# Bermuda Triangle **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 3, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661 "2012-02-03T17:27:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/21 "2012-02-03T23:29:13Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Just in case it’s useful, the [Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/662/has-anyone-vanished-in-the-bermuda-triangle-lately) on the Bermuda Triangle (which also references Kusche’s book). Kusche and _Nova_ lacked the snark. I’ll take Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/22 "2012-02-04T15:46:59Z")
I remember reading a long time ago about something called the “Honduras Hexagon” in which more ships had gone down. Note that the person wasn’t trying to make up another mystery, he was making fun of the Bermuda Triangle idea. Years ago I was teaching a group of young children. One kid talked about seeing a TV show about the Bermuda Triangle, in which a group of planes had flown into a cloud and disappeared forever. One of my students, whose father had just left on a business trip, burst into tears: “My daddy’s plane flew into a cloud, too!” Wonderful. So instead of working on the planned lesson, we talked about the nice clouds that send down rain that waters the pretty flowers and don’t disintegrate modern machinery. Grr, Charles Berlitz. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/23 "2012-02-04T17:33:22Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Grr, Charles Berlitz. I have to admit a grudging admiration for Berlitz for taking this mythology and turning into a best-seller. Growing up I’d encountered a few short stories and collections of this type of ‘mystery’, but they had all the credibility of a Paul Bunyan story (American manufactured myth). Berlitz, and Erich Von Daniken who wrote about ancient astronauts managed to turn this garbage into economic success that infected popular culture, and then provided an aftermarket for debunkers. I wish I could have made money so easily. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/24 "2018-08-10T08:35:31Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > British oceanographers from the University of Southampton believe the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle has been busted. After an investigation lasting decades, they’ve concluded that ships are being sucked into the ocean by “rogue waves” over 30 metres in height… > > So what are rogue waves? Basically, they’re abnormally large and unexpected waves in open sea. According to a study on Freak Waves, a standard-issue large wave of around 12 metres will have a breaking pressure of 8.5 psi. Modern ships are designed to tolerate a breaking wave of 21 psi, but a rogue wave can deliver a crushing 140 psi, grossly exceeding the limits of what ships are expected to tolerate. > **[Scientists Claim to Have Solved the Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle](https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmkyp8/scientists-claim-to-have-solved-the-mystery-of-the-bermuda-triangle)** > > Spoiler: it isn't a time portal. ---
**Author:** ![ohiomstr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/82dd89/32.png) [@ohiomstr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ohiomstr2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/25 "2018-08-10T14:39:34Z")
Never ceases to amaze me that folks continue to believe nonsense like this. Two of the best things about the BT I have ever seen: A picture of a sailor holding a life preserver from the USS Cyclops, one of the ships that “disappeared without a trace.” An interview with a Coast Guard Commander in Florida who, when asked his opinion about sailing vessels disappearing, responded “Poor navigation skills and forgetting about the gulf stream.” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/26 "2018-08-10T17:31:20Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > This nitpickery has been brought to you by the letter L and the number 3. 😉 Nitpickery is the only way to deal with such a question. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/27 "2018-08-10T17:42:36Z")
What about Bermuda Shorts? Do they exist? And Bermuda Onions . . . what about those? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/28 "2018-08-10T18:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > After an investigation lasting decades, they’ve concluded that ships are being sucked into the ocean by “rogue waves” over 30 metres in height… If they’ve leveled up to that height, you have to figure they’re getting at least 5d6 on their Sneak Attack. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/29 "2018-08-10T18:50:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > This nitpickery has been brought to you by the letter L and the number 3. 😉 Good thing that wasn’t the number 7; that’d be the Bermuda Square. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/30 "2018-08-10T18:52:26Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Good thing that wasn’t the number 7; that’d be the Bermuda Square. 😃 As it is it’s the Bermuda Heart. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/31 "2018-08-10T20:25:21Z")
