Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Frequently Asked Questions page.


DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
901 M STREET SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060 


The Bermuda Triangle

1. US Coast Guard and US Navy. "Bermuda Triangle Fact Sheet."
(below)

2. US Navy. "The Bermuda Triangle: A Selective Bibliography."

3. Rosenburg, Howard L. "Exorcising the Devil's Triangle," Sealift
[Military Sealift Command] 24, No.6 (June 1974): 11-15.

Bermuda Triangle Fact Sheet


Prepared by the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters and the Naval Historical
Center



The U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle
as an official name and does not maintain an official file on the area.



The "Bermuda or Devil's Triangle" is an imaginary area located
off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, which is noted
for a high incidence of unexplained losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft.
The apexes of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami,
Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.



In the past, extensive, but futile Coast Guard searches prompted by search
and rescue cases such as the disappearances of an entire squadron of TBM
Avengers shortly after take off from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., or the traceless
sinking of the Marine Sulpher Queen in the Florida Straits have lent credence
to the popular belief in the mystery and the supernatural qualities of the
"Bermuda Triangle."



Countless theories attempting to explain the many disappearances have been
offered throughout the history of the area. The most practical seem to be
environmental and those citing human error. The majority of disappearances
can be attributed to the area's unique environmental features. First, the
"Devil's Triangle" is one of the two places on earth that a magnetic
compass does point towards true north. Normally it points toward magnetic
north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation. The
amount of variation changes by as much as 20 degrees as one circumnavigates
the earth. If this compass variation or error is not compensated for, a
navigator could find himself far off course and in deep trouble.



An area called the "Devil's Sea" by Japanese and Filipino seamen,
located off the east coast of Japan, also exhibits the same magnetic characteristics.
It is also known for its mysterious disappearances.



Another environmental factor is the character of the Gulf Stream. It is
extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase any evidence of a disaster.
The unpredictable Caribbean-Atlantic weather pattern also plays its role.
Sudden local thunder storms and water spouts often spell disaster for pilots
and mariners. Finally, the topography of the ocean floor varies from extensive
shoals around the islands to some of the deepest marine trenches in the
world. With the interaction of the strong currents over the many reefs the
topography is in a state of constant flux and development of new navigational
hazards is swift.



Not to be under estimated is the human error factor. A large number of pleasure
boats travel the waters between Florida's Gold Coast and the Bahamas. All
too often, crossings are attempted with too small a boat, insufficient knowledge
of the area's hazards, and a lack of good seamanship.



The Coast Guard is not impressed with supernatural explanations of disasters
at sea. It has been their experience that the combined forces of nature
and unpredictability of mankind outdo even the most far fetched science
fiction many times each year.



We know of no maps that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle.
However, there are general area maps available through the Distribution
Control Department, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, Washington, D.C. 20390.
Of particular interest to students if mysterious happenings may be the "Acromagnetic
Charts of the U.S. Coastal Region," H.O. Series 17507, 15 sheets. Numbers
9 through 15 cover the "Bermuda Triangle."



Interest in the "Bermuda Triangle" can be traced to (1) the cover
article in the August 1968 Argosy, "The Spreading Mystery of the Bermuda
Triangle", (2) the answer to a letter to the editor of the January
1969 Playboy, and (3) an article in August 4, 1968 This Week Magazine, "Limbo
of Lost Ships", by Leslie Lieber. Also, many newspapers carried a December
22, 1967 National Geographic Society news release which was derived largely
from Vincent Gaddis' Invisible Horizons: True Mysteries of the Sea (Chilton
Books, Philadelphia, 1965. OCLC# 681276) Chapter 13, "The Triangle
of Death", in Mr. Gaddis' book, presents the most comprehensive account
of the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Gaddis describes nine of the more
intriguing mysteries and provides copious notes and references. Much of
the chapter is reprinted from an article by Mr. Gaddis, "The Deadly
Bermuda Triangle", in the February 1964 Argosy. The article elicited
a large and enthusiastic response from the magazine's readers. Perhaps the
most interesting letter, which appeared in the May 1964 Argosy's "Back
Talk" section, recounts a mysterious and frightening incident in an
aircraft flying over the area in 1944.



28 Jan. 96 



 Return To Paranormal Information Menu.