The Ghost Ship of the Northumberland Strait
1786 - The lighthouse keeper at Sea Cow Head Island witnesses a three-masted schooner, in full sail, headed straight for the rocky cliffs during a gale. At the last moment, the ship turned away and was lost to the storm.
Abt 1900 - a group of sailors witnessed a burning ship in the Charlottetown Harbour, with the crew of the ship frantically running around the deck trying to put the fire out. In an attempt at a rescue effort, the men set sail in a small rowboat. Before they reached the vessel, it had vanished.
1963 - a ship was sighted at Brea Harbor, people could be seen scrambling around on the deck, as if reading a life boat. The sight lasted for hours and then the ship gradually disappeared.
January 1988 - a burning ship was spotted from a ferry off of Borden. The ships radar equipment did not pick up the ship; however, there were witnesses to it having been there.
Mid- January 2008 - at approximately 10 pm., a 17-year-old visitor to the Tatamagouche Bay area witnessed a brightly white and red colored three-masted schooner. The entrance to the bay was blocked by ice, making it impossible for a ship to be in the area. He went back inside the house and when he checked on the ship around 11p.m. it had vanished.
Undated account: The flaming ship was witnessed in Canoe Cove. Reportedly, the fire department was called for a rescue attempt.
Further undated accounts include: sightings off of Borden, with the ship either sailing out of sight or sinking in a gulf of flames. If the ship is close to the shore line, witnesses can hear screams coming from the deck.
The time period for the length of these sightings is approximately ten minutes.
There are many more accounts, though some are repetitions of the above stories.
The locals have come up with several theories as to why their famous phantom ship still sails the waves, repeating over and over again the final horrible scene of its sailors deaths. Most of these local tales speak of piracy and pacts with the devil, both of which doomed the men to their fate.
The golden age of piracy occurred during the late 1600s into the early 1700s, nearly eighty years before what is considered the first sighting of the phantom ship. This does not necessarily hold much bearing for it not to have been a pirate ship since it is not known when the ship sank; though there is other evidence to push out the theory that the ship was cursed as a means of retribution for the sins of the crew. Pirates traveled the seas in search of treasure and unhappy, restless fishermen to join their crews.
The area around the Northumberland Strait did not offer much in the way of either of those aspects. The likes of these types of men could be found on the other side of Nova Scotia.
Liverpool, for example, was practically built for privateers. Then there is the consideration of the first account, it is one of the only accounts that tells of the ship not being engulfed in flames. Leading to the speculation that the sighting in 1786 was an account of the last moments of the physical ship before some tragic accident caused it to be lost to the sea.
The true origins and history of this particular ghost ship may never be known, there are quite a few contenders for the basis of the sightings. That is, if indeed it is paranormal.
The top choice for the ship is the Chameau or Le Chameau, it translates to The Camel. It was a French flute built out of wood and with the type of sails that are seen on the flaming ship. It was carrying passengers, coins, and cargo from France and was lost on August 27th, 1725. She was blown into rocks during a storm; a few more miles and the ship would have reached its destination. Everyone onboard was lost in the wreck, the total number reaching between 200 and 316 people. About 180 bodies washed ashore and were buried in a mass grave. The bow of the ship was found on the shore west of Cape Breton Point.
With such a large number of accounts, complete with details and dates, it is quite believable that people are witnessing some phenomenon on the waters of the Northumberland Strait. Though the answers may not all be paranormal.
Two possible scientific explanations come into play when it comes to eyewitness accounts of fiery phantom ships. For example, a crescent moon setting over the waters of the Northumberland Strait can create an illusion of a flaming ship. The brightness of the moon creates the bright light, while the ripples in the waves create an appearance of flames.
The second explanation is the weather phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s fire. Webster’s Dictionary defines this occurrence as “A flaming phenomenon sometimes seen in stormy weather at prominent points on an airplane or ship and on land that is of the nature of a brush discharge of electricity —called also Saint Elmo's light”. The fire is said to be either bright blue or violet; and it moves like fire. Sometimes, a hissing or buzzing electrical noise accompanies the light.
St. Elmo is a name variation of St. Erasmus, the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors. Some sailors have considered it a sign that their Saint is guarding over them; certainly hope and good fortune are sea-faring necessities, especially during the early years of naval navigation.
