The legend of the legendary ghost ship: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

The name Flying Dutchaman has paved its way through many medias and historical prospects. Probably the most famous one is the Flying Dutchman of captain Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean series. The ship has caught the eyes of many sailors who claim to have it seen in the dark stormy nights in the ocean. Many also claim to have encountered the ship and lost their lives to the devil of the ship.

So, exactly whats the story behind it and which mystery is there to hunt? Let’s find out.

The story of Flying Dutchman is about a ship that sailed in late 17^th century and the captain was sailor, Hendrik Van Der Decken. Once he was sailing from India to Amsterdam and in the mid of the journey he got caught in the stormy anger of the sea, which buried the ship along with its crew in the deep water of ocean. To save himself and his crew, he is said to have made a pact with the devil himself and in return devil gave them life. But after this, God became furious and cursed the ship and the crew to roam the sea for eternity, while not allowing to put a step on the port, island or any kind of land. And, since than the Dutchman is haunting the sea and many ships that came across it.

Another one goes like this: This story places Bernard Fokke as the captain of that bad-fortuned ship instead of Hendrik. In the same century as above, Bernard made a pact with Lucifer to his own gain. After that day, he was no longer to be seen. So, it is assumed that Lucifer has taken him from the mortal plane. And now, he continues to roam the sea, restlessly in the face of Flying Dutchman.

Be it, Hendrik or Bernard, the Dutchman has not found its redemption since then and continues to wander in the dark, in the most violent of storms of the sea.

Now, science (according to its nature), has tried to solve this terrifying mystery with its own perspective.

According to Science:

Science has made an effort put this mystery on the table which includes a ship roaming the seas and sailors claiming to have seen it disappear in the mist as soon as they find it.

According to science this happens because of the effect called Superior Mirage or Fata Morgana (as in eurpean terms). A mirage is a naturally-occurring phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction and produces an image of a distant object. Moreover in this case, light refracts on the water forming an image of a distant ship sailing and disappearing in the fog.

But there’s an issue which nullifies this theory of science. Most of the encounters of the ship have been in the night and stormy winds, which comprises absence of light and heat by sun. And thus declining the possibility of Fata Morgana.

Aftermath:

This story continued to be a fable until it was immortalized in the 19^th century by an Opera runner, Richard Wagner. On one stormy night wagner himself encountered the Dutchman on his voyage to Paris, almost shipwrecking them. And it was the first time he came to know about this ship. After that he composed a fantastic opera on this subject and popularized the legend all across Europe in 1843. And the legend cum myth that belonged to only sailors, found its way to the ordinary people of the land.