Ghost Ships
- Tammy Lee
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
The ocean is a strange place.
For centuries, legends have circulated about monstrous sea creatures, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, and the curiosity about what lies beneath. And there are the ghost ships. Abandoned without a soul on board. Here are five haunting cases:
SS Baychimo
The Baychimo was a cargo ship, and in October 1931, she became trapped in ice near Alaska. The crew temporarily abandoned the boat for safety, but when a storm hit, the ship disappeared.
A few days later, she was rediscovered but deemed not seaworthy and left; the crew believed she would soon join the other ships on the ocean floor. However, she continued to sail for at least another 38 years, being sighted many times before vanishing into the fog. The last confirmed sighting was in 1969, and although it has not been seen, no wreck has been found.
MV Joyita
In October 1955, the merchant vessel Joyita vanished while travelling to the Tokelau Islands. Five weeks later, she was found, 600 miles off course. She was leaning to one side, and the 25 people aboard were missing.
Despite the tilting, Joyita was still fit for sailing. Her radio was tuned to the international distress channel but had been damaged. Despite there being enough supplies on board for months, the lifeboats were gone, along with various navigational tools.
As with the Mary Celeste, there were many theories, including piracy, mutiny or even the ship taking on water and the crew panicking. A New Zealand investigation concluded the abandonment was due to poor maintenance and human error. Whatever happened, the crew and passengers were never found.
Kaz II
The Kaz II was a catamaran discovered near the Great Barrier Reef by the Australian Coast Guard on 18th April 2007. The engine was still running. A meal was set on the table, ready for the three-man crew. A laptop was turned on, and the life jackets were still stored away. But there was no sign of the men.
The boat had no damage, apart from a torn sail and tangled fishing lines. There were in-depth investigations, but there was no distress signal (despite a fully working radio), no signs of a struggle, and no bodies.
High Aim 6
The High Aim 6 was a Taiwanese fishing boat that was found in January 2003 near the coast of Western Australia. The engine was still running, but the 10 crew members were missing. All personal items were gone. Months later, a member of the crew was located. He eventually confessed that the reason the ship was abandoned was mutiny and the murder of the Captain and the chief engineer. No other information was forthcoming, so the whole truth of what happened has never been told, and no bodies have ever been recovered.
The Mary Celeste
One of the most famous ghost ships, the Mary Celeste, set sail from New York with seven crew members, including Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah and their 2-year-old daughter.
On the 5th December, 1872, the Mary Celeste was found sailing in the Atlantic Ocean – but nobody was at the helm. The entire ship was abandoned. Strangely, she was sea-worthy and fully stocked with months' worth of food and water. The crew's personal belongings hadn’t been removed, and there was no sign of foul play. However, the lifeboat was missing. There are many theories, including piracy and mutiny, but, still to this day, no one knows what happened to the people aboard the Mary Celeste.
The ocean is vast and unpredictable. And, to this day, she keeps many secrets. As always, thanks for reading, please take care of yourselves, and I will see you next time.
Hi! I spend a lot of time writing for the website, and I basically exist on caffeine and anxiety - if anybody would like to encourage this habit, please feel free to buy me a coffee!
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