MYSTERY: THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE

Bermuda Triangle (Wikipedia)

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. While it has sparked decades of conspiracy theories and folklore, modern science and data provide a much more grounded perspective.

Famous Disappearances

The "mystery" gained massive popularity due to a few high-profile incidents where wreckage was never found:

• Flight 19 (1945): Five Navy bombers vanished during a routine training mission. A rescue plane sent to find them also disappeared.
• USS Cyclops (1918): A massive Navy cargo ship with 309 people on board vanished without a distress call. It remains the largest non-combat loss of life in U.S. Navy history.
• The Carroll A. Deering (1921): A five-masted schooner found run aground near North Carolina with its crew completely missing.
• The Witchcraft (1967): A luxury cabin cruiser disappeared just one mile offshore from Miami after the captain radioed for a tow.

Scientific Explanations

Oceanographers and scientists point to several natural factors that make this region uniquely challenging, rather than supernatural:

Factor	Explanation
The Gulf Stream	A powerful, swift ocean current that acts like a "river within the sea," quickly carrying debris far from a crash site.
Rogue Waves	Massive waves (up to 30 meters) can form when different storm systems collide, capable of sinking even large ships instantly.
Magnetic Anomalies	It is one of the few places where "True North" and "Magnetic North" align, which can confuse navigators using old-fashioned compasses.
Methane Hydrates	Massive bubbles of gas can occasionally rise from the seafloor, theoretically reducing water density enough to cause a ship to lose buoyancy and sink.
Human Error	The region is one of the most heavily traveled shipping and flight lanes in the world; statistically, more traffic leads to more accidents.

Recent Findings (2025–2026)

As of early 2026, research has continued to "de-mystify" the area:

• Geological Anomalies: Scientists recently identified a 12.4-mile-thick layer of low-density rock beneath the Bermuda Triangle. While fascinating for geology (explaining why the seafloor is elevated there), it has no proven link to disappearing ships.
• Found Wrecks: Advanced deep-sea mapping has located several "missing" ships from the 20th century, such as the SS Cotopaxi (found in 2020), proving these vessels didn't vanish into another dimension—they simply sank due to weather or mechanical failure.
• Statistical Reality: Insurance companies (like Lloyd's of London) and the U.S. Coast Guard maintain that the number of disappearances in the Triangle is not significantly higher than in any other heavily traveled part of the ocean.

The Verdict

The "mystery" of the Bermuda Triangle is largely a product of 1970s sensationalism. While it remains a captivating piece of pop culture, the "disappearances" are almost always a combination of unpredictable weather, intense currents, and navigational errors.

Google Gemini AI

17 January 2026: 11.55 p.m