In fact, the Cyclops is as big or bigger than some of our older battleships. For example, it is 21 feet longer than the battleship Utah BB 31, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sadly the Utah is still a rusting hulk, because it has never been raised. It only has a memorial plaque on the overturned side and there is still an unknown number of crewmen entombed there! The Cyclops is on a special mission for the U.S. Government. It is not loaded with coal, but Manganese ore. This ore helps in the manufacturing of steel. This Manganese ore was loaded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in South America. Captain Worley leaves Rio and sails up the east coast of South America, 4,500 miles from Rio is the seaport of Bridgetown, Barbados. This is a small island northeast of Venezuela, South America and southeast of the island of Cuba. USS Cyclops docked here to take on food supplies. The crew also needed a rest very badly, for 4,500 miles is a long slow trip, when top speed is 14 knots (16 miles per hour). Now, notice the date is March 4, 1918 as the collier cargo ship Cyclops leaves Bridgetown, Barbados. Just 1750 miles away is Norfolk, Virginia, USA, and home. Everyone is looking forward to finishing this long sea voyage.

Soon the ship is in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle! This is where the US Navy collier cargo supply ship, USS Cyclops AC-1 goes POOF! And is no more!

The so-called Bermuda Triangle is one of the most mysterious places on this entire planet! Draw a line from Miami, Florida to the Bermuda Islands, from there to the island of Puerto Rico, then from there back to Miami. Roughly, this is the Bermuda Triangle and a regular shipping lane goes through the middle. Almost daily, ships of all sizes, shapes, and nationality pass through this area unharmed. However, at least 140 ships have sailed into the Bermuda Triangle and never came out, they just vanished! Most of the ships have disappeared in good weather, yet no trace has ever been found. No floating wreckage, no oil slicks, no lifeboats, no life jackets, nor bodies in the sea or washed up on neighboring beaches. None of the ships sent any SOS distress signals or reported anything wrong over their transmitters. Believe it or not, ironically, several years later, two of the Cyclops sister ships, the USS Proteus and the USS Nereus both entered the Bermuda Triangle and both vanished forever! Of course, no trace was ever found of either ship. The remaining sister ship, USS Jupiter, made a name for herself, too. The Jupiter was converted into an aircraft carrier. On March 20, 1922 she became the USS Langley CV-1 and went on to serve in World War II, but was finally sunk in February of 1942.

The sizes of the ships that have vanished in the Bermuda Triangle are variable. Small, medium, and large. An outstanding example of a lightning-like disappearance is the Witchcraft. It was a small cabin cruiser built by the owner, Dan Burack. He built the Witchcraft with great pride and care and declared it unsinkable. This took place within sight of Miami Beach, while located at one of the harbor's buoys. Dan Burack invited a priest, Father Pat Hogan, to see the Christmas lights of Miami from offshore. Dan pilots his cabin cruiser, Witchcraft, through the calm waters for about one mile offshore. They stopped to admire the Christmas lights at channel buoy number 7. A few minutes later Dan makes a single, unexpected SOS call to the US Coast Guard. Of course, he gives his exact position at buoy number 7. The Coast Guard cutter arrives at buoy number 7 in exactly 20 minutes, but when it arrives there, the Witchcraft, Dan Burack, and Father Pat Hogan have already completely disappeared. Vanished without a trace. They were never seen or heard from again! The time is Christmas Eve, December 24, 1967. What a Christmas present for their families.

Not only do ships disappear in the Bermuda Triangle, but airplanes also. Over the years, the sizes of the airplanes also vary, from small one engine Cessna civilian planes to giant military superfortresses. This even includes some fighter jet planes. On December 5, 1945 a flight of US Navy fighter-bomber airplanes take off from Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Base, which is 25 miles north of Miami, Florida. They are Grumman Avenger TBM Navy planes with 5 pilots and 9 crewmen. These planes are equipped with life rafts and the crews are trained to abandon ship in 60 seconds. This is flight No. 19, on a short routine training mission over the ocean.

The sky is beautiful, not a cloud can be seen, and the temperature is just right, with a warm tropical sun. However, although just a few miles into their flight, all five planes are in trouble. The flight leader, Lieutenant Charles Taylor, radios these messages back to Fort Lauderdale: "Our compasses and gyros are going crazy. They are spinning round and round. Now all of our flight instruments have gone out. We cannot be sure of our position, we seem to be lost. Now we are entering a white mist, the sky, sea, and horizon seem to blend together." But his last message is the strangest. He said, "Don't come after me!" Then all five Navy Avenger aircraft flew into oblivion! Despite an intensive air and sea search of 380,000 square miles, over land and sea... no trace of the planes or crew were ever found! But now hear this, the first rescue plane sent out to search is a Martin Mariner flying boat. It has a crew of 13, radios back one message and then it also vanished! No trace of the flying boat or crew have ever been found either!

Whether you believe it or not, these events are true and actually happened! They are recorded historical incidents that are indeed bizarre and fascinating! The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean is 27,500 feet below sea level. This is a trench within the Bermuda Triangle. At times, there occur some very strong electromagnetic disturbances in parts of the triangle. Does this cause a huge vortex that suddenly sucks down a ship into the abyss? If so, what about the airplanes? A huge vortex can cause a whirlpool, or a whirlwind! Many giant waterspouts have been seen in the triangle. Or is a UFO base built way down in the abyss? Maybe UFOs cause this disturbance? Do the ships and planes disappear into another time dimension, or do they just disintegrate? No one really knows what happens inside the Bermuda Triangle, but it is still happening today! So buddy, if you want to hang around a little longer, stay out of the Bermuda Triangle!

Sources:
U.S. Navy: A Complete Story by M. Hill Goodspeed
Without A Trace by Charles Berlitz
The Bermuda Triangle by Charles Berlitz
20th Century Shipwrecks by Dan Perkes

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