The flying dutchman one of the scariest ships ever. The realm of oceanic navigation has a number of superstitions. Among others, haunted ships have always been portrayed as omens of bad luck and potentially fatal hits. Due to their popularity. These ghost ship myths have been a popular cinema subject. At the same time, they are exaggerated to enhance the images of ghostliness we associate with the haunted ships.
The myth’s origin and continuance are totally different most of the time, though no less scary. It is said that all legends have a basis, and the stories related to Flying Dutchman are no exception. Of all the spectres of ghost ships seen to be seen and spoken out loud, the idea of sighting the Flying Dutchman ship increases the scariness aspect.
Myth Of the Flying Dutchman in Film and Art
The ship, a mainstay of maritime stoies.. This is a legendary ghost ship doomed to sail the seas forever since it is not able to make port. Originated in the 17th century, there are many stories about the legend of the Flying Dutchman. A a point to a cursed vessel, at the same time a few suggest the Dutchman is about the ship’s Captain, who was destined not to make land inspite all his effort.
Famous Sightings of the Phantom Ship
While the Flying Dutchman may be a fable warning people of arrogance and bravery at sea, many claimed to have seen the ghost ship. The first sighting came up in John McDonald’s creation, “Travels in Various parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa at the time of Series of Thirty Years and Upwards,” in 1790. From theere on, sailors used to record their sightings in log books and their diaries.
There have been mentions of the Flying Dutchman for over two centuries. Sighting accounts vary, as few claim it was a spectral schooner that came under full sail; some witnessed it sailing under fog or rough water. At the same time, many claim to have encountered the ghost ship making serious headway in the calm waters.
Right from the time the myth came in the 1600s, various sightings of the ghost ship were reported on the Cape of Good Hope. All of the sightings happened when the weather was very stormy and the gales lashed hard.
According to the narrations, the ghost ship came across as being caught in the storm and almost on the verge of hitting rocks before vanishing into the darkness.
The Flying Dutchman- the harbinger of death
Dutchman is known the harbinger of death and impending doom for vessels that have seen it. It has also been retold many times that letters and messages used to be conveyed onto those boats that passed the Dutchman enroute. The crew’s opening of the right letters and messages would resulte in the vessels’ destruction. At the same time the crew parting without their heads.
Prominent amongst the reports of sightings is the same seen by the H.M.S. Bacchante, a British Royal Naval ship, in 1881. Future King George V, who was working as a midshipman as a member of the vessel crew. In addition, Prince Albert Victor are said to have seen the ghost ship in the Australian waters at about 4’o clock in the morning.
While the Prince did not find any fatality, the seafarer who had first reported related to the ghost ship sighting met his end after falling from the topmast, lending more credibility to the ominous sighting of the boat among the seafarers of old times. This sighing of Flying Dutchman may reportedly be found in the Admiralty’s official work in The Cruise of H.M.S. Bacchante.
Origin of the Myth
The Flying Dutchman was a vessel of the Dutch East India Company’s fleet of boats. It was sailing from the Netherlands and the East Indies, carrying silks, spices, and dyes, among other exotic items, from Asia to Europe. The ship was stuck in a storm while returning to Amsterdam.
The much-recounted folklore around the vessel is for the man who skippered this ghost ship. Accounts vary about the name of the person of the Flying Dutchman. As per some, the Captain was one Hendrick Van der Decken, whose deep contemplation related to the plight of his crew and resultant oblivion to the coming storm on the coast of the Cape led to the ship being destroyed.
Captain Van Der Decken was related to the Dutch East India Company during the early 17th century. He was one of two guys thought to have captained the Flying Dutchman. In one of his voyages to Amsterdam, Captain Van Der Decken thought of coming up with a settlement near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The reason was as a relief from the rough waters.
As the vessel began to round the Cape, a terrible storm came, putting the ship in danger of sinking. Even though sailors argued Captain to move around, he ordered the crew to go ahead. The anecdote also repeats the Captain’s utterance to bring the ship around the Cape. This even if it meant to sail “till doomsday.”
Scientific Explanation of the Ghost Ship Sightings
As the news related to the sighting of the Flying Dutchman began spreading, there were efforts to understand what was happening. While many like believing the ghost stories, others went after the scientific expiations for these incidents.
The most accepted logical explanation for these sightings is a superior mirage, which is also known as Fata Morgana. As per scientists, this is a natural optical phenomenon that takes up after moisture and atmospheric conditions. This, coupled with light, results in a displaced image of distant objects. And it also fools our eyes into seeing things that don’t exist there.
This phenomenon can be seen in the ocean, on land, or even in deserts. It is where it can involve just about any distant object. This illusion, at sea. Thus, usually makes a ship that is above the limits of the naked eye reflect over the water, making us see a boat moving above the sea.
