# Has The "Flying Dutchman" Been seen Recently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172 "2006-08-03T11:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/1 "2006-08-03T11:17:00Z")
I was inspired to ask this, because i just heard the Richard wagner overture. Supposedly the “Flying Dutchman” is a ghost ship, manned by ghosts, who are condemned to sail the seas for all time. Supposedly, the ship was sighted off South Africa in 1936. has it been seen recntly? And what is the take on this-is it a mirage or optical illusion? ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Caffeine\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/2 "2006-08-03T11:47:42Z")
Many of “Flying Dutchman” ships were actually ships abandoned by crew - due to outburst of sudden epidemy, piracy, several damage, alien abduction… well, maybe not alien abduction. Sometimes ship supposed to sink didn’t (for example when it had load of buoyant stuff) and just drifted with winds scaring beejezus from all superstitious seamen met along it’s route. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/3 "2006-08-04T09:22:26Z")
I saw it recently. Admitedly it was in the new _Pirates of the Carribean_ movie. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/4 "2006-08-04T10:47:40Z")
> [@Caffeine Cat](#): > > Many of “Flying Dutchman” ships were actually ships abandoned by crew - due to outburst of sudden epidemy, piracy, several damage, alien abduction… well, maybe not alien abduction. Sometimes ship supposed to sink didn’t (for example when it had load of buoyant stuff) and just drifted with winds scaring beejezus from all superstitious seamen met along it’s route. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Caffeine\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/5 "2006-08-04T11:49:21Z")
Well known _Mary Celeste_ for one. Many more examples in [this](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592287239/103-6548255-6668605?v=glance&n=283155) book. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/6 "2006-08-04T12:56:56Z")
> [@Caffeine Cat](#): > > Well known _Mary Celeste_ for one. Many more examples in [this](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592287239/103-6548255-6668605?v=glance&n=283155) book. I not so sure about the many part. From your link, a customer review > [@](#): > > Down through the centuries there have been an awful lot of ships lost at sea. So it is no surprise that once in a while a ship ends its days in a strange way. The stories of these ships are the ones told here. > > The first section of the book covers ships that sank, usually with enough of an interesting story to justify its inclusion. This includes ships like the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the battleship USS Maine. It also includes some lesser known ships that likewise sank, blew up, or otherwise died in a way that makes for a good story. > > The second part of the book is on ships that have ghostly tales told about them. This includes the Queen Mary, the Flying Dutchman, even the USS Thresher. These are stories that have remained current in spite of the current view that there can’t possible be anything such as ghosts. > > \*\*The last section is on ships that have created mysteries that remain a mystery to this day. Here is the story of the Mary Celeste, found drifting and abandoned with a half finished dinner on the table. Here are the stories of some ships like the USS Cyclops, lost in the Bermuda Triangle. \*\* (bolding mine) While I don’t doubt there have been a few cases strannge abandonment, the Mary Celeste is the only one that comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/7 "2006-08-04T13:09:49Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > While I don’t doubt there have been a few cases strange abandonment, the Mary Celeste is the only one that comes to mind. I must check my old copy of “The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved” by Lawrence David Kusche. I think there were a few cases of abandoned ships in there somewhere. There’s a well documented case of an abandoned racing yacht, the pilot went a bit mad when the stress of cheating got to him. He sat around in the Atlantic making up observations then decided to end it all and threw himself overboard with the yacht’s log. I wish I could remember his name, a short documentary on the man made for sad viewing, especially when they replayed some of his log/radio messages. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/8 "2006-08-04T13:13:41Z")
Got it, Google-fu was lacking there; [Donald Crowhurst](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/9 "2006-08-04T17:32:43Z")
I’m pretty sure I saw him [posting](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=382544) in **The BBQ Pit** , last night. ---
**Author:** ![jay-c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jay-c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jay-c)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/10 "2006-08-04T18:37:52Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I not so sure about the many part. From your link, a customer review… > > Originally Posted by Caffeine Cat > …The last section is on ships that have created mysteries that remain a mystery to this day. Here is the story of the Mary Celeste, found drifting and abandoned with a half finished dinner on the table. Here are the stories of some ships like the USS Cyclops, lost in the Bermuda Triangle. That’s one way Amazon differs from the SDMB - nobody ever seems to yell, “cite?” at the reviewers. I’ve tried, but they refuse to post those. I digress. The _Mary Celeste_ was found abandoned in 1872, approximately a month after it set sail for Genoa, Italy from New York City. It appeared to have deliberately abandoned, and the lifeboat had been launched. A bloody sword was found underneath the captain’s bed, there were some bloodstains on the ship’s railing, and a couple other oddities. None of the ship’s seven crew members, the captain, nor his wife or child were ever found. Obviously, something happened, but nobody will every know what. That’s pretty much all there is to it. [[obligatory Wikipedia link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Celeste)] The rest of the stories surrounding the ship are the result of some wild imaginations and good storytelling. The half-eaten meal construct was invented by Arthur Conan Doyle in his short story _J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement_, part of “The Captain of the Polestar”, the text of which can be found [here](http://www.mastertexts.com/Doyle_Arthur_Conan/The_Captain_of_the_Polestar/Chapter00003.htm). ---
**Author:** ![jay-c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jay-c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jay-c)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/11 "2006-08-04T18:53:48Z")
Bah. That’s what I get for not being an active poster for a couple years. Screwed up coding. The above quote was not from Caffeine Cat. It came from a customer review on Amazon, from a link she posted. Apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Caffeine\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/12 "2006-08-04T19:15:22Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I not so sure about the many part. \ Well, it’s possible that I linked to wrong book. I read it in translation (so title meaning was the same) some time ago - but I’m not sure about author… So it could be another book about ghost ships. I’ll try to find it in the attic and check author name. Lesson learned - never link to book you don’t have in hand. > [@Rick](#): > > While I don’t doubt there have been a few cases strannge abandonment, the Mary Celeste is the only one that comes to mind. Other examples from wikipedia links are [MV Joyita](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Joyita), [High Aim 6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Aim_6) and [Jian Seng](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jian_Seng). ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/13 "2006-08-04T19:24:36Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I was inspired to ask this, because i just heard the Richard wagner overture. Supposedly the “Flying Dutchman” is a ghost ship, manned by ghosts, who are condemned to sail the seas for all time. Supposedly, the ship was sighted off South Africa in 1936. has it been seen recntly? And what is the take on this-is it a mirage or optical illusion? I have it on good authority that the Flying Dutchman may be seen rounding the cape of good hope about 23:59 GMT August 4, 2006. [\*\* Flying Dutchman \*\*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_of_Good_Hope) Legend, Ghost Story, Fable, Tall Tale, P&SBS ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/14 "2006-08-04T20:14:10Z")
How about this one from a little while back: [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13189295/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13189295/) > [@](#): > > HONOLULU - A 33-foot sailboat abandoned in Costa Rica seven months ago apparently drifted thousands of miles before being discovered off Hawaii late Monday, Coast Guard officials said No crew, 7 months, 4,800 miles and it shows up in Hilo. The Flying Dutchman’s got nothing on her! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/15 "2006-08-05T06:12:29Z")
> [@Caffeine Cat](#): > > Well, it’s possible that I linked to wrong book. I read it in translation (so title meOther examples from wikipedia links are [MV Joyita](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Joyita), [High Aim 6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Aim_6) and [Jian Seng](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jian_Seng). Not one of these scared the bejeesus out of anybody. They were just found abandoned. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/16 "2006-08-05T06:25:13Z")
“'twere wee, the black ship on the horizon. It has bewoken our end.” Cpt. Pieter Halbrecht (commision: Dutch East India Co.) ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/17 "2006-08-05T06:51:00Z")
Dang, I thought **Coldfire** got a pilots license… ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-flying-dutchman-been-seen-recently/367172/18 "2006-08-05T13:18:49Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Not one of these scared the bejeesus out of anybody. Cite? 😛