What secrets of ghost ships have been uncovered by scientists over the past 400 years

It would seem that in the modern, highly developed world, one can find a real explanation for any event. However, this is not always the case. There are still mysteries that mankind has never been able to unravel. One of them is ghost ships plowing the seas and oceans of our planet.

The history of the schooner “Lady Lovibond”, the ship “Flying Dutchman” and the cruise ship “Lyubov Orlova” is proof of this. However, scientists have put forward the hypothesis of the appearance of ghost ships.

Where do ghost ships come from?

Some will say that this is a real miracle. These are restless souls, who once died in a shipwreck, still cannot find a home for themselves. However, scientists have a completely different opinion on this matter. They suggested that the ghost ships are just mirages formed by “atmospheric mirrors”. For example, the lower atmospheric layers are strongly cooled, located close to the earth, and the upper ones have already warmed up by the sun.

Due to the temperature difference in the upper layers, there is a mirroring of all objects that either fell into their field of vision or are on earth. Mirages differ in types:

• lake mirages (create the appearance of water where it cannot be);
• lateral (may occur on the shore of a lake or sea, near rocks);
• a distant vision phantom (these mirages are most often associated with ghost ships);
• the phenomenon of “Fata Morgana” or a werewolf mirage (changes the image of ordinary objects beyond recognition).

Many experts attribute the appearance of ghost ships to distant vision phantoms. However, it is possible that the Fata Morgana phenomenon was superimposed in some cases. In particular, in the case of the legendary ghost ship “Flying Dutchman”, this was exactly the case.

Numerous eyewitnesses told how they encountered a ship that sailed right at them in a foggy haze. Shouts, SOS signals and attempts to contact the team did not give any results. All of a sudden, the ship disappeared. Although the ship has been repeatedly seen in the distance, hovering over the horizon. However, when approaching the schooner, it abruptly disappeared. It is worth considering the fatigue and fear of sailors, alcohol abuse. It is possible that in such a state, anything can be seen.

Ghost of the schooner “Lady Lovibond”

There are so-called “dead places” on the seas and oceans, where many ships perished all over the world. One of them is called the Goodwin Sands, which is located on the English Channel. In this place back in the 11th century, there was the island of Lomea. But its owner, Earl Goodwin, stopped strengthening its shores, and the island eventually went underwater. Since then, shipwrecks have repeatedly occurred here, resulting in the death of people.

In these places, inexplicable phenomena with ghosts and ringing bells were noted. There was even a case when lighthouse keepers watched the death of a schooner. But the rescuers who arrived found nothing.

The most resonant shipwreck was the sinking of the Lady Lovibond in 1748. There is a legend about this. His young wife travelled on the ship “Lady Lovibond” along with Captain Simon Peel. It was their kind of honeymoon trip, and the girl was as beautiful as a goddess. And the crew looked with envy at the captain’s wife.

They drank a lot for the happiness of the young, with toasts and fun. But alcohol led to tragedy. Everyone wanted to possess a young woman. The captain was killed, and the woman was abused. No one controlled the ship, because the crew was very drunk. A few days later, the ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands.

Since then, passing ships have observed the ghost of the Lady Lovibond schooner every 50 years. Why exactly after such a period of time is not yet clear, but this fact was confirmed every 50 years. In 1798, the schooner “Lady Lovibond” was seen from the ship “Edenbridge”. It was not only seen but almost collided with the ship. It would seem that a collision was inevitable, but suddenly everything disappeared.

In 1848, the ghost ship appeared again. Then the sailors of another schooner rushed to save those drowning in a shipwreck, but nothing and no one was found. In 1948, the ghost ship was not visible due to thick fogs. Now it seems to be expected in 2048.

History of the Flying Dutchman

This legendary ghost ship has entered the history of mankind forever. He terrified other ships, making them think that the devil himself was at the helm. The story of the Flying Dutchman began in 1641. Captain Philip van der Decken commanded the ship. His path lay from the East Indies to Amsterdam, past Africa. The ship was completely rammed with valuable cargo. They carried silks, exotic spices, paints. Approaching the Cape Peninsula (to the Cape of Hope), a storm began, which intensified every minute.

The team had seen a lot in their lifetime, but they were really scared at that moment. Therefore, they began to beg the captain to turn around. But Decken was pretty drunk and stood his ground. He gave the order to continue sailing without changing anything. The captain forbade the crew members to leave the ship ashore until they reached the coast of Africa. But there was a shipwreck, and everyone died. From now on, the “Flying Dutchman” has become a sign ship, drifting across the ocean with a crew of the dead.

There is another hypothesis for the mystery of the “Flying Dutchman”. It was rumored that Captain Van der Decken made an agreement with the devil himself but did not fulfill his conditions. For this, Satan put a curse on the ship and everyone who was there. However, it could be removed by fulfilling one condition. A worthy woman should have sincerely loved the captain. Once every seven years, the ghost of Van der Decken became a man and could come ashore to seek his fortune. But, apparently, the captain never managed to meet his true love. The ghost ship “Flying Dutchman” still plows the waters of the ocean.

Cruise ship “Lyubov Orlova”

Even today, there are ghost ships. We are talking about the cruise ship “Lyubov Orlova”, which was built in 1976. This ship worked for the benefit of Soviet citizens for 20 years and carried out passenger transportation in the Far East. The collapse of the USSR also affected the ship. It was bought abroad for further cruise trips to the Polar Region and was successfully used for the next 15 years. On this, her activities ended, then Lyubov Orlova was sold for scrap.

The ship was supposed to be towed to the Dominican Republic, but something went wrong. On the way, a strong storm began, and the cable could not stand it. The cruise ship is sailing freely. Given the circumstances, the ship has already been considered sunken. But it was not there. It suddenly appeared off the coast of Ireland. The rescue service headed for the object, but it suddenly disappeared.

Experts put forward different versions of what is happening. Perhaps the cruise ship “Lyubov Orlova” became a ghost. But still, the majority is inclined to the version that it is still drifting in the ocean and has not sunk at all. This means that it may appear more than once in the field of view of people.