of the air into the water and vanished off the radar. To this day, no one knows what caused the plane to crash so suddenly. A woman who witnessed the event said she saw the plane fall, but nothing else. No wreckage was ever found despite search efforts. So was it a malfunctioning compass, engine problems, or just the mysteries of the Triangle?
November 3, 1978, brought clear skies and warm temperatures to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Irving Rivers, a pilot for Eastern Caribbean Airways, was flying his Piper Navajo solo from St. Croix to St. Thomas. It was a perfect flight. Rivers approached the airway in St. Thomas and was cleared to land. The control tower actually saw his plane’s blinking lights... and then they vanished. One minute the plane was there, the next it had disappeared from radar. An emergency search was made, but the plane and its pilot were never found—just one mile from the landing strip. So what went wrong that day?The Bermuda Triangle is as mysterious as it is deadly. Would you tempt fate by traveling through its waters? Many do, and many survive. But it is not their stories we are here to tell, but those of the men and women who took their chances with the Triangle’s powers and lost. For those who have an adventure in their hearts, it may be worth the risk. If you come out of the Triangle’s waters alive, you’ll have quite the story to tell.
If you do venture into the Bermuda Triangle, you’ll never want to forget the journey. Take some pictures, make new friends, and mark your trip on your Newverest travel map. It’s the best way we know to keep your memories alive. Every time you look at the map, you’ll remember your journey into the Triangle and the adventure you found within its borders. Maybe you’ll even want to plan a return trip? If you discover the Triangle’s secrets, drop us a line and let us know. We’d love to hear them. Happy traveling!
