Crews that disappear from ships

Some of you probably remember reading Charles Berlitz tales in which entire ship crews disappeared without a trace and often so suddenly that unfinished lunch was still standing when others found the ship. One example is the story of the 18th Century "Mary Celeste". And you probably wonderend: Does stuff like that really happen?

Yes it does. Regularly. One of the most recent cases is that of the Kaz II.

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The Kaz II, dubbed "the ghost yacht", is a 9.8-meter catamaran[1] which was found drifting 88 nautical miles (160 km) off of the northern coast of Australia on April 18, 2007. The fate of her three-man crew remains unknown, and the circumstances in which they disappeared are mysterious and have been compared to that of the Mary Celeste

...On April 20, maritime authorities caught up with the boat and boarded it. They found the three-man crew missing in circumstances which they described as being "strange."[2][3] "What they found was a bit strange in that everything was normal; there was just no sign of the crew." -- Jon Hall, Queensland's Emergency Management office.[2] In a statement delivered on the day of the boarding, officials with the Queensland Emergency Management Office revealed that the yacht was in serviceable condition and was laid out as if the crew were still on board. Food and flatware were set out on the table, a laptop computer was set up and turned on, and the engine was still running. Officials also confirmed that the boat's emergency systems, including its radio and GPS were fully functional, and that it still had its full complement of life jackets.[2][3] According to news sources, there was even a small boat still hoisted on the back of the boat and the anchor was up.[6] The only signs, other than the disappearance of the crew, that were out of the ordinary, were damage to one of the boat's sails and that there was no life raft on board (it is unknown whether there ever was one aboard).[2][3]

A forensic investigation by police found no evidence of foul-play. To add to the strangeness, a video was found that was apprantly taken shortly before the disappearance, showing the men sitting around having a good time. Because the camera footage showed surrounding islands, investigators could spot the precise location they must have disappeared. But no dead bodies where found anywhere, despite intense search. Relatives of the disappeared crew testified that they were experienced yachtsmen who understood and adhered to safety requirements. A staged disappearance is ruled out because there seems to be no motive or reward for such.

Several explanations have been put forward, none of them satisfactory. Crews just disappear from ships and we dont know why...

Well here is the official account according to the coroner:

"On Sunday, April 15, 2007, at 10:05 A.M., the Kaz II was sailing in the vicinity of George Point. Up to that moment everything was going as planned but, in the following hour, their situation changed dramatically. The men hauled in the white rope that was trailing behind the boat and bundled it up on the foredeck, possibly to dry, next to the locker it was normally kept in. For unknown reasons, James Tunstead then took off his T-shirt and glasses and placed them on the backseat. The report says that since the men's fishing lure was found entangled in the ship's port side rudder, an obvious explanation would be that one of them tried to free the lure and fell overboard while doing so. Standing on the boat's 'sugar scoop' platform (a platform at the back of the ship close to the waterline) while the boat is moving is perilous and falling in the water is easy, but getting back aboard almost impossible. One of the other men then came to the rescue of his friend, while Batten, still on board, started the motor and realized he had to drop the sails before he could go back for his friends.

As he left the helm to drop the sails, a deviation of the ship's course or wind direction could have easily caused a jibe, swinging the boom across the deck and knocking Batten overboard. This could even have happened before Batten was able to untie and throw out the life ring to his friends. A blue coffee mug found near the life ring may support this. Since the boat was travelling before wind and at a speed of 15 knots, it would be out of reach of the men within seconds. The report states: "From that point, the end would have been swift. None of them was a good swimmer, the seas were choppy; the men would have quickly become exhausted and sunk beneath the waves."

The coroner's conclusion seems entirely viable to me in the case of Kaz II .. one man going overboard trying to untangle the lure, another going in to help him .. the third man being knocked in while setting the sails, the coffee cup laying near by seeming to support that .. and the fact the one man's shirt and glasses were removed seems to support him jumping in ..

Very unfortunate but believable .. the "other" explanations seem a little less likely.. interesting read

Considering no storm was reported and we're dealing with experienced yachtsmen all three people just "falling in" seems kind of unlikely to me...especially when we look at the many similar cases throughout History and see similar events.

The official explanation is totally plausible. There does not need to be a storm for people to accidently go into the drink, especialy if one went in on purpose to free a fishing lure form the rudder. If there was a crew of ten then maybe this would be a major mystery, but not three.

