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{{Short description|Urban legend based on region in North Atlantic}} | {{Short description|Urban legend based on a region in North Atlantic}} | ||
{{Redirect|Devil's Triangle||Devil's Triangle (disambiguation)|and|Bermuda Triangle (disambiguation)}} | {{Redirect|Devil's Triangle||Devil's Triangle (disambiguation)|and|Bermuda Triangle (disambiguation)}} | ||
{{Pp|small=yes}} | {{Pp|small=yes}} | ||
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==Origins== | ==Origins== | ||
[[File: | [[File:Bermuda Triangle 1950 map.jpg|thumb|Map that was published in various newspapers<!--not all newspapers that ran the article included the map with it--> with the [[Associated Press]] article of 17 September 1950]] | ||
Although the nearby [[Sargasso Sea]] already had a reputation as a mysterious region where ships may become lost,<ref name=heller>{{Cite book|last=Heller|first=Ruth|title=A Sea Within a Sea: Secrets of the Sargasso|year=2000|publisher=Price Stern Sloan|isbn=978-0448424170|url=https://archive.org/details/seawithinseasecr00hell}}</ref> the earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in an article written by Edward Van Winkle Jones of the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' that was distributed by the [[Associated Press]] and appeared in various American newspapers on 17 September 1950.<ref name="Jones,1950">{{cite news |url=http://www.physics.smu.edu/pseudo/BermudaTriangle/evwjones.html |title=Same Big World: Sea's Puzzles Still Baffle Men In Pushbutton Age |agency=[[Associated Press]] |first=E.V.W. |last=Jones |date=16 September 1950 |via=physics.smu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-star-air-sea-mysteries-sh/137796829/ |title=Air, Sea Mysteries Show It Is Still a Big World |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Arizona Daily Star]] |location=[[Tucson, Arizona]] |page=10B |date=17 September 1950 |access-date=31 December 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/battle-creek-enquirer-unsolved-disappear/137797249/ |title=Unsolved Disappearances: Mysteries of Air, Sea Remind Moderns Shrinking World Still Swallows Up Men |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Battle Creek Enquirer]] |location=[[Battle Creek, Michigan]] |page=II-2 |date=17 September 1950 |access-date=31 December 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> | |||
Two years later, ''[[Fate (magazine)|Fate]]'' magazine published "Sea Mystery at Our Back Door": a short article, by George X. Sand, that was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place.<ref name=Sand/> Sand recounted the loss of several planes and ships since World War II: the disappearance of ''Sandra'', a [[tramp steamer]];{{efn|''Sandra'' disappeared in April 1950; a wreck consistent with its size and cargo was discovered in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1492251/bermuda-triangle-discovery-missing-ship-sandra-found-flight-19-mystery-spt |title=Bermuda Triangle: 'Major discovery' as missing 200-foot ship with 'bizarre cargo' found |website=[[Daily Express]] |location=London |date=17 September 2021 |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref>}} the December 1945 loss of [[Flight 19]], a group of five US Navy [[torpedo bomber]]s on a training mission; the January 1948 disappearance of ''[[BSAA Star Tiger disappearance|Star Tiger]]'', a [[British South American Airways]] (BSAA) passenger airplane; the March 1948 disappearance of a fishing [[skiff]] with three men, including jockey [[Albert Snider]];{{efn|Sand's article refers to jockey Albert Snider as Al Snyder, and includes this disappearance although it occurred southwest of Miami in [[Florida Bay]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-calgary-albertan-details-of-jockeys/138497139/ |title=Details of Jockey's Disappearance Add to Mystery Surrounding Event |newspaper=[[The Calgary Albertan]] |page=10 |date=16 March 1948 |access-date=11 January 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>}} the December 1948 disappearance of an [[1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance|Airborne Transport DC-3]] charter flight en route from Puerto Rico to Miami; and the January 1949 disappearance of ''[[BSAA Star Ariel disappearance|Star Ariel]]'',{{efn|Sand's article refers to ''Star Ariel'' as ''Aerial''.}} another BSAA passenger airplane.<ref name=Sand>{{cite journal |last=Sand |first=George X. |date=October 1952 |issue=31 |pages=11–17 |title=Sea Mystery at Our Back Door |journal=[[Fate (magazine)|Fate]]}}</ref> | Two years later, ''[[Fate (magazine)|Fate]]'' magazine published "Sea Mystery at Our Back Door": a short article, by George X. Sand, that was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place.