But together, lines between them make up the approximate boundary of one of the most mysterious

and deadly areas on the planet: the Bermuda Triangle.

Ever since Christopher Columbus sailed through the region in 1492, some weird, unexplained stuff
has taken place over the Atlantic Ocean there.

Everything from bad weather to supernatural forces have been blamed for several high profile
disappearances.

Here are just a few of the tales that deliver more questions than answers.

1945: Bomber Squad Disappears, So Do Rescuers

Although it was not the first unexplained occurrence in the area, many say that what happened to a
bomber squadron in December 1945 sparked the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

The five-plane squadron, Flight 19, with 27 men, set out on a training mission from their base in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., and never returned.

According to the Navy's report of the accident, the disappearance was due to "causes or reasons
unknown."

Staff Sgt. Howell O. Thompson, pictured above, was a member of the crew of the now infamous
Flight 19.

A rescue mission of 13 men was sent to search for Flight 19, but those men, too, never returned.

1918: U.S. Battleship Goes Missing With 306 on Board

The USS Cyclops was a collier that operated between the East Coast and the Caribbean, servicing
the Atlantic fleet for a time and then ran trans-Atlantic journeys until February 1918

After fueling British ships in the south Atlantic in Brazilian waters, the ship embarked from Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 16, 1918, came into Barbados in early March and then promptly
disappeared completely.

The 306 crew and passengers were never heard from again and, while there are many theories,
according to the Naval Historical Center, it "is one of the sea's unsolved mysteries."

1948: DC-3 Commercial Flight Vanishes

On Dec. 28, 1948, Capt. Robert Lindquist took off from San Juan with two crew members and 29
passengers heading for Miami.

When the plane was 50 miles away from Miami, Lindquist reportedly radioed the Miami airport for
landing instructions. The airport's reply was met with silence. The plane was never seen again.
According to an investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the plane had electrical difficulties and
low battery power. Those findings have not stopped many from blaming supernatural forces on the
disappearance.

For hundreds of years strange things, including the disappearance of hudreds of ships and planes,
have been going on in the Bermuda Triangle.

1976: Panamanian Ship Trades Cargo for Mystery

The Panamanian ship Sylvia L. Ossa was a cargo ship that was a regular near the mysterious
waters of the Bermuda Triangle.

But in 1976, the Sylvia L. Ossa fell victim to the mysteries of the triangle when she and her 37-
person crew disappeared without a trace.

The Coast Guard is reportedly still looking for clues to what happened to the 590-foot ship, pictured
above.

1948: Star Tiger Drops Out of the Sky

On its way from England to Bermuda in January 1948, a Star Tiger passenger plane vanished with
more than 30 people on board.

England's Civial Air Ministry conducted an investigation and found that a ship, the SS Troubadour,
reported seeing a low-flying plane about halfway between Bermuda and Delaware Bay. If that plane
was the Star Tiger, it was horribly off course.
The fate of the Star Tiger is still considered an unsolved mystery.

1963: Something Smells Funny With the Sulphur Queen's Disappearance

The Sulphur Queen was a 523-foot tanker that was originally intended to carry oil, but was
converted to carry sulphur.

On Feb. 3, 1963, the ship sent a radio report that placed it 230 miles southeast of New Orleans, La.,
according to a report by Time magazine. Then nothing.

There was no SOS and no warning of trouble. The ship simply disappeared.

Two weeks later, pieces of a raft, a life vest and a broken oar washed up on Florida beaches.

An investigation launched by the Coast Guard shortly after the disappearance concluded that the
vessel was nowhere near seaworthy and likely caught fire at sea.

Such a conclusion was not far-fetched. According to the article, "once, the Queen actually sailed
into a New Jersey port with fires smoldering, unloaded her cargo, and sailed off again -- still
burning."

The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies about this Mysterious Region

Jun 1, 2000 - © Brenda Gambrell

The Bermuda Triangle or "devil's triangle" is an imaginary triangle stretching from Norfolk to the
island of Bermuda and back to Puerto Rico. The term "Bermuda Triangle" was first used in an article
written for Argosy magazine in 1964. The author claimed that in this strange expanse of sea a
number of planes and ships had disappeared without explanation.

Historical Mysteries in the Bermuda Triangle

As early as 1492, Christopher Columbus reported that while he sailed through the area, his
compass went haywire and he spotted a ball of fire in the sky. (This could be explained away as a
meteor and the trouble with his compass as a discrepancy between true north and magnetic north
that exists in the triangle.)

Another famous encounter is the discovery of the abandoned ship Mary Celeste in 1892. There was
no sign of the captain, his family, and the eight crew members or what happened to them. Save for
one lifeboat, all the supplies had been left on the ship.

The most famous of all strange occurrences in the triangle is the disappearance of the five navy
avenger bombers of Flight 19. The crewmen were inexperienced trainees except for the patrol
leader Lt. Charles Taylor, whose compass malfunctioned during the flight. He tried to navigate using
landmarks below, but a brewing storm caused poor visibility, and he unknowingly led them farther
into sea. Apparently, the five planes ran out of gas and plunged into the sea, but to this day, the
wreckage has never been found.

In 1975, Larry Kusche published a book entitled The Bermuda Triangle Mystery-Solved. In the book
Kusche revealed that many of the strange accidents and disappearances reported in the Bermuda
Triangle were not so "paranormal" after all. In many accounts, he discovered factual discrepancies -
a ship said to have gone down in calm waters really sank in a raging storm; the remains of other
ships reported to have mysteriously vanished had actually been found.

Theories about the Bermuda Triangle’s Mysterious Power

Bermuda Triangle mysteries have been blamed on everything from sea monsters to UFOs. Here
are some of the more credible explanations:

 The Bermuda Triangle is one of two places on earth that a magnetic compass points towards
true north. Normally it points toward magnetic north. This compass variation between the two
changes by as much as 20 degrees and if it is not compensated for, a navigator could find
himself lost and in deep trouble.

The copyright of the article The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies
about this Mysterious Region in Unsolved Crimes is owned by Brenda Gambrell. Permission to
republish The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies about this
Mysterious Region in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
 The Gulf Stream is swift and turbulent and can quickly erase any evidence of a disaster. This
unpredictable weather pattern including sudden storms and water spouts can lead to trouble for
captains and pilots.

 Strong currents over the many reefs in the triangle cause the topography to be in a constant
state of flux. Navigators may not be able to adjust to these hazards as swiftly.

 The triangle sits over an oceanic trench. Large amounts of gas are released to the surface that
causes a vacuum-like effect and unstable waters.

The copyright of the article The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies
about this Mysterious Region in Unsolved Crimes is owned by Brenda Gambrell. Permission to
republish The Bermuda Triangle: Famous Disappearances and Theroies about this
Mysterious Region in print or online must be granted by the author in writing