The Mary Celeste is a better example, that one really is a mystery - although there is most likely a simple explanation for that, too.

Interesting read but I think this one has been thoroughly debunked by the authorities. I see no reason to doubt their reasoning.

Seems like a bit of sensationalist journalism.

I remember reading about this when when it happened. I think it's a shame it's been solved really. Some mysteries should stay that way, just for fables' sake. Awful for the families though. I hope they don't read this.

Mary Celeste is a good one too. We got told that at school many eons ago. Will have to look it up. I've forgotten all the details.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
Crews that disappear from ships

Very interesting subject indeed Skyfloating, thanks for bringing that again under my attention. S&F
After you mentioned Charles Berlitz I did remember vaguely that it could be possible that I even have one of his books in my possession, so I checked my bookshelves and bingo there it was.
The Dutch version of “World of the Odd and the Awesome”.

However, in there I could not find a chapter on missing shipcrews.

It’s of course impossible to say what the real cause of that missing crew of the Kaz II was, but what is said here is no doubt very strange indeed.

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...In a statement delivered on the day of the boarding, officials with the Queensland Emergency Management Office revealed that the yacht was in serviceable condition and was laid out as if the crew were still on board. Food and flatware were set out on the table, a laptop computer was set up and turned on, and the engine was still running. Officials also confirmed that the boat's emergency systems, including its radio and GPS were fully functional, and that it still had its full complement of life jackets.

en.wikipedia.org...

Here is some interesting additional information about that subject.

SEAFARERS AND PASSENGERS WHO DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A TRACE FROM ABOARD SHIPS

Dr Anthony Low, MD, Hamburg Port Health Centre
Institute of Occupational Health

It is a fact that not only ships, but also seafarers and passengers vanish without a trace at sea, be it in the past or in present times.

Several examples for this phenomenon are given.

A scheme of the ship conditions found after discovering that single persons or even whole crews had disappeared from board is provided as an orientation, before describing in detail the more than 18 reasons for vanishing from ships for good, giving examples where appropriate.

These reasons are in their majority logical, but strange and bizarre reasons also exist. Causes may e.g. be the sea state, crimes, suicide, alcohol, piracy.

A chapter concerning passengers lost from large modern cruise ships, especially in the Caribbean, follows.

Finally, suggestions are made, for instance psychological aptitude tests, as regards how to maybe help decrease the number of disappearing persons, especially young seafarers, from aboard ships on the high seas.

www.viamedica.pl...

Just intriguing as the story of the “Marie Celeste” is the story of the “Carroll A. Deering”.

Carroll A. Deering was a five-masted commercial schooner that was found run aground off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1921. Its crew was mysteriously missing.
The Deering is one of the most written-about maritime mysteries in history, with claims that it was a victim of the Bermuda Triangle, although the evidence points towards a mutiny or possibly piracy.

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Conclusion
No explanation for the disappearance of the crew of the Carroll A. Deering was ever officially verified, though all of the genuine evidence seems to point to mutiny. Still, the case is a favorite of paranormalists and Bermuda Triangle proponents and has gained a reputation as a successor to the Mary Celeste as one of the truly great mysteries of the sea.

en.wikipedia.org...

Well, to me the coroners report seems farcical. If the subject weren't so serious it would sound like slapstick comedy.

I'm not saying that anything paranormal occurred, but the 'official verdict' is nothing but wild speculation.

reply to post by joyride0187The report you've quoted sounds plausible at 1st glance. However, I've a number of personal experiences which cast doubt on it.
I'm no yatchsman: my only experience is a few goes on Lake Windermere & some parties in the Algarve, but before I could get on board at Windy, I was given the basics in no uncertain terms: if someone goes overboard, you do not dick around, you get whatever floatation devices are to-hand after them before you do anything else. You do not jump in after them without a floatation device yourself. I was a kid. Can we believe that experienced yatchsmen didn't know this? Why was the boat still aboard then? Even if 1 had momentarily forgotten everything he'd ever learned about the sea & dived in willy-nilly, surely the bloke left on board would launch the boat?
So we come to the boom. I've worked as a scaffolder. If you drop an aluminium tube on the ground, it puts a dent in it. Most yatch booms are made of much thinner gauge ali.
I'm a keen competitive kite-flyer. The amount of carbon fibre rods I go through is annoying. I paint my wing edges in a mixture of cellulose dope, PVA & latex, dissolved in nHexane+Toluene: its expensive, but it protects the CF rods from lateral damage, which is the primary cause of failure.
I've seen plenty of used baseball bats & they all have dents in them.
So my guess is that, whatever the boom was made of, there ought to have been some damage to it, had it hit a person hard enough to knock them off their feet. Shouldn't there also have been blood &/or fibres left behind?
I've also been attacked from behind with a piece of wood, which did knock me out. However, before I lost consciousness, I was able to deliver a 270 degree roundhouse kick that, apparently, flattened my assailant. Its not like the films: we dont get walloped & go down instantly unconscious. When push comes to shove, we try whatever we can.
(Cont below)

