Are phantom ships the stuff of legends and superstition? Or are some tragedies on the high seas being replayed time and again before our eyes?
On July 11, 1881, at approximately 4:00 a.m., the Flying Dutchman was sighted by crew members on board the H.M.S. Inconstant, including the future King George V of England. She was also seen by personnel on board two other ships nearby (the Tourmaline and the Cleopatra.
The Prince described her as a brig which emitted a "strange phosphorescent light as of a phantom ship all aglow". Since it is considered a most ominous sign to have seen the Dutchman, it is interesting to note that the sailor who first spotted her was killed in a fall on board ship and the admiral himself died shortly after this event.
Another ghost ship is the Lady Lovibond. Legend has it that the ship's captain, Simon Peel, a newlywed, was murdered by his first mate because he was madly in love with Peel's beautiful bride. After the murder, he deliberately steered the ship into the Goodwin Sands. All on board, including Peel's bride and several wedding guests, were killed. The phantom ship was seen 50 years later, on February 13, 1798. The captain of the Edenbridge noted in the ship's logs that he had narrowly avoided colliding with a ship headed directly for the Goodwin Sands.
The Goodwin Sands area was the scene of another strange occurrence. By way of background information, the SS Violet, a cross-channel paddle steamer, was lost during a vicious storm in the 1800's. In 1939, a similar vessel was seen. She appeared to be in trouble, and lifeboats were disptached to her aid. Would-be rescuers searched for an hour, but were unable to find any trace of the ship.
What are we to think about phantom ships? Are they figments of a superstitious imagination? More evidence of time slips? Or are some martime tragedies somehow being replayed over and over for modern eyes to see?
