Friday, October 22, 2010

USS Cyclops-Hampton Roads' Ghost Ship




As we approach Halloween and get ready here at the museum for our annual "Hunt for Dead October" event for children (6 to 9 p.m., HRNM portion free), it is only fitting to talk a little bit about USS Cyclops. The Norfolk-based vessel is one of the most famous ships in maritime lore for its mysterious fate. It is a favorite story of people who follow supernatural events.

In April 1918, the ship was steaming from Brazil to Baltimore with a cargo of manganese (an essential element to the manufacturing of steel). She stopped in the West Indies, but never made it to Baltimore. The U.S. Navy conducted a massive search for the vessel, but never found so much as a life ring or body. There were no communications from the ship reporting it to be under attack or in distress from a weather related incident. Its disappearance has never been explained. Here are a few 1918 magazine and newspaper articles on the lost ship.





2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would advise anyone who is interested in this story to check out a book (from the 1970's) called "Bermuda Triangle Mysteries Solved" as it points to what may have happened to her.

Richard Watson, Jr
Orono, Maine

Unknown said...

I would suggest the anyone wanting to learn about the U.S.S. CYCLOPS should look for my book "U.S.S. CYCLOPS" published by Heritage Books, Inc. ISBN: 0788451863

Attend a presentation by the author:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzez3ezf/