Bermuda Triangle is also known as the Devil’s Triangle. It has been associated with mysterious maritime disasters in which many aircraft and surface vessels have disappeared.

It is an imaginary region of the western Atlantic Ocean. The triangle-shaped area covers about 1,140,000 sq km of ocean roughly between the island of Bermuda, the coast of southern Florida, and Puerto Rico. The apexes of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Located on the 80th degree longitude, the Bermuda Triangle is one of the two areas on Earth where a compass will point at true north rather than magnetic north. This compass variation can be as much as 20 degrees. The other is the Devil’s Sea.

Disappearances

Star Tiger: In January 1948, a British airliner called,” Star Tiger” was coming to the end of a routine flight from the Azores to Bermuda. The plane was expected to arrive on time, but it didn’t arrive at all.

USS Cyclops: In March 1918, a ship was moving from Barbados to Norfolk, Virginia. It had to pass through the Bermuda Triangle. On March 13th Cyclops was reported missing in from Norfolk.

Marine Sulphur Queen: In February 1963, a tanker of 503 feet, the Marine Sulphur Queen, was carrying a large crew and a cargo of sulfur. When the ship sailed into the Bermuda Triangle they lost contact with the ship.

Naval Air Flight 19: On December 5th, 1945, five Avenger torpedo bombers left the Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale. They never returned home.

Theories

1. The lack of magnetic declination near 80° west. The “Devil’s Triangle” is a place on earth where a magnetic compass does point towards true north. Normally it points toward the magnetic north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation. The number of variation changes by as much as 20 degrees. In this case, a navigator could find himself far off course and in deep trouble.
2. Another theory could be the character of the Gulf Stream, which is extremely swift and turbulent.
3. The unpredictable thunderstorms and waterspouts of Caribbean-Atlantic weather pattern also play its role.
4. 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.
5. Dr. Ben Clennell, of Leeds University, England, claimed that methane hydrates are a source for causing ships to disappear. He claimed that methane is locked below the sea sediments in the Bermuda Triangle. Subterranean landslides can unlock the vast beds of methane hydrate. This would be disastrous because large amounts of methane would reduce the density of the water. This would make any ship sink