<ref name=Sand/> Sand recounted the loss of several planes and ships since World War II: the disappearance of ''Sandra'', a [[tramp steamer]];{{efn|''Sandra'' disappeared in April 1950; a wreck consistent with its size and cargo was discovered in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1492251/bermuda-triangle-discovery-missing-ship-sandra-found-flight-19-mystery-spt |title=Bermuda Triangle: 'Major discovery' as missing 200-foot ship with 'bizarre cargo' found |website=[[Daily Express]] |location=London |date=17 September 2021 |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref>}} the December 1945 loss of [[Flight 19]], a group of five US Navy [[torpedo bomber]]s on a training mission; the January 1948 disappearance of ''[[BSAA Star Tiger disappearance|Star Tiger]]'', a [[British South American Airways]] (BSAA) passenger airplane; the March 1948 disappearance of a fishing [[skiff]] with three men, including jockey [[Albert Snider]];{{efn|Sand's article refers to jockey Albert Snider as Al Snyder, and includes this disappearance although it occurred southwest of Miami in [[Florida Bay]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-calgary-albertan-details-of-jockeys/138497139/ |title=Details of Jockey's Disappearance Add to Mystery Surrounding Event |newspaper=[[The Calgary Albertan]] |page=10 |date=16 March 1948 |access-date=11 January 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>}} the December 1948 disappearance of an [[1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance|Airborne Transport DC-3]] charter flight en route from Puerto Rico to Miami; and the January 1949 disappearance of ''[[BSAA Star Ariel disappearance|Star Ariel]]'',{{efn|Sand's article refers to ''Star Ariel'' as ''Aerial''.}} another BSAA passenger airplane.<ref name=Sand>{{cite journal |last=Sand |first=George X. |date=October 1952 |issue=31 |pages=11–17 |title=Sea Mystery at Our Back Door |journal=[[Fate (magazine)|Fate]]}}</ref> | ||
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Flight 19 was covered again in the April 1962 issue of ''The American Legion Magazine''.<ref name="Eckert,1962" >{{cite magazine |title=The Mystery of The Lost Patrol |magazine=The American Legion Magazine |author=Allen W. Eckert |date=April 1962}} Cited in [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] (editor), ''Satanism Today: An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore, and Popular Culture'', page 72, segment by [[Jerome Clark]] (ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001). {{ISBN|1-57607-292-4}}</ref><ref name=AmLegion/> In it, author [[Allan W. Eckert]] wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying, "We cannot be sure of any direction ... everything is wrong ... strange ... the ocean doesn't look as it should."<ref name=AmLegion>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/americanlegionma724amer/page/12/mode/2up |magazine=The American Legion Magazine |title=The Mystery of the Lost Patrol |first=Allan W. |last=Eckert |author-link=Allan W. Eckert |pages=12–13, 39–41 |date=April 1962 |volume=72 |number=4 |access-date=31 December 2023 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In February 1964, [[Vincent Gaddis]] wrote an article called "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" in ''[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]]'' saying Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region, dating back to at least 1840.<ref name="Gaddis,1964">{{cite magazine |last=Gaddis |first=Vincent |title=The Deadly Bermuda Triangle |magazine=[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]] |year=1964 |url=https://www.physics.smu.edu/~pseudo/BermudaTriangle/vincentgaddis.txt |via=physics.smu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Regal |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6PACQAAQBAJ |title=Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia |date=15 October 2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35508-0 |pages=36–38 |language=en |chapter=Bermuda Triangle}}</ref> The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, ''Invisible Horizons''.<ref name="Gaddis,1965">{{cite book |author=Gaddis |first=Vincent |title=Invisible Horizons |year=1965 |publisher=[[Chilton Company]] |asin=B0088JSBII}}</ref> | Flight 19 was covered again in the April 1962 issue of ''The American Legion Magazine''.<ref name="Eckert,1962" >{{cite magazine |title=The Mystery of The Lost Patrol |magazine=The American Legion Magazine |author=Allen W. Eckert |date=April 1962}} Cited in [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] (editor), ''Satanism Today: An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore, and Popular Culture'', page 72, segment by [[Jerome Clark]] (ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001). {{ISBN|1-57607-292-4}}</ref><ref name=AmLegion/> In it, author [[Allan W. Eckert]] wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying, "We cannot be sure of any direction ... everything is wrong ... strange ... the ocean doesn't look as it should."<ref name=AmLegion>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/americanlegionma724amer/page/12/mode/2up |magazine=The American Legion Magazine |title=The Mystery of the Lost Patrol |first=Allan W. |last=Eckert |author-link=Allan W. Eckert |pages=12–13, 39–41 |date=April 1962 |volume=72 |number=4 |access-date=31 December 2023 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In February 1964, [[Vincent Gaddis]] wrote an article called "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" in ''[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]]'' saying Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region, dating back to at least 1840.