All 306 crewmen went down with the USS Cyclops. The disappearance of such a large number of people also represents the most serious case of insufficiently explained disappearances in contemporary history.
On this day in 1918 the USS Cyclops set off on its last voyage. It disappeared without a trace on the area of the so-called Bermuda Triangle. The disappearance of that ship represented the largest loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy outside of a combat situation. Namely, all 306 crewmen went down with their ship. The disappearance of such a large number of people also represents the most serious case of insufficiently explained disappearances in contemporary history.
The USS Cyclops was a navy collier ship (a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal and similar material). At the moment of its disappearance it was carrying as many as 11,000 tons of manganese ore. The even occurred near the end of World War I – manganese was used in ammunition manufacturing. Because of this there existed a theory that the USS Cyclops was sunk by a craft of the Imperial German Navy, but the Germans denied this.
The USS Cyclops set forth on its journey on this day, sailing from the island of Barbados towards the city of Baltimore in the USA. It was scheduled to arrive in Baltimore on 13 March, but this did not happen. The name “Bermuda Triangle” usually applies to the area of the Atlantic Ocean between southern Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Bermudas. The USS Cyclops was supposed to pass through that area on its way to Baltimore, but the exact place of its disappearance remains unknown. The ship most likely sank during a storm at sea, and there also exists the possibility that the ship’s structure fell apart, leading to its sinking. Of course, the existence of a “Bermuda Triangle” is actually a superstition.
