Most people have heard of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle in the west of the North Atlantic.
But did you know that there’s also a similarly deadly region in the Pacific, known as the
Devil’s Sea?
Located off Japan’s coast in the world’s biggest ocean this area has swallowed up ships
and aircraft both in the past as well as much more recently.
But why does this happen and how?
Let’s find out in this episode of the Infographics Show, Nine Ships Lost in Perfect Weather.
To the Japanese the area is known as the Mo-no Umi, or literally the Sea of the Devil.
Alternatively, it is also referred to as the Dragon’s Triangle or the Bermuda Triangle
of the Pacific.
The exact coordinates of where it is seem to be somewhat open to debate; however, the
rough location remains the same.
Most claim it is a triangle with a top point near Tokyo, Japan, with its left corner hitting
the Philippines, and its right reaching just short of the Mariana Trench.
It spans a good portion of the Philippine Sea.
If you were to make a horizontal line from its center around the globe, on the opposite
side of the world you would pass right through the heart of the Atlantic’s Bermuda Triangle.
Many believe this is no coincidence.
Beyond its ability to seemingly swallow up boats and planes whole, it is also where people
claim to have experienced many strange things.
Some have seen ghost ships set sail, UFOs fly among the clouds, or monsters deftly navigate
its waters.
It is where others have witnessed mysterious inconsistencies with the passing of time and
the functioning of electronic devices.
Could it also be where Amelia Earhart met her end?
According to some conspiracy theorists, this is exactly what happened.
Though others hypothesize that she was both captured and killed by the Japanese.
Of course, the position of the US government is that she simply crashed somewhere unknown
at sea.
To add yet further to the Devil’s Triangle’s mystery, some suggest it could be the site
of The Lost City of Atlantis.
As it is impossible to explore what lies beneath, we’ll never know if this is the case.
These and many other strange things have been associated with the lethal waters that go
back thousands of years.
There are tales of 13 century attempts at Mongol attacks on Japan acting on orders of
the grandson of Genghis Kahn.
They tried two such invasions in both 1274 and 1281 AD.
Unfortunately, to get to their target area they had to first navigate the Devil’s Sea.
Typhoon storms ended up battering the fleets on both occasions, and the second one was
especially strong.
This threw off the attacks and led to celebrations among the Japanese population.
Shattered remains of water-logged ships from the Mongolian fleet still rest on the ocean’s
bottom.
It’s estimated that around 40,000 men were lost along with their ships to the sea.
This was followed by several sightings of a single lady on a ship sailing along the
Dragon’s Triangle all alone.
What she was doing or what vessel she sailed have never been determined with any certainty.
Her ship was unusual as it was described as the shape of a box used to hold incense, unlike
the design of other ships common to the area.
Beyond this strange sight, many claimed to have glimpsed strange lights that shone out
from above the waves.
Mysterious events only continued in the 1940s and 1950s.
During these ten years several ships who entered the Devil’s Sea area were never heard from
again.
20 submarines from World War II similarly disappeared.
Specifically, the stretch between the Miyake and Iwo Jima islands seemed to be particularly
deadly.
Some who navigated the treacherous waters of the Devil’s Triangle and survived claimed
that the weather would change suddenly and drastically, without an obvious cause or warning.
They have mentioned devastating rogue waves coming out of nowhere or strong maelstroms
mercilessly spinning in the waters of the sea.
In addition to this, Toksiaki Lang, who flew over the area during battle with the US in
the Second World War, claimed to have glimpsed a long serpent-like monster with wings gliding
through the water.
There were more unusual tales from during the war.
A pilot in a Kawanishi HK-8 plane who was looking for signs of the Americans approaching
radioed in to the military base on the mainland.
After mentioning that the sky was opening up communication was lost and never continued.
Some wonder if some higher power claimed him or a portal had opened up to another dimension.
Nothing will ever be known for certain.
Between the years of 1950 and 1954 alone, as many as nine ships equipped with radios
and sailing in calm seas went missing.
Only one had called for help.
Noticing a troubling trend midway through this time, Japan decided to investigate.
It dispatched a research ship, the Kaio Maru No.5 to take a closer look.
Sadly, the vessel became yet another statistic.
While the ship was found none of the remains of those manning the vessel ever were.
It is estimated between 1952 and 1954 five Japanese vessels sank or vanished and more
than 700 people died in a Devil’s Sea location.
However, after the loss of Kaio Maru No.5 Japan had already terminated all open investigations
into the region.
They knew if they revisited the area exactly what would happen.
And sure enough, their fears were soon proven true with the continued loss of their citizen’s
vessels as well as those of others.