<ref name="Gaddis,1964">{{cite magazine |last=Gaddis |first=Vincent |title=The Deadly Bermuda Triangle |magazine=[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]] |year=1964 |url=https://www.physics.smu.edu/~pseudo/BermudaTriangle/vincentgaddis.txt |via=physics.smu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Regal |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6PACQAAQBAJ |title=Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia |date=15 October 2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35508-0 |pages=36–38 |language=en |chapter=Bermuda Triangle}}</ref> The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, ''Invisible Horizons''.<ref name="Gaddis,1965">{{cite book |author=Gaddis |first=Vincent |title=Invisible Horizons |year=1965 |publisher=[[Chilton Company]] |asin=B0088JSBII}}</ref> | ||
Other writers elaborated on Gaddis' ideas, including John Wallace Spencer (''Limbo of the Lost'', 1969, repr. 1973);<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#Spencer, 1969|Spencer, 1969]].</ref> [[Charles Berlitz]] [[The Bermuda Triangle (book)| | Other writers elaborated on Gaddis' ideas, including John Wallace Spencer (''Limbo of the Lost'', 1969, repr. 1973);<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#Spencer, 1969|Spencer, 1969]].</ref> [[Charles Berlitz]] (''[[The Bermuda Triangle (book)|The Bermuda Triangle]]'', 1974);<ref name="ReferenceB">[[#Berlitz, 1974|Berlitz, 1974]].</ref> and [[Richard Winer]] (''The Devil's Triangle'', 1974).<ref name="Winer, 1974">{{harvnb|Winer|1974}}</ref> Various of these authors incorporated supernatural elements.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12789881_ITM |title=Strange fish: the scientifiction of Charles F. Berlitz, 1913–2003 |last=Hagen |first=L. Kirk |journal=Skeptic |location=Altadena, CA |date=March 2004| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109201602/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12789881_ITM| archive-date=9 November 2007 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref> | ||
== Triangle area == | |||
Sand's article in ''Fate'' described the area as "a watery triangle bounded roughly by [[Florida]], [[Bermuda]] and [[Puerto Rico]]".<ref name=Sand/>{{rp|12}} The ''Argosy'' article by Gaddis further delineated the boundaries,<ref name="Gaddis,1964"/> giving its [[Vertex (geometry)|vertices]] as [[Miami]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], and Bermuda. Subsequent writers did not necessarily follow this definition.<ref name="navy,1996">{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Bermuda Triangle Fact Sheet |year=1998 |url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |publisher=US Department of Defense |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121111220/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2016}}</ref> Some writers gave different boundaries and vertices to the triangle, with the total area varying from {{convert|1.3|to|3.9|e6km2|abbr=unit}} | Sand's article in ''Fate'' described the area as "a watery triangle bounded roughly by [[Florida]], [[Bermuda]] and [[Puerto Rico]]".<ref name=Sand/>{{rp|12}} The ''Argosy'' article by Gaddis further delineated the boundaries,<ref name="Gaddis,1964"/> giving its [[Vertex (geometry)|vertices]] as [[Miami]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], and Bermuda. Subsequent writers did not necessarily follow this definition.<ref name="navy,1996">{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Bermuda Triangle Fact Sheet |year=1998 |url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |publisher=US Department of Defense |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121111220/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2016}}</ref> Some writers gave different boundaries and vertices to the triangle, with the total area varying from {{convert|1.3|to|3.9|e6km2|abbr=unit}},<ref name=navy,1996/> in some cases expanding the boundary of the triangle as far as the coast of Ireland.<ref name="NOVA,1976">{{cite episode |series=[[Nova (American TV program)|NOVA]] / [[Horizon (UK TV series)|Horizon]] |title=The Case of the Bermuda Triangle |airdate=27 June 1976 |network=PBS |url=https://archive.org/details/caseofthebermudatrianglereel1}}</ref> Consequently, the determination of which accidents occurred inside the triangle depends on which writer reported them.<ref name=navy,1996/> | ||
== Criticism of the concept == | == Criticism of the concept == | ||
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* The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean. | * The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean. | ||
* In an area | * In an area prone to [[tropical cyclone]]s, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, not disproportionate, unlikely, or mysterious. | ||
* | * Berlitz and other writers often failed to mention such storms and sometimes even represented the disappearance as having happened in calm conditions when meteorological records clearly contradict this. | ||