(Cont from above)
Remember the scratches on the inside of middle-ages coffins? When we're desperate, damage to our bodies means nothing. Shouldn't there have been marks on the deck & gunwales from hands, knees, shins or feet, if someone had been knocked overboard?
Was there any evidence, other than the coffee cup, to support the theory the coroner came up with?

I'm open to all possibilities for missing crews. I heard one story where a large yacht and it's crew jumped overboard in calm waters in the Mediterranean. No one realized that once over board their was no way to get back onto the yacht without help for someone aboard. After a time they all drowned. Can't remember where I heard this story.

I've been on the ocean all my life and realize that this story is very possible especially if alcohol was involved.

what a fantastic thread. even if the cause is speculative in nature, the body of evidence is that 3 men disappeared. aren't we all thinking that something really strange could have caused this? not sure if the two disappearance incidents are related. its just that in this day and age, its hard to just disappear. recreation of a crime scene is done today with very good forensic technology. it seems that there is an argument that the 3 either jumped or got bumped off into the water, and couldn't get back on. could there be a third possibility? something that says they were taken?

Thanks for the replies...also the ones which speak for the unlikeliness of thee men haphazardly jumping off into nowhere for no reason at all. And thanks also for the report spacevisitor.

I guess there is nothing more to say on the subject and we are left with

Of Course if some force terrestrial or extraterrestrial would want to abduct humans, the open sea would be first choice because others are less likely to witness it.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
I guess there is nothing more to say on the subject and we are left with

Hi Skyfloating, there is always more to say about such matters, look for instance to these other really extraordinary happenings with ships and there crew.

Two of the most well known ships to go missing in these waters are the Picton and the Bavaria.

Both of these ships disappeared as it would seem into thin air. The disappearance of the Bavaria was made even stranger when not one of her crew members would ever be found alive to share with the rest of us what really happened out there, and why they had vanished. In fact not one member of her crew would be found dead either! Their bodies, nor their ship was to be seen or heard of ever again.

The Picton was another ship that went missing. This time the ship and all of its crew were lost in a blink of an eye. According to witnesses the ship just vanished without a trace right in front of them. She was sailing with two (2) other ships at the time and the crew of the other ships tried to find some clue as to what happened, but it was just gone. They searched the area where the Picton was for hours, but came up with nothing. The ship and its crew were presumed lost and the other two ships carried on there way after many trying hours of searching.

www.pararesearchers.org...


In here you can read the quite remarkable story of the ships the Bavaria and the Picton and more.

The Great Lakes Triangle - By Hugh F Cochrane

The Bavaria

The Bermuda Triangle is not the only zone of mystery on the Earth. The Great Lakes have an even higher concentration of unexplainable ship disappearances than anywhere else in the world.
Near the end of a cool May, in 1889, several tall masted ships sailed out of Kingston harbor, at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, to search for a missing vessel. There had been a storm over the lake. Not uncommon in these waters. And the Bavaria, the missing ship, had failed to make port.

Her absence had raised concern among the ship's owners and relatives of the crewmen. There was good reason for this concern, for, although lake Ontario is not the largest in the Great Lakes chain, it has one rather weird, if not deadly, anomaly that none of the others possess. It has the Marysburgh Vortex. This vortex, like the famed Bermuda Triangle, is a strip of water in the eastern end of the lake that has a long history of bizarre circumstances that have caused the loss of numerous ships and their crews. According to marine insurance records, the Great Lakes have a higher concentration; of shipping accidents than any comparable area elsewhere. And it has held this unenviable position for over a hundred years.

In its variety of mysterious events this region outranks anything found in the Bermuda Triangle, the Hoodoo Sea, or any of the other so-called zones of mystery in other parts of the world.
More important, this end of Lake Ontario appears to be the focus of an unknown, invisible vortex of forces that not only erupts intermittently throughout these waters but, at times, spews out an invisible cloak to encompass and cause disasters in other parts of the Great Lakes, the regions surrounding them, and even the skies above.

