Throughout centuries of maritime history, the World Ocean has served as the final haven for numerous sailors, leaving behind tales of “ghost ships” and unresolved enigmas.
Even with significant advancements in communication and radar technologies aiding the search and rescue of distressed ships, mysterious disappearances still occur in the modern era. Occasionally, missing ships are discovered only after many years, contributing another chapter to the enigmatic history of the sea.
Marine Sulphur Queen
In 1963, the American T2 tanker, the SS Marine Sulphur Queen, vanished without a trace in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel set sail from Texas to Norfolk, Virginia, on February 2nd, carrying 15,000 tons of liquid sulfur. It failed to reach its destination, and no distress signals were ever reported.
The enigmatic vanishing of the large ship sparked widespread speculation and theories. Possible causes included rough seas, mechanical failures, and the likelihood of a sulfur explosion, yet no evidence supported these theories. When the incident occurred, 39 crew members were aboard the tanker, all of whom were declared missing.
The mystery began to unravel with the recovery of wreckage and testimonies from former crew members, leading to a Coast Guard investigation that confirmed suspected deficiencies in the ship’s technical condition.
It has been confirmed that sulfur tanks frequently experienced fires, numerous temperature sensors malfunctioned, and several components were severely rusted.
“Mary Celeste”
The Mary Celeste, a British-American merchant brigantine, became famous after it was found deserted in the Atlantic Ocean. It was discovered on December 4, 1872, by the Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia, roughly 400 miles east of the Azores.
The enigmatic vanishing of the Mary Celeste’s crew continues to be one of the sea’s greatest enigmas. The ship lacked a lifeboat, and the only apparent damage was to the bow hatch doors, which were torn off, and the hold, which was partially flooded. The crew’s personal effects and valuables were left undisturbed.
The whereabouts of Captain Benjamin Briggs, his family, and the seven crew members remain a mystery. Theories attempting to unravel their disappearance range from a collision with an unidentified floating object to suspicions of insurance fraud by sailors who might have staged their own vanishing to claim insurance money.
Kaz II
IIn 2007, 88 nautical miles off Queensland’s coast, near the Great Barrier Reef, a ghost ship was found. It was a ten-meter catamaran belonging to 56-year-old Australian Derek Batten. Batten and two friends departed from Airlie Beach for Townsville on April 15, and three days later, the Kaz II was discovered adrift, eerily empty.
Upon inspecting the catamaran, police noted several peculiarities: the engine was running, the sails were raised—suggesting recent activity. The crew’s personal effects, such as money, documents, a laptop, and even uneaten cooked food, remained on board. Yet, the crew was nowhere to be found.
Ourang Medan
The SS Ourang Medan’s history, a Dutch cargo ship, remains enshrouded in mystery, captivating those fascinated by unexplained phenomena. In 1947, it is reported that several ships navigating the Strait of Malacca received distress signals stating, “They lie in the cockpit and on the bridge. I’m dying.” A haunting silence followed these messages.
An American ship responding to a distress call encountered a horrific scene: the entire crew was dead, including the dog, with expressions of terror etched on their faces. Efforts to tow the vessel were abandoned when smoke emerged from within, and the Ourang Medan ultimately exploded and sank.
Numerous theories have surfaced regarding the disaster’s cause, ranging from chemical leaks and gas poisoning to speculations about UFOs and paranormal activity. Nevertheless, the absence of solid evidence or official records of the ship’s existence has prompted widespread belief that the tale of the SS Ourang Medan is nothing more than maritime folklore or a fabrication.
Copenhagen
The enigmatic vanishing of the Danish five-masted barque Copenhagen in 1928 remains one of the numerous unresolved maritime enigmas. Constructed in 1921 by the East Asia Company’s directive, this sailing vessel was primarily utilized for grain transport and was notable for its advanced technical features, including a contemporary diesel engine and electric rigging winches.
The FC Copenhagen departed from Buenos Aires in December 1928, bound for Australia, carrying a crew of 15 sailors and 44 cadets from the Copenhagen seafarer. Tragically, the vessel’s journey was abruptly halted: merely a week into the voyage, the ship vanished.
The destiny of the crew and the cause of the ship’s disappearance remain mysteries. One hypothesis suggests that the barque may have met its end between the La Plata River’s estuary and the Tristan da Cunha islands, potentially colliding with an iceberg, reminiscent of the Titanic’s fate.
“Lyubov Orlova”
The two-decked Soviet cruise liner has emerged as a modern-day “Flying Dutchman.” Constructed in Yugoslavia in 1976 by the directive of Leonid Brezhnev, the vessel was christened in honor of a renowned Soviet actress and initially served under the Far Eastern Shipping Company. In the late 1990s, with dates ranging from 1996 to 1999, it was acquired by international operators and embarked on voyages through the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
The liner’s subsequent years were marked by misfortune. In Canada, it was seized at the port of St. John’s due to the shipowner’s bankruptcy and debts, and in 2013, the already damaged vessel was sold for scrap and dispatched to the Dominican Republic for dismantling. En route, the tow line snapped, leaving the Lyubov Orlova adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.
In later years, there were reports in the media of the ship being spotted off the coast of Northern Ireland, and in 2017, the English tabloid The Sun reported that a shipwreck, allegedly infested with cannibalistic rats, had been discovered on a beach in California.
San Juan
The Argentine submarine ARA San Juan (S-42), constructed in Germany and commissioned in 1985, was part of the TR-1700 class. Despite being among the world’s swiftest diesel-electric submarines, its advanced technical features were unable to avert the disaster.
On November 15, 2017, the San Juan submarine, while on a patrol mission in the South Atlantic, sent a signal reporting a power supply system malfunction. The final transmission revealed sea water ingress and a short circuit. A sound detected later could suggest an explosion. Since then, the 44 crew members have vanished, with no further contact from the vessel.
The international search effort proved fruitless. On November 30, the Argentine Navy declared the presumed loss of life of all aboard. Nearly a year later, in November 2018, the San Juan’s remains were located at approximately 800 meters depth near the Valdez Peninsula.