* The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat's disappearance, for example, would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not have been. | * The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat's disappearance, for example, would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not have been. | ||
* Some alleged disappearances were, in reality, not mysterious. Berlitz found that one plane believed to have disappeared in 1937 had, in fact, crashed off [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]], Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Daytona Beach: 4 killed |url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-douglas-dc-2-112-daytona-beach-4-killed |publisher=Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives}}</ref> | * Some alleged disappearances were, in reality, not mysterious. Berlitz found that one plane believed to have disappeared in 1937 had, in fact, crashed off [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]], Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Daytona Beach: 4 killed |url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-douglas-dc-2-112-daytona-beach-4-killed |publisher=Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives}}</ref> | ||
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The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker {{SS|V. A. Fogg||2}}, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,<ref name="USCG Fogg">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/vafog.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030321022820/http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/vafog.pdf |archive-date=21 March 2003 |url-status=dead |title=Marine Casualty Report: SS V. A. Fogg: Sinking in the Gulf of Mexico on 1 February 1972 with Loss of Life |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In addition, ''V. A. Fogg'' sank off the coast of [[Texas]], nowhere near the commonly accepted boundaries of the Triangle. | The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker {{SS|V. A. Fogg||2}}, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,<ref name="USCG Fogg">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/vafog.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030321022820/http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/vafog.pdf |archive-date=21 March 2003 |url-status=dead |title=Marine Casualty Report: SS V. A. Fogg: Sinking in the Gulf of Mexico on 1 February 1972 with Loss of Life |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In addition, ''V. A. Fogg'' sank off the coast of [[Texas]], nowhere near the commonly accepted boundaries of the Triangle. | ||
''[[Nova (American TV program)|Nova]]''/''[[Horizon (British TV series)|Horizon]]'' aired the episode "The Case of the Bermuda Triangle" on 27 June 1976. The episode was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."<ref name="NOVA,1976"/> | ''[[Nova (American TV program)|Nova]]''/''[[Horizon (British TV series)|Horizon]]'' aired the episode "The Case of the Bermuda Triangle" on 27 June 1976. The episode was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place [...] Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."<ref name="NOVA,1976"/> | ||
[[Scientific skepticism|Skeptical researchers]], such as Ernest Taves<ref name="Taves,1978">{{cite journal |last=Taves |first=Ernest H. |journal=[[The Skeptical Inquirer]] |year=1978 |title=Correspondence |volume=111 |issue=1 |pages=75–76}}</ref><!-- https://skepticalinquirer.org/s/?_sf_s=Taves --> and Barry Singer,<ref name="Singer,1979">{{cite journal |last=Singer |first=Barry |year=1979 |title=McDonald's and the Occult |journal=The Humanist |volume=XXXIX |issue=3 |pages=44–45 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234675711 |access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref> have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favor of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint. | [[Scientific skepticism|Skeptical researchers]], such as Ernest Taves<ref name="Taves,1978">{{cite journal |last=Taves |first=Ernest H. |journal=[[The Skeptical Inquirer]] |year=1978 |title=Correspondence |volume=111 |issue=1 |pages=75–76}}</ref><!-- https://skepticalinquirer.org/s/?_sf_s=Taves --> and Barry Singer,<ref name="Singer,1979">{{cite journal |last=Singer |first=Barry |year=1979 |title=McDonald's and the Occult |journal=The Humanist |volume=XXXIX |issue=3 |pages=44–45 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234675711 |access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref> have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favor of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint. | ||
