An expansive stretch of water encompassing Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda is famously known as the Bermuda Triangle. Over time, there have been numerous perplexing disappearances of people traveling through this region by planes and ships, leading to it being dubbed The Devil’s Triangle. Speculations abound, ranging from extraterrestrial involvement to natural scientific explanations, suggesting that the area may pose certain hazards, leading unfortunate individuals to vanish without a trace.
The enigmatic reputation of the Triangle dates back to when Christopher Columbus first noticed unusual compass readings during his voyages. Not wanting to alarm his crew, Columbus continued his journey until spotting a peculiar light after three days, prompting him to alter course back to Spain.
Debunking the compass navigation myth in the Bermuda Triangle
Following these events, another myth emerged, claiming that compasses stop working upon entering the area. However, in 1970, the US Coast Guard clarified that The Devil’s Triangle is one of two locations on Earth where magnetic compasses do not point north. Instead, the needle aligns with the magnetic north, exhibiting a deviation of approximately 20 degrees.
Despite these anomalies, skilled navigators have encountered variations but have managed to navigate through the region effectively, given their familiarity with magnetic navigation systems onboard each vessel.
Further investigations by the Coast Guard in 2005 revealed that Earth’s magnetic fields are in a constant state of flux. Consequently, the Bermuda Triangle maintains unique and fluctuating magnetic values, contributing to its mystique.
The contemporary legend of the Bermuda Triangle
The modern lore surrounding the Bermuda Triangle took off in the 1950s with a report by Edward Van Winkle Jones published by the Associated Press. Jones highlighted the vanishings of several planes and ships in the vicinity, including the unexplained disappearances of five US Navy torpedo bombers in December 1945, the commercial airliner ‘Star Tiger’ in January 1948, and ‘Star Ariel’ in January 1949, amounting to 135 individuals unaccounted for, suggesting they vanished mysteriously.
Speculations of alien involvement also surfaced, with The Case for the UFO by M.K. Jessup in 1955 positing the absence of wreckage as evidence. Additionally, Vincent H. Gaddis, who popularized the term “Bermuda Triangle,” mentioned in one of his articles that the Triangle had claimed 1000 lives, describing it as a hub of bizarre occurrences.
In conclusion:
Critic Larry Kusche conducted detailed research and concluded that many accounts by other authors were grossly exaggerated. The instances of missing persons and incidents were often not thoroughly verified, with some not even occurring. It was revealed that authors, whether intentionally or inadvertently, fabricated or sensationalized events. The number of mishaps in the Bermuda Triangle does not exceed those observed in other standard marine environments.
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