The Bermuda Triangle: myth or reality?

The enigma of the Bermuda Triangle: mysteries and disappearances in the Atlantic Ocean

The Bermuda Triangle is a geographic region surrounded by mystery and legend, located between Florida, Puerto Rico and the Bermuda archipelago. Over time, more than a hundred ships and planes have disappeared in this area, generating speculation about black holes, paranormal and extraterrestrial phenomena. However, science has sought rational explanations for these mysterious disappearances. In this article, we will analyze the most extravagant theories and scientific explanations that have arisen around the enigmatic Bermuda Triangle.

Serial disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle’s reputation is due not only to its vast area, but also to the numerous disappearances of planes and ships that have happened there throughout history. From the 1940s, this region has witnessed a constant pattern of mysterious disappearances that have baffled the maritime and aviation community.

Major disappearances from the Bermuda Triangle

When talking about the main disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, it is necessary to mention the following cases:

• Mary Celeste (1872): the famous case of the Mary Celeste, a ship found adrift between the Azores Islands and the Iberian Peninsula in 1872, some 5,000 km away from the Bermuda Islands. The ship was abandoned, and her crew was never found.
• Freya (1902): The German ship Freya was found adrift shortly after setting sail from Manzanillo (Cuba) for Chile in 1902.
• SS Timandra (1917): en route to Buenos Aires from Norfolk (Virginia), the SS Timandra disappeared with its 21 crew members on board in 1917. Although it had the ability to emit radio signals, no distress communication was recorded.
• USS Cyclops (1918): the coal ship USS Cyclops disappeared with its 308 crew aboard in March 1918 due to a hurricane. It is one of the most famous and unsolved mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle.
• Carroll A. Deering (1921): the cargo ship Carroll A. Deering was found stranded and adrift at Cape Hatteras in 1921. It was approximately 1,050 km west of the Bermuda Islands and approximately 800 km northwest of the Bermuda Triangle.
• Raifuku Maru (1925): the Raifuku Maru sank with witnesses in a storm 1063 km north of the Bermuda Islands.
• SS Cotopaxi (1925): the SS Cotopaxi disappeared in October 1925 after reporting that the weather was calm, without sending any distress signal.
• Flight 19 (1945): five United States Navy TBM Avenger aircraft, known as Flight 19, went missing in December 1945 during a training exercise. The 14 crew members were never found.
• National Airlines Flight 1208 (1965): a National Airlines Douglas DC-4 passenger plane disappeared in November 1965 while flying from New York to Miami. The wreckage of the plane was found off the coast of Nassau, but there were no survivors among the 40 passengers and crew.

In the enigmatic Bermuda Triangle, storms rage raging, combining deadly currents and weather phenomena that challenge ships and planes alike.

Paranormal and extraterrestrial theories

The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle has fueled the collective imagination for decades, and the lack of concrete explanations for the disappearances has left room for speculation and the creation of paranormal and extraterrestrial theories.

• Portals to another dimension: one of the most popular and captivating theories suggests that the Bermuda Triangle is a place where portals to other dimensions exist and occasionally open. According to this theory, ships and planes could accidentally cross these interdimensional borders and, consequently, disappear from the earthly plane.
• Sea monsters and unknown creatures: another theory points to the presence of sea monsters or unknown creatures in the depths of the Bermuda Triangle. According to this speculation, these mysterious creatures could attract ships and planes to their domains and cause their disappearance.
• UFO secret base: UFO enthusiasts have suggested that the Bermuda Triangle could be a secret base for alien spacecraft. According to this theory, UFOs would come to this area to abduct humans or study our civilization. Reports of lights and strange objects in the sky have been cited as evidence to support this belief, although there is no solid evidence that support the existence of these alleged alien spacecraft.

The science behind the Bermuda Triangle

While paranormal and extraterrestrial theories have captured the popular imagination, extensive research has been carried out by the scientific community to address this enigma from a more grounded perspective.

• Underwater topography: One of the most notable geographical features of the Bermuda Triangle is its underwater topography. This area has been found contains several trenches and seamounts that can create unpredictable and dangerous ocean currents. These sudden changes in the relief of the seabed can alter the navigation of ships and affect navigation conditions. In addition, the presence of rock formations and hidden reefs may have caused collisions and sinking that could explain some of the disappearances.
• Weather conditions: The Bermuda Triangle area is located near the confluence of ocean currents and is exposed to a variety of extreme weather events. The region is known to experience tropical storms, hurricanes, and intense wind gusts. In this sense, these climatic events can generate dangerous maritime conditions, such as tidal waves, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rains, which represents a challenge for the boats and aircraft that cross the area.
• Methane eruptions: Another scientific explanation that has gained notoriety is the presence of methane deposits on the seabed of the Bermuda Triangle. Methane is a flammable gas that can be released from the ocean floor, creating bubbles that reduce the density of the water and consequently, affect the buoyancy of boats. It has been proposed that these methane eruptions could be responsible for the sudden disappearance of ships by causing a change in buoyancy and causing unexpected sinking.

The presence of methane deposits on the seabed has led to theories about its sudden release, causing changes in the buoyancy of vessels and contributing to unsolved disappearances in the area.

The importance of human errors

Throughout history, several cases have been identified in which the navigation errors, Lack of preparation and hasty decision-making may have played a crucial role in the tragedy that has become synonymous with the Bermuda Triangle.

• Navigation errors: one of the main challenges for boaters in the Bermuda Triangle is the absence of visible landmarks in the vast ocean. Before the advent of modern technology, so sailors relied heavily on compasses and astrolabes to trace their routes that did not always give accurate results.
• Lack of preparation: At the time when many of the most famous disappearances occurred, communication and navigation technology was much less advanced than today. Ships and planes did not have security systems. satellite tracking or sophisticated communication equipment.
• Hasty Decision Making: in situations of crisis or danger, quick decisions can be both a blessing and a curse. In the context of the Bermuda Triangle, where weather conditions can change dramatically and navigation can become complex, rash decision-making It has often led to disastrous results.

The change in navigation technology has been crucial to understanding the change in the numbers of disappearances.

Bermuda Triangle: between legend and reality

As we examine the fantastical theories and scientific explanations behind the Bermuda Triangle, we realize that the truth may be much more realistic than the legend suggests. Through skepticism grounded in research and science, we can unravel the myths and understand the true causes behind the disappearances in this mysterious region of the Atlantic Ocean.