In a 2013 study, the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] identified the world's 10 most dangerous waters for shipping, but the Bermuda Triangle was not among them.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22806362 |title=Study finds shipwrecks threaten precious seas |date=7 June 2013|access-date = 7 June 2013 |publisher=BBC News/science}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url= | In a 2013 study, the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] identified the world's 10 most dangerous waters for shipping, but the Bermuda Triangle was not among them.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22806362 |title=Study finds shipwrecks threaten precious seas |date=7 June 2013|access-date = 7 June 2013 |publisher=BBC News/science}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0610/Bermuda-Triangle-doesn-t-make-the-cut-on-list-of-world-s-most-dangerous-oceans |title=Bermuda Triangle doesn't make the cut on list of world's most dangerous oceans |journal=The Christian Science Monitor | access-date=22 March 2016 |date=10 June 2013}}</ref> | ||
[[Benjamin Radford]], an author and scientific paranormal investigator, noted in an interview on the Bermuda Triangle that it could be very difficult to locate an aircraft lost at sea due to the vast search area, and although the disappearance might be mysterious, that did not make it paranormal or unexplainable. Radford further noted the importance of double-checking information as the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle had been created by people who had neglected to do so.<ref>{{cite web |last=Radford |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Radford |title=Lessons From A Middle School Bermuda Triangle Q&A |url=https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/lessons_from_a_middle_school_bermuda_triangle_qa/ |website=Center for Inquiry |date=22 February 2016 |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121050210/https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/lessons_from_a_middle_school_bermuda_triangle_qa/ |archive-date=21 November 2019}}</ref> | [[Benjamin Radford]], an author and scientific paranormal investigator, noted in an interview on the Bermuda Triangle that it could be very difficult to locate an aircraft lost at sea due to the vast search area, and although the disappearance might be mysterious, that did not make it paranormal or unexplainable. Radford further noted the importance of double-checking information as the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle had been created by people who had neglected to do so.<ref>{{cite web |last=Radford |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Radford |title=Lessons From A Middle School Bermuda Triangle Q&A |url=https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/lessons_from_a_middle_school_bermuda_triangle_qa/ |website=Center for Inquiry |date=22 February 2016 |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121050210/https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/lessons_from_a_middle_school_bermuda_triangle_qa/ |archive-date=21 November 2019}}</ref> | ||
[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] attributes most Bermuda Triangle disappearances to environmental factors such as hurricanes, sudden weather shifts from the Gulf Stream, and hazardous shallow waters. The U.S. Navy dismisses supernatural claims, emphasizing natural causes and human error. Additionally, the [[United States Board on Geographic Names|U.S. Board on Geographic Names]] does not list the Bermuda Triangle as an official location, given the lack of evidence distinguishing it from other ocean regions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=What is the Bermuda Triangle? |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=oceanservice.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> | [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] attributes most Bermuda Triangle disappearances to environmental factors such as hurricanes, sudden weather shifts from the Gulf Stream, and hazardous shallow waters. The U.S. Navy dismisses supernatural claims, emphasizing natural causes and human error. Additionally, the [[United States Board on Geographic Names|U.S. Board on Geographic Names]] does not list the Bermuda Triangle as an official location, given the lack of evidence distinguishing it from other ocean regions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=What is the Bermuda Triangle? |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=oceanservice.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> | ||
In the 2010s and 2020s, scientists and researchers have reiterated that the Bermuda Triangle does not exhibit higher rates of disappearances than other heavily traveled ocean regions. Australian scientist [[Karl Kruszelnicki]] told ''The Independent'' in 2017 that the "mystery" can be explained by human error, unpredictable weather, and the sheer volume of traffic passing through the area. According to Kruszelnicki, "On a percentage basis, the number of accidents in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere else in the world."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-09 |title=A Scientist Says He's Solved the Bermuda Triangle, Just Like That |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a65643514/is-bermuda-triangle-mystery-solved/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
== Hypothetical explanation attempts == | == Hypothetical explanation attempts == | ||
