The Britisher were not only one who had established their companies to trade with India. French and Dutch had also established their own companies to trade with India. The wealth and prosperity of this 'Golden Bird of the East' were much popular in Europe in those days. Most of the Europeans love to trade with India. They would buy spices, flavors, silk and precious and valuable stones from India. And sell them in the markets of Europe.
Captain