The Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait

Image courtesy www.phantomship.ca

A previous post on ghost ships in Behind the Walls of Nightmare proved to be extremely popular so I thought readers might enjoy another post on the subject.

One of the most interesting of phantom ships is the ghost ship of Northumberland Strait, a body of water that separates Prince Edward Island from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada's eastern coast. There have been various sightings of this ghost ship for over 220 years. The ship is said to be a schooner, which is a type of sailing vessel with sails on at least two of its masts. According to various onlookers, the sails burst into flames before their eyes.

There is no predetermined spot where the phantom ship appears, and sightings occur most frequently between September and November, although they have been reported at other times. Because the sightings frequently occur before a northeast wind, local folklore suggests that the ship forewarns of impending storms. The last sighting of the ship was in mid-January 2008.

Because the ship appears to be on fire, there have been attempts to rescue the crew, but the ship always disappears without a trace.

There have been various scientific explanations proposed for the ship and its fiery appearance, including electrical phenomena, moonlight on a fog bank, and a crescent moon setting below the horizon.

Of course, there could also be an element of the supernatural at work...

For the account in the Truro Daily News of the last sighting of the ghost ship, please click here.

(Source: Wikipedia)