Those accepting the Bermuda Triangle as a real phenomenon have suggested a number of explanations. | |||
===Paranormal explanations=== | ===Paranormal explanations=== | ||
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===Natural explanations=== | ===Natural explanations=== | ||
====Compass variations==== | ====Compass variations==== | ||
[[Compass]] issues are frequently cited in accounts of Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area,<ref name="USNAVY">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm |title=Bermuda Triangle |publisher=US Navy|access-date=26 May 2009|archive-date=2 August 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802035846/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> such anomalies have not been found. Compasses have natural [[magnetic variation]]s in relation to the [[Poles of astronomical bodies#Magnetic poles|magnetic poles]], a fact | [[Compass]] issues are frequently cited in accounts of Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area,<ref name="USNAVY">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm |title=Bermuda Triangle |publisher=US Navy|access-date=26 May 2009|archive-date=2 August 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802035846/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> such anomalies have not been found. Compasses have natural [[magnetic variation]]s in relation to the [[Poles of astronomical bodies#Magnetic poles|magnetic poles]], a fact navigators have known for centuries. Only for a small number of places are [[Magnetic north pole|magnetic (compass) north]] and [[true north|geographic (true) north]] exactly the same{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}in the United States, for example, {{as of|2000|lc=y}}, magnetic north and true north will appear to be the same only in those places located along a line running from [[Wisconsin]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web |title=<nowiki>National Geomagnetism Program | Charts | North America | Declination</nowiki> |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |url=http://geomag.usgs.gov/charts/IGRF2000.dec.na.pdf|access-date=28 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527143024/http://geomag.usgs.gov/charts/IGRF2000.dec.na.pdf|archive-date=27 May 2010}}</ref> Members of the public who are unaware of this, however, may think there is something mysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as the Triangle, which it naturally will.<ref name="Kusche, 1975"/> | ||
====Gulf Stream==== | ====Gulf Stream==== | ||
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====Human error==== | ====Human error==== | ||
One of the most cited explanations in official inquiries as to the loss of any aircraft or vessel is [[human error]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/bermuda-triangle-mystery-disappearance/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106185325/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/bermuda-triangle-mystery-disappearance/ |url-access=subscription |archive-date=6 November 2018 |title=Bermuda Triangle: Behind the Intrigue |work=[[National Geographic News]] |access-date=13 January 2023 |date=15 December 2003 |last=Mayell |first=Hillary |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]}}</ref> Human stubbornness may have caused businessman Harvey Conover to lose his sailing yacht, ''Revonoc'', as he sailed into the teeth of a storm south of Florida on 1 January 1958.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scott |first=Captain Thomas A. |title=Histories & Mysteries: The Shipwrecks of Key Largo |publisher=Best Publishing Company |year=1994 |isbn=0941332330 |edition=1st |pages=124}}</ref> | One of the most cited explanations in official inquiries as to the loss of any aircraft or vessel is [[human error]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/bermuda-triangle-mystery-disappearance/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106185325/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/bermuda-triangle-mystery-disappearance/ |url-access=subscription |archive-date=6 November 2018 |title=Bermuda Triangle: Behind the Intrigue |work=[[National Geographic News]] |access-date=13 January 2023 |date=15 December 2003 |last=Mayell |first=Hillary |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]}}</ref> Human stubbornness may have caused businessman [[Harry Conover|Harvey Conover]] to lose his sailing yacht, ''Revonoc'', as he sailed into the teeth of a storm south of Florida on 1 January 1958.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scott |first=Captain Thomas A. |title=Histories & Mysteries: The Shipwrecks of Key Largo |publisher=Best Publishing Company |year=1994 |isbn=0941332330 |edition=1st |pages=124}}</ref> | ||
====Violent weather==== | ====Violent weather==== | ||
[[File:Atlantic hurricane tracks.jpg|thumb|Tracks of all known Atlantic hurricanes between 1851 and 2019. Many storms pass through the Bermuda Triangle.]] | [[File:Atlantic hurricane tracks.jpg|thumb|Tracks of all known Atlantic hurricanes between 1851 and 2019. Many storms pass through the Bermuda Triangle.]] | ||
