Every since I first starting hearing stories about the Bermuda Triangle, I've been fascinated by the mysteries that surround it. I've read a number of books and try to see all the documentaries about it, but none of them seem to peg it quite like the most recent Discovery Channel's documentary "Dive to Bermuda Triangle."
In ‘91, Graham Hawkes photographed 5 Avengers on the ocean floor in the BT thought to be the missing Flight 19, but because of the grainy photos, they were unable to make a positive ID. Recently, after designing his
Deep Flight submersible, he was able to go back to the site in person and was able to prove that the planes were indeed,
not those of Flight 19, but of other Avengers that have been ditched in the same spot, at different times. Instead of dispelling the myth (as was his intention,) he created a new mystery... Until now!
Rather than trying to come up with some supernatural or super stupid reason for why so many have been lost in the BT, scientist and experts have conducted a few tests and have came up with a very plausible theory; methane gas bubbles.
They have determined that a lot of the losses where caused by simple human error and/or torturous weather (as is now thought to be the case with the missing Flight 19,) but what of the unexplainable mysteries like the cargo ship Sulpher Queen which disappeared on calm seas in ’63 without a word, or the five Avengers found in the same location that turned out
not to be those of Flight 19?
There is proof of a large methane gas deposit on the ocean floor in the Bermuda Triangle, and the theory is that under the right conditions, it can sink ships and disable aircraft. It seems completely logical, yet still surreal.
It's like science fiction meeting science, meeting reality, meeting science fiction again!
The gas bubbles up to the surface and if a ship happens to pass through it, the loss of buoyancy can cause a ship to sink (which would also explain the randomness of disappearances.) And while some experts say that the bubbles are not enough to actually sink a ship, they agree that an underwater landslide (common in the area) could release enough bubbles, or a large enough bubble to sink a loaded freighter, much like the oil platform that nearly sunk in ’85 after puncturing a similar gas pocket.
Furthermore, they ran test and showed that the gas released into the atmosphere after such an eruption could be critically damaging to planes passing by. If enough gas were released, it could stall an engine, (which was what brought down at least 2 of the 5 Avengers found.) At the very least, the gas (being lighter than air) would cause a plane to lose altitude, while the plane’s instrument panel shows that they are ascending. In bad weather, with no clear focal point, the pilot would have no way of knowing that by correcting his altitude, he’s actually heading straight into the ocean!
In short, this particular train of thought shows that the missing ships and planes didn’t just disappear, they’re still there at the bottom of the ocean. It’s just a matter of finding them!