With this in mind, it was an act of courage that led the captain and crew of one of the rescue vessels, the Armenia, to sail directly into these waters to search for the missing ship Bavaria.

The Picton

In 1950, in a joint venture between the United States Navy and the Canadian National Research Council, a study was begun on magnetic anomalies and other such phenomena. As part of this project, surveys were made around Lake Ontario. This led to further investigations by a Canadian team of scientists under Wilbert B. Smith of the Canadian Department of Transport.

They discovered areas of "reduced binding" in the atmosphere near the shore of the lake. In one report these areas were described as pillar-like columns-some almost 1,000 feet across and reaching thousands of feet up into the atmosphere-which were invisible and detectable only by sensitive equipment. Inside these columns some peculiarities were noted in gravity and magnetism and what appeared to be a reduction in the nuclear binding forces holding matter together.

It was also discovered that some of these "columns" were mobile and never remained in one location for any length of time. Such an unusual discovery should have created some interest within the scientific community. Evidently it did not. Investigations of these areas were dropped and nothing further on the subject has been released.
For the present there is no way of determining whether one of these zones of reduced binding - a sort of gravity or magnetic hole - had anything to do with the sudden disappearance of the ship Picton as she approached the Marysburgh Vortex in 1900. But whatever it was that caused this vessel to vanish made it look as if the vessel had sailed into another dimension. And it happened in front of a number of astounded witnesses!

There were two vessels following along behind the Picton on that clear June morning as she sailed toward the Marysburgh Vortex. The ships Minnes and the Acacia had both left port with the Picton and they had her in plain sight. One minute the Picton was there and the next she was gone. It was as quick as that, according to the witnesses.

At first the crews of the Minnes and Acacia did not believe their eyes and scanned the surface of the lake before the shock of what had happened gripped them. Then they quickly offered prayers to heaven and sailed directly into the area where the Picton had been seen minutes before. For the next few hours the two ships crisscrossed the area while their crews hung over the rails, their faces grim as they searched the water for some trace of the people or the wreckage that they were certain should be there. But there was no trace of the vanished Picton then or after.

To read all.

www.book-of-thoth.com...

reply to post by Skyfloating


Rub a dub dub. I think the coroners Inspector Cluseur type explanation is plausible. Only in as much as an
alternative explanation of, they all went skinney dipping together and got eaten by sharks.

Great thread The OP case might be considered a freak accident where they fell overboard , but what those ships that dissapeared in the blink of an eye are very interresting . What were the official explanations ?

One theory I have for the catamaran is that one person fell overboard and the other two jumped in to save him, leaving the boat to sail off without them. This happened to my father and I when my brother fell overboard.

Always leave someone on the boat. Like the above poster suggests, I think that at some point, for whatever reason, they were trusting their engine settings to hold position, and didn't leave anybody aboard. Something happened, and the boat left them. They could have been 15' away, trying to reach it, only to have it storm away (and for them to eventually drown).

Piracy though, for many cases, is another possibility. It explains a quick interruption. And the boats (being traceable) were likely just abandoned after using them for a run, etc.

Leaving a boat in mid ocean is in the same category as jumping out of a perfectly good airplane in mid-flight, there has to be a compelling reason that requires immediate action.. The Marie Celeste was carrying a cargo of alcohol, the Captain, his wife and small children and a small crew. It was also carrying a compelling reason for all these people to abandon the ship. Both the Marie Celeste and this Cat ...were found undamaged and intact and both were photographed when they were discovered. This is important because it is evidence we can examine, you can actually see what was present at this time, before anyone boarded....or anything departed. It is my opinion that the only thing that would make a person leave a ship they owned, that contained their wealth, worldly goods is that vessel sinking or something terrifying on board with them. If the people left to escape that presence then IT in all likelihood is still on board.. If it is not readily visible it must be below decks or invisible. Ships have finite space so it doesn't take a great deal of time to search small ones. Usually (for me) the riggings is the last place i look. They are also the easiest place to spot invisible creatures that are blowing in the wind....things moving in wrong ways. Anyway, it doesn't take a lot of skill or knowledge, the photograph is here, download it to a photo editor and use a highlighter set at .23 and darken the white parts. You should get something like this picture. The Marie Celeste had the same entities in her riggings also. Just fun things to do when you're bored.