Hurricanes are powerful storms which form in tropical waters and have | Hurricanes are powerful storms which form in tropical waters and have cost thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of [[Francisco de Bobadilla]]'s Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane.<ref name="Winer, 1974, pp. 25–28">{{Harvnb|Winer|1974|pages=25–28}}</ref> These storms have caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle. Many Atlantic hurricanes pass through the Triangle as they recurve off the Eastern Seaboard, and, before the advent of [[weather satellite]]s, ships often had little to no warning of a hurricane's approach.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A2LNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 |title=Taming the Atlantic: The History of Man's Battle With the World's Toughest Ocean |last=Pike |first=Dan |publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]] |date=2017|access-date=26 September 2023 |pages=23–24 |isbn=978-1-52670-085-8}}</ref> | ||
A powerful [[microburst|downdraft of cold air]] was suspected to be a cause in the sinking of ''[[Pride of Baltimore]]'' on 14 May 1986. The crew of the sunken vessel noted the wind suddenly shifted and increased velocity from {{cvt|32|kph}} to {{cvt|97|-|145|kph}}. A National Hurricane Center satellite specialist, James Lushine, stated "during very unstable weather conditions the downburst of cold air from aloft can hit the surface like a bomb, exploding outward like a giant squall line of wind and water."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h8wlAAAAIBAJ&pg=1085,6357771 |title=''Downdraft likely sank clipper'', The Miami News, May 23, 1986, p. 6A|access-date=1 October 2014}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | A powerful [[microburst|downdraft of cold air]] was suspected to be a cause in the sinking of ''[[Pride of Baltimore]]'' on 14 May 1986. The crew of the sunken vessel noted the wind suddenly shifted and increased velocity from {{cvt|32|kph}} to {{cvt|97|-|145|kph}}. A National Hurricane Center satellite specialist, James Lushine, stated "during very unstable weather conditions the downburst of cold air from aloft can hit the surface like a bomb, exploding outward like a giant squall line of wind and water."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h8wlAAAAIBAJ&pg=1085,6357771 |title=''Downdraft likely sank clipper'', The Miami News, May 23, 1986, p. 6A|access-date=1 October 2014}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | ||
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===HMS ''Atalanta''=== | ===HMS ''Atalanta''=== | ||
{{Main|HMS Juno (1844)}} | {{Main|HMS Juno (1844)}} | ||
[[File:The missing Training Ship, HMS 'Atlanta' - The Graphic 1880.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Atalanta''. ''[[The Graphic]]'', 1880]] | [[File:The missing Training Ship, HMS 'Atlanta' - The Graphic 1880.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Atalanta''. ''[[The Graphic]]'', 1880]] | ||
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{{main|USS Cyclops (AC-4)}} | {{main|USS Cyclops (AC-4)}} | ||
The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not related to combat occurred when the collier ''Cyclops'', carrying a full load of [[manganese ore]] and with one engine out of action, went missing without a trace with a crew of 306 sometime after 4 March 1918, after departing the island of [[Barbados]]. Although there is no strong evidence for any single theory, many independent theories exist, some blaming storms, some capsizing, and some suggesting that [[World War I|wartime enemy activity]] was to blame for the loss.<ref name="DMerrill">{{cite web |url=http://website.lineone.net/~dmerrill/html/bermuda_triangle.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021124223248/http://website.lineone.net/~dmerrill/html/bermuda_triangle.html |url-status | The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not related to combat occurred when the collier ''Cyclops'', carrying a full load of [[manganese ore]] and with one engine out of action, went missing without a trace with a crew of 306 sometime after 4 March 1918, after departing the island of [[Barbados]]. Although there is no strong evidence for any single theory, many independent theories exist, some blaming storms, some capsizing, and some suggesting that [[World War I|wartime enemy activity]] was to blame for the loss.<ref name="DMerrill">{{cite web |url=http://website.lineone.net/~dmerrill/html/bermuda_triangle.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021124223248/http://website.lineone.net/~dmerrill/html/bermuda_triangle.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 24 November 2002 |title=Bermuda Triangle |publisher=D Merrill}}</ref><ref name="Bermuda Cruises">{{cite web |url=http://www.bermudacruises.net/bermuda-information/myths_folklore.htm |archive-url = https://archive.today/20090610083610/http://www.bermudacruises.net/bermuda-information/myths_folklore.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = 10 June 2009 |title=Myths and Folklore of Bermuda |publisher=Bermuda Cruises |access-date = 24 July 2006}}</ref> In addition, two of ''Cyclops''{{'}}s sister ships, {{USS|Proteus|AC-9|2}} and {{USS|Nereus|AC-10|2}}, were subsequently lost in the North Atlantic during [[World War II]]. Both ships were transporting heavy loads of metallic ore similar to that which was loaded on ''Cyclops'' during her fatal voyage.<ref name="Kusche, pp. 93–94">{{harvnb|ref=Kusche, 1975|Kusche|1975|pp=93–94}}</ref> In all three cases structural failure due to overloading with a much denser cargo than designed is considered the most likely cause of sinking. | ||
===''Carroll A. Deering''=== | ===''Carroll A. Deering''=== | ||
{{main|Carroll A. Deering}} | {{main|Carroll A. Deering}} | ||
[[File:deering2.jpg|thumb|The [[schooner]] ''[[Carroll A. Deering]]'', as seen from the [[Cape Lookout (North Carolina)|Cape Lookout]] [[lightvessel]] on 29 January 1921, two days before she was found deserted in [[North Carolina]] | |||
[[File:deering2.jpg|thumb|The [[schooner]] ''[[Carroll A. Deering]]'', as seen from the [[Cape Lookout (North Carolina)|Cape Lookout]] [[lightvessel]] on 29 January 1921, two days before she was found deserted in [[North Carolina]] (US Coast Guard)]] | |||
''Carroll A. Deering'', a five-masted [[schooner]] built in 1919, was found hard aground and abandoned at [[Diamond Shoals]], near [[Cape Hatteras]], [[North Carolina]], on 31 January 1921. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] investigation into the ''Deering'' scrutinized, then ruled out, multiple theories as to why and how the ship was abandoned, including piracy, domestic Communist sabotage and the involvement of [[rum-runner]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/legend-ghost-ship-carroll-deering |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209123222/https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/legend-ghost-ship-carroll-deering |archive-date=9 December 2015 |title=The Legend Of The Ghost Ship: Carroll A. Deering |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 November 2015 |website=[[National Park Foundation]] |access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> | ''Carroll A. Deering'', a five-masted [[schooner]] built in 1919, was found hard aground and abandoned at [[Diamond Shoals]], near [[Cape Hatteras]], [[North Carolina]], on 31 January 1921. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] investigation into the ''Deering'' scrutinized, then ruled out, multiple theories as to why and how the ship was abandoned, including piracy, domestic Communist sabotage and the involvement of [[rum-runner]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/legend-ghost-ship-carroll-deering |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209123222/https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/legend-ghost-ship-carroll-deering |archive-date=9 December 2015 |title=The Legend Of The Ghost Ship: Carroll A. Deering |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 November 2015 |website=[[National Park Foundation]] |access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> | ||
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===Flight 19=== | ===Flight 19=== | ||
{{main|Flight 19}} | {{main|Flight 19}} | ||
[[File:Grumman TBF-1 Avengers of VGS-29 in flight over Norfolk, Virginia (USA), on 1 September 1942 (80-G-427475).jpg|upright|thumb|left|US Navy Avengers, similar to those of Flight 19]] | [[File:Grumman TBF-1 Avengers of VGS-29 in flight over Norfolk, Virginia (USA), on 1 September 1942 (80-G-427475).jpg|upright|thumb|left|US Navy Avengers, similar to those of Flight 19]] | ||
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* [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience]] | * [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience]] | ||
* [[Nevada Triangle]] | * [[Nevada Triangle]] | ||
* | * {{anl|Sargasso Sea}} | ||
* {{anl|SS Cotopaxi|SS ''Cotopaxi''}} | |||
* | |||
* [[Vile vortex]] | * [[Vile vortex]] | ||
{{Div col end}} | {{Div col end}} | ||
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<!-- Please maintain alphabetical order by last name, and only include works not already used as references, per [[MOS:FURTHER]]. --> | <!-- Please maintain alphabetical order by last name, and only include works not already used as references, per [[MOS:FURTHER]]. --> | ||
* {{cite book |last=Bara |first=Mike |year=2019 |title=The Triangle: The Truth Behind the World's Most Enduring Mystery |location=Kempton, IL |publisher=Adventures Unlimited |pages= | * {{cite book |last=Bara |first=Mike |year=2019 |title=The Triangle: The Truth Behind the World's Most Enduring Mystery |location=Kempton, IL |publisher=Adventures Unlimited |pages=|isbn=9781948803175 |oclc=1348103392}} | ||
* ''The Final Flight'' (2006), Tony Blackman ({{ISBN|0-9553856-0-1}}). This book is a work of fiction. | * ''The Final Flight'' (2006), Tony Blackman ({{ISBN|0-9553856-0-1}}). This book is a work of fiction. | ||
* ''From the Devil's Triangle to the Devil's Jaw'' (1977), Richard Winer ({{ISBN|0-553-10860-3}}) | * ''From the Devil's Triangle to the Devil's Jaw'' (1977), Richard Winer ({{ISBN|0-553-10860-3}}) | ||