The Mysterious Bermuda Triangle

Posted: 05.20.2025 | Updated: 05.20.2025

Is there any single area on Earth more mysterious than the Bermuda Triangle? For centuries, this area between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has been the focus of intense conspiracy theories due to the high number of ships and planes that have disappeared from the area — many never being seen again. 

While you may not want to go on a tour of the Bermuda Triangle, you can experience an equally eerie experience in the historic town of St. Augustine, Florida. You’ll get to see some of the oldest and most haunted sites in all of Florida firsthand, where ghosts of children and prohibition smugglers still linger to this day. To experience a night you won’t soon forget, book a ghost tour with Old City Ghosts. 

What’s the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle?

In total, it’s estimated that approximately 50 ships and 20 planes have disappeared within the 50,000 square miles of the Bermuda Triangle in modern history. While boats and planes have wrecked all around the world in that same time period, what makes the tragedies in the Bermuda Triangle particularly interesting are the seemingly unexplainable disappearing crews and passengers. 

More than once, a ship will be found completely deserted — leading many to wonder if some otherworldly entity played a role in the vanishing of all the people on board these vessels.

The Formation of the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle

The first odd experience in the Bermuda Triangle came from none other than Christopher Columbus himself. While sailing through that zone, he noted seeing a “great flame” fly across the sky. While this was likely a meteor, he also described seeing a strange light in the distance a few weeks later, while still within the Devil’s Triangle (as the area is also known). 

Additionally, Columbus wrote about issues with his compass, which was likely due to true north and magnetic north lining up — a phenomenon not experienced anywhere else in Columbus’ journey.

The Most Famous Disasters within the Bermuda Triangle

Of the many catastrophes to occur within the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle, there are some that are particularly difficult to explain. These include: 

• The USS Cyclops
• The Flight 19 bombers
• The Ellen Austin

The Complete Disappearance of the USS Cyclops 

In March 1918, the colossal USS Cyclops was setting off for Baltimore from Brazil. The 542-foot-long ship had over 300 crew members on board and was hauling 10,800 tons of manganese ore. 

The Navy cargo ship was equipped with the finest technology available at the time. However, somewhere between Barbados and the Chesapeake Bay, it vanished. While the ship had the capabilities to send an SOS message, it never did. 

A mass search party was sent out to discover any trace of the huge ship and the hundreds of crewmen aboard it, but nothing was found. As no bad weather was reported during that time period, the cause of the ship’s disappearance has never been determined. 

To add to the strange nature of the USS Cyclops was the fact that in 1941, two sister ships of the Cyclops also vanished while taking the same route. 

The Mystery of Flight 19

In December of 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, five Navy bombers were going on a three-hour bombing exercise off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Fourteen experienced Navy pilots and Marines were aboard these planes, which would become known as “Flight 19.” Several of them had combat experience from the war, and all of them had hundreds of flight hours logged. 

While all was going according to plan at first, the leader of the squad became convinced that his compass was malfunctioning. While this was happening, a weather front with heavy wind and cloud coverage blew in. Before long, the pilots were radioing that they were utterly lost. 

Investigations have pieced together that the newly-transferred commander somehow got very confused about his coordinates, ordering his soldiers to follow him out farther to sea. Eventually, they all ran out of gas and crash landed into the ocean. 

The Navy immediately sent out two rescue planes. One was a Mariner flying boat carrying 13 men. Inexplicably, shortly after takeoff, the Mariner and its crew also became unresponsive. 

The next morning, the Navy sent out 300 boats to canvas thousands of miles of ocean — only for them to never find any sign of any plane or crew member.

The Ghost Ship that the Ellen Austin Encountered

In 1881, the passenger ship Ellen Austin was completing a standard trek from Liverpool to New York, carrying immigrants. For some reason, the captain decided to take a shortcut through the Bermuda Triangle, an area he didn’t typically sail through. 

In this section of the water, the crew spotted a ship in the distance, sailing erratically. The captain, alarmed that it was a trick by pirates, studied it from a distance for two days. When he was convinced it was safe, he sent some of his crew aboard, who discovered not a soul aboard. 

The crew could find no reason for the ship to be abandoned. It was fully supplied and showed no signs of distress. Perplexed, the captain of the Ellen Austin ordered the crew members to sail it back to New York alongside the ship. However, a storm separated the two ships. 

After the seas settled, the captain spotted the mystery ship again. Sailing up to it, he was horrified to find that his crew members had seemingly disappeared into thin air as well. 

Rather than deal with this cursed ship anymore, the captain chose to leave the boat behind. It was never seen by another ship, and its wreckage has never been discovered. 

Theories Behind the Bermuda Triangle 

Over the years, there have been plenty of theories of why there are so many unsolved disappearances within the Bermuda Triangle. Some believe there are special magnetic properties within the area, which confuse navigation technology. 

Some scientists have found that the area may be prone to intense weather, like waterspouts or extremely strong winds. Others are sure that aliens or other unearthly beings are behind the vanishing of the vessels and human beings.  

While we may never know what goes on within the Devil’s Triangle, we can hope that it doesn’t claim another victim anytime soon. 

Haunted St. Augustine

While the Bermuda Triangle is often touted as the most mysterious area in the Atlantic, St. Augustine has plenty of its own unexplained stories. 

As the oldest city in the United States, many buildings in St. Augustine are older than entire states elsewhere in the country. This long history brings with it many tales of betrayal, disagreements, and murder. Some of the individuals from these stories have chosen, or have been unable, to move on from their forever homes in St. Augustine. 

From a wife entombed in a fort to an inn haunted by some of the founding members of the city, there are many haunted sites to explore around St. Augustine. To see them for yourself, book a ghost tour with Old City Ghosts. 

Curious about some of the other most perplexing sites and locations around the U.S.? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to discover some of the most haunted coastal towns. To read up on other local Florida ghost stories, check out our blog. 

Sources:

• https://www.history.com/articles/bermuda-triangle
• https://staugustineghosttours.com/
• https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-known-and-not-known-about-the-bermuda-triangle
• https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/5-famous-mysterious-stories-of-the-bermuda-triangle/
• https://www.history.com/articles/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-flight-19
• https://www.history.co.uk/articles/five-of-the-most-mysterious-bermuda-triangle-disappearances