This was despite the fact that the Japanese government had issued an official warning
about the dangers.
It’s clear that many tragic things have happened at the Devil’s Triangle.
What’s less clear is why.
A theory that has largely been debunked is that, like the Bermuda Triangle, it is one
of the world’s twelve Vile Vortices.
This term was first given by a biologist known as Ivan T. Sanderson who classified each of
these places around the globe as the site of strange electromagnetic activity.
He also referred to them as the world’s graveyards and it’s not hard to see why.
Sanderson believed that they are caused by combinations of hot and cold air and water
currents that met in these specific locations.
According to his calculations, this happened in a type of pattern.
When he drew lines to connect the Vile Vortices of the world, they formed a 20-faced polyhedron.
Because of these unusual events, it would throw off the function of navigation instruments,
as well as other things.
Pilot Tetsuzan Naito would attest to this.
According to some sources, he had been flying over Miyake Island when his instruments went
haywire for a full 15 minutes.
Then, alarmingly, his engine started sputtering.
Further, he claims, after all this had happened, he was temporarily surrounded by a strange
green glow.
Interestingly, green haze has also been reported in the sky above the waters of the Bermuda
Triangle.
To continue with Sander’s theories, remember that the 12 Vile Vortices were, he believed,
a convergence of Earth’s power that caused strange electromagnetic activity.
For this reason, he claimed a vile vortex could not only lead to things disappearing
or strange instrument function, but paranormal activity or gateways to different dimensions.
Pilot Takeo Tada flying over the area in 1971 seemingly supported this.
He claimed it was a nice, though cloudy day when he saw a flying orange saucer appear
before him.
As it was traveling rather slowly, he was able to observe it closely before it vanished
into a cloud.
However, afraid of ridicule, he didn’t share this story until decades had passed.
Those who are less inclined to believe in the world’s intersecting power grid and
Sander’s ideas, may be pleased that there are also other more logical explanations.
The Miyake-jima and Iwo-jima islands, or area with much strange activity and disappearances,
are near the Izu-Bonin volcanic arc, with actively erupting volcanoes.
In fact, in ancient times the Chinese believed that all problems in the area stemmed from
dragons beneath the waters of the Devil’s Triangle with a hunger that they satisfied
by feasting on entire ships.
It may be that what they mistook for a fire breathing dragon was really an underwater
eruption that had breached the surface.
Researcher Larry Kushe is said to have found proof that the wreck of the Japanese investigating
ship was actually caused by a volcano known as Myojin-sho erupting.
Volcano activity could also lead to earthquakes and thunder and lightning storms, which would
make sailing overhead quite dangerous.
There is additional evidence of continual underwater movement and explosions that can
be seen from far above.
The shifting of tectonic plates either lift land up or bring it down.
This is why the area near Iwo Jima has continually forming and then quickly disappearing landmasses
or islands.
Of course, there is the apparently bottomless Mariana Trench nearby with unknown if any
effects but probably only adds further instability to the area.
Some also believe methane gas from the seabed below could have journeyed to the surface
with disastrous consequences.
In fact, some theorize this could sink a ship and leave behind little if any evidence.
This is because it causes problems with buoyancy as it is difficult to float on a bubbling
sea.
In fact, an NBC news article updated in 2003 describes the odorless gas as first being
solid in pressurized conditions but turning to gas as it breaks free and drifts upward.
This could then potentially lead to a gigantic bubble which could easily overtake a ship.
However, if far enough away or, surprisingly, right above such a bubble a vessel remains
safe.
Through experiments scientists have found that it is when ships are near the edge of
the trough that forms that they would be in trouble.
Lots and lots of it.
Of course, Larry Kusche, who proposed the volcanic activity theory, also claims that
the tales of the damage The Devil’s Triangle has wrought to those in the air and sea have
been exaggerated.
In his belief, many of the ships that vanished there actually went down in different locations
entirely.
And, as we just described, those who did vanish in the Devil’s Sea, Kusche believed, were
victims of multiple natural phenomena, nothing other worldly, inexplicable, or strange.
Further, taking vessels into the open sea is known to be dangerous.
Many navigate the ocean’s waters and it is almost inevitable that for some reason
or other ships would eventually flounder and sink.
So, while all of these ideas of dragons, portals, or aliens are fun to consider, there are really
any of several logical reasons for each disaster.
Of course, it could also be a combination of all of these theories, a little UFO and
portal activity mixed with the actions of bubbles and volcanoes.
Tell us, what’s your take on the many nautical and in-flight tragedies that took place near
the Devil’s Sea?
Is there a simple explanation or is it truly a mystery?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called 50 Facts About Bermuda Triangle!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!