There’s no doubt that many pilots and ship captains treat the area of the Bermuda Triangle with a sort of reverence almost uncharacteristically bold even for their superstitious occupations. Tales of pilots and ships swallowed by the sea around the so called Devil’s Triangle region are often told to warn wiser travelers away from it and to inspire reverence for the sea which is not always understood even today. One such story that remains unexplainable to this day is that of Flight 19.
The Bermuda Triangle is the region between three points: Miami, San Juan, and Bermuda. Many of the crashes and disappearances defy explanation, and many of the transmissions sent by ships and aircraft that are eventually claimed by the region don’t make sense. Pilots often report the entire world around them suddenly shifting or changing into something that conjures up strange images of alien worlds. Still others simply disappear with no warning and no explanation. More than a few ships have been discovered with their crews entirely vanished with no warning and the ship otherwise unharmed and operating.
But sometimes it isn’t simply one or two ships or aircraft. On December 05, 1945 a training squadron of fliers reported phenomena that to this day baffles experts. Radios from the pilots crackled with frightened voices, “We can’t find west. Everything is wrong. We can’t be sure of any direction. Everything looks strange… Even the ocean!” The fliers in question were not simply standard pilots, but some of the best trained in the world. As the minutes ticked by with agonizing lethargy, eventually another voice came to the air command tower. It was a younger pilot, lower on the command rank. He had been given command after the former flight leader had lost confidence in his ability to navigate this strange new environment they found themselves in. It had been half an hour since things had first gone wrong for Flight 19. It was clear from his voice that he was not ready for his new position.
His shaky voice relayed information back to base that was strange. He spoke hysterically sometimes, often breaking off into nonsensical rants. Finally the last transmission received from Flight 19 chilled those at the tower to the bone, “It looks like we’re entering white water… We’re completely lost.” The flight was never heard from or seen again. The military wasted no time, launching a massive rescue operation, but no evidence of any crashed planes was ever discovered. As they arrived they discovered what they already had heard from reports. The skies were clear, there was no turbulence, no strong winds, and the waters were as calm as ever. No sign of the mysterious “white water” that had been reported by the missing flight. To this day there is no official explanation as to what could have happened to these pilots. Though they are assumed to have been lost at sea, none of the floating components of any of the planes have ever been found.