True Life Mystery: The Bermuda Triangle

by Pam Ripling

The Triangle is more than just a mystery. It’s a whole boatload of mysteries. You’ve probably heard of it, but do you know where it is? It actually touches U.S. waters, just off the coast of Miami, Florida! For those who don’t know, the Bermuda Triangle (also known as the Devil's Triangle) is a region in the North Atlantic bordered by Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Florida straits. What kind of mysteries, you ask? Oh, boy. You name it.

Best known for the many disappearances of boats and aircraft, the Triangle first came to public attention in 1950. The loss of Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission in 1945, created quite a stir when it was recounted in 1952 and attributed to supernatural forces at work in the air where the squadron disappeared. The five torpedo bombers, carrying 14 airmen, disappeared without a trace. Worse, one of two Mariner seaplanes dispatched to look for the missing squadron exploded in midair.

What caused these, and other, true life mysteries? A lot of people, including serious researchers, believe that the region is plagued by paranormal forces. Compasses, they say, don’t work there. Magnetic forces interfere with instrumentation. Another explanation involves remaining, water-locked technology left over from the lost city of Atlantis. Others are firmly convinced UFO or alien forces are at work. But for every proponent of the weird, there is another who cites weather, piracy, the gulf stream or other natural phenomenon as pliable reasons for these tragedies.

Who knows? There are lots of books and films describing the many unexplained events that have occurred within or near the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. Check it out, then you decide…


Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.