Guys, the Op has asked a legit question, one where gallons of ink have been spilled. The BT does seem to have more than usual “mysterious” disappearances. Mind you, it is pretty easy by stretching facts (and even making a few up) to make something seem more mysterious that it really is. However, the link\*\* PastTense\*\* has been so kind to supply perhaps explains the why & how. But no supernatural or otherworldly explanation is needed. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/32 "2018-08-10T20:42:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The BT does seem to have more than usual “mysterious” disappearances. Mind you, it is pretty easy by stretching facts (and even making a few up) to make something seem more mysterious that it really is. I believe the point has been made that there actually _haven’t_ been “more than usual” - in fact the area is bog-standard normal for mysterious disappearances, and is only unique in that people have given it a spiffy name and gotten all overexcited about it, with copious amounts of exaggeration/outright fantasy for spice. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/33 "2018-08-10T20:42:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Guys, the Op has asked a legit question, In 2012 (AD) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/34 "2018-08-10T20:45:20Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > I believe the point has been made that there actually _haven’t_ been “more than usual” - in fact the area is bog-standard normal for mysterious disappearances, and is only unique in that people have given it a spiffy name and gotten all overexcited about it, with copious amounts of exaggeration/outright fantasy for spice. I think that the areas is normal for sinkings, etc, not '\*mysterious \*disappearances". Most of whom, admittedly, have been _made_ to seem more mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/35 "2018-08-10T23:10:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > … economic success that infected popular culture, and then provided an aftermarket for debunkers. And, after that, REbunkers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/36 "2018-08-10T23:36:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I think that the areas is normal for sinkings, etc, not '\*mysterious \*disappearances". \*"(Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki said) when you then compare the number of disappearances to the large quantity of ships and planes passing through the Bermuda Triangle, you find there is nothing out of the ordinary about the area at all. “According to Lloyd’s of London and the US Coastguard,” he said, “The number that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.” \* > **[Scientist ‘solves’ mystery of the Bermuda Triangle – by claiming there was no...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/bermuda-triangle-mystery-solved-latest-theories-dr-karl-kruszelnicki-debunked-unexplained-disappearances-ships-planes-aeroplanes-vanish-conspiracy-lost-flight-19-alien-abduction-atlantis-methane-gas-vincent-gaddis-a7861731.html)** > > Karl Kruszelnicki says everything can be explained by human error, bad weather, and heavy air and sea traffic – not alien abduction or energy beams from the lost city of Atlantis ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/37 "2018-08-11T00:46:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*"(Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki said) when you then compare the number of disappearances to the large quantity of ships and planes passing through the Bermuda Triangle, you find there is nothing out of the ordinary about the area at all. > > “According to Lloyd’s of London and the US Coastguard,” he said, “The number that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.” \* > > [Scientist ‘solves’ mystery of the Bermuda Triangle – by claiming there was no mystery in the first place | The Independent | The Independent](http://independent.co.uk/news/science/bermuda-triangle-mystery-solved-latest-theories-dr-karl-kruszelnicki-debunked-unexplained-a7861731.html) Isnt that what I said? The number of sinkings & disappearances is normal. The number of mysterious disappearances seems to be higher, but that may be just a product of writers making them \*seem \*more mysterious. Let’s take a look at these: > **[Six Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AroundTheWorld/story?id=7163464&page=1)** > > From single-passenger planes to warships, all number of things have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle over the years. "Good Morning America" is heading to the triangle in search of the truth. Flight 19 is indeed mysterious. We think we know what happened, but the radio calls have a eerie reading. Really, read them and not think Rod Serling could narrate the introduction. USS Cyclops, (which is hardly a “battleship”) gets sunk, in a war zone, is overloaded, has a cracked cylinder make half the engines out, and is last seen near a huge storm. That class had a well known structural defect, which sank two of her sister ships. Ok,\* slightly \*mysterious, but only because nothing was found. Sylvia L. Ossa: debris was found, and I think the wreck. Star Tiger- took off in heavy weather. Heading towards Bermuda but not in the triangle. SS Marine Sulphur Queen: unseaworthy hulk carrying dangerous cargo, debris was found, no mystery at all. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/38 "2018-08-12T18:08:22Z")
The answer can be found here, starting 1:41 in: [Mojo Nixon Elvis is everywhere FULL version w/ lyrics - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaD5mAC3P2s) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/39 "2018-08-12T18:38:00Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > The answer can be found here, starting 1:41 in: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaD5mAC3P2s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaD5mAC3P2s) Rather than just link to a Youtube, it is polite to tell us what it is, and what you think of it, and maybe a summary. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661/40 "2018-08-12T22:33:26Z")
[Here’s a good article](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6906519/bermuda-triangle-rogue-waves-university-of-southampton/) Essentially, they believe that, when three far away storm systems (from the south, the north and the east) push up waves from each direction, they can converge and form large rogue waves. The study showed that such waves could overwhelm any vessel and sink it quickly with little warning or time to react. Since they are unpredictable, the weather could be clear and it would “seem” paranormal forces are at work when it’s just the pesky laws of physics… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bermuda-triangle/611661.md?page=3)