Devil’s Triangle free essay sample

The Bermuda Triangle, otherwise known as the Devil’s Triangle, is located off the southeast coast of Florida. Many plane and ship disappearances have taken place in, or over this five hundred thousand square mile stretch of water. Miami, Bermuda, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, make up the three points of the Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle and it’s mysterious disappearances have caused many theories and ideas to come about. As many as one hundred ships and planes have been reported missing and more than one thousand lives have been lost (â€Å"Obringer† 6). One well known disappearance occurred in 1945, three months after WWII ended (Edwards). Flight 19 was five military planes containing fourteen airmen planning to fly a training route. The planes left from Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station at 2 p. m. and all five planes vanished somewhere along the Bermuda Triangle (Edwards 1). This particular disappearance causes great confusion, speaking Flight 18 who went out just before 19 returned safely (Edwards). We will write a custom essay sample on Devil’s Triangle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page No one knows where exactly the planes and crew of Flight 19 ended their journey even though two hundred thousand square miles of the Atlantic was searched. In 1918, during WWI, the U. S. S. Cyclops served along the eastern coast of the United States (Obringer 2). She was scheduled to sail to Brazil in order to refuel British fuel tanks (Obringer). After she departed for Brazil she and her three hundred and six passengers were never seen or heard from again (Obringer 2). It seems that a majority of the planes and ships who get lost, their compasses get thrown off making it impossible to find their way back. While flying over the Bermuda Triangle, Rob MacGregor and Bruce Gernon are quoted saying that there was an â€Å" ‘electronic fog’ â€Å" (Obringer 5). On December 4, 1970, Gernon and his father were flying in clear skies when they saw a strange cloud with almost perfectly round edges, hovering over the Miami shore (â€Å"Obringer† 5). The cloud kept expanding, eventually forming a tunnel (Obringer 5). They decided that the only way they could escape the cloud was to go through the tunnel, however once inside they saw lines spinning counter-clockwise and their compass started going haywire (Obringer 5). After Gernon escaped the tunnel the sky and everything around him was grey for about two miles. So what is it that causes the malfunction of compasses? The agonic line is an imaginary line where true north and magnetic north are in perfect alignment (â€Å"Obringer 6). Edmund Halley noticed the agonic line was slowly shifting westward in the eighteenth century (Obringer 6). The agonic line once passed through the Bermuda Triangle but now rests in the Gulf of Mexico. Compass malfunctions have been claimed to be caused by this agonic line because the Bermuda Triangle is one of the two places in the world where compasses point towards true north (Rosenberg 2). However pilots and captains passing through were most likely already informed of this magnetic declination so it wouldn’t appear as such a shock and they would be prepared to handle any situation professionally and efficiently. In the area of the Triangle, the weather changes intensely and unexpectedly, especially for new sailors and pilots. Waterspouts, which are tornados at sea, are easily able to tear apart ships, and maybe even bring down planes. Even earthquakes underwater could also be a factor, as scientists have found great seismic activity (Obringer 7). The ocean floor of the Bermuda Triangle goes from slightly sloping to a dangerously deep drop off. Some of the deepest trenches in the world can be found in the Bermuda Triangle (â€Å"Obringer† 7). The Gulf Stream in the Triangle is extremely swift and rough, pulling ships which ever way it desires. People, such as pirates could also be apart of the phenomenon. When you hear the word ‘pirate’ Johnny Depp may come in mind, but that is not the type of pirate who could be involved. In the 1970’s to the 1980’s, drug runners were often known for travelling in the Bermuda Triangle area. These pirates would often hijack ships and kill the men onboard, mostly during wartimes (Obringer 7). Piracy happens in almost all seas around the world, and if you were one, wouldn’t you want to do your acts in a place well known for disappearances? Although not everyone believes in these theories, they are still plausible. With all of the mysterious disappearances it’s hard not to wonder what is really out there. It’s strange to think with all the new technology these days nothing more has been discovered. Then again there’s just more evidence that maybe nothing extraordinary is actually happening. The United States Navy does not even recognize the Bermuda Triangle as a realistic place, there are no U. S. government issued maps that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle (Rosenberg 2). The ocean has and always will be a mysterious and deadly place to humans.