Among countless maritime legends and myths, few stories are as famous as the ghost ship known as the “Flying Dutchman.”
Many claim to have seen the eerie ghost ship of Captain Hendrick van der Decken (a Dutchman) since it sank in 1641. The captain and his crew are believed to be cursed, doomed to sail the seas until the end of time.
Before disappearing, Captain van der Decken undertook a perilous journey from the Netherlands to the Far East Indies to acquire lucrative goods such as spices, silk, and dyes.
After loading the cargo and making necessary repairs to the ship, Captain van der Decken set sail for Amsterdam (Netherlands).
As the ship rounded the coast of Africa, Captain van der Decken contemplated how advantageous it would be if his employer, the Dutch East India Company, settled near Cape of Good Hope.
The Journey and Curse of the “Flying Dutchman”
As the captain was deep in thought at the moment the ship began to round Cape of Good Hope, suddenly, a terrifying gust of wind arose, threatening to capsize the vessel and drown everyone aboard.
In this critical situation, the crew urged the captain to turn back, but Captain van der Decken refused. Some said he was mad, while others claimed he was drunk, but the captain ordered his crew to continue their course. He lit his pipe and smoked as towering waves crashed against the ship, tearing the sails apart and flooding the deck.
Painting of the ghost ship “Flying Dutchman” by Albert Pinkham Ryder.
Pushed to the limits, the crew mutinied. Without hesitation, Captain van der Decken killed the ringleader of the mutineers and threw the body overboard.
The moment the mutineer’s body hit the water, a mysterious voice emerged, casting a curse upon the captain’s actions: “You shall sail the ocean forever with a crew of dead souls, bringing death to all who see your ship, and shall never make port…”.
At that moment, Captain van der Decken remained unfazed, continuing to steer the ship before tragedy struck.
The Ghost Ship
Since then, Captain van der Decken has been dubbed the “Flying Dutchman”, navigating his ghost ship around the world. Sailors believe that the Dutchman leads ships astray, causing them to crash into rocks or reefs.
There are even rumors that if you look into a fierce storm off the coast of Cape of Good Hope, you will see the captain and his ghostly crew.
Illustration depicting Captain van der Decken at the fateful moment.
According to legend, anyone who encounters the “Flying Dutchman” is destined to die a gruesome death. The legend of the “Flying Dutchman” was first popularized in Wagner’s opera in 1843.
Additionally, there are several accounts of sightings of the legendary ghost ship. One of the most famous encounters occurred on July 11, 1881, involving Prince George of Wales and his brother, Prince Albert Victor of Wales, while they were sailing off the coast of Australia.
The name “Flying Dutchman” also appeared in the films “Pirates of the Caribbean” parts 2 and 3, captained by Davy Jones.
The most notable record includes the encounter of H.M.S Bacchante (from the Royal Navy) with the “Flying Dutchman” while passing Cape of Good Hope early on July 11, 1881.
On a March day in 1939, many along the southern coast of Africa reported sighting a ghost ship believed to be the Flying Dutchman.
The last recorded sighting of this ship was in 1942 in Cape Town, South Africa. Four witnesses claimed they saw the ancient vessel enter Table Bay and then suddenly… vanish.
Until recently, after extensive research, scientists have concluded that the “Flying Dutchman” is nothing more than an optical illusion, a refraction of light from the sea.
Representation of Captain van der Decken in film.
The “Fata Morgana” Phenomenon
In reality, the image of this “flying ship” is a rare and complex type of optical illusion, involving horizontal and vertical distortion, inversion, and height variations of objects. Some studies suggest that this phenomenon occurs over the water’s surface and is created by the layering of different air masses with varying refractive indices.
The optical phenomenon on the sea can create various visual effects.
“Superior mirages occur due to a weather condition known as temperature inversion, where cold air sits close to the sea with warmer air above it,” meteorologist David Braine explains.
This phenomenon occurs when dense cold air is heavier than warm air, causing light to bend toward the eyes of someone standing on the ground or the beach, altering how a distant object appears.
Braine suggests that this type of illusion can make distant ships appear as if they are floating, even though they are still on the water’s surface.
When experts rendered the image and adjusted various color parameters, the result showed a very faint horizon in the distance, indicating that this is entirely an illusion, with no other supernatural phenomena involved.
Some experts indicate that “fata morgana” is more commonly observed in the polar regions of the planet, but it can occasionally be seen in some European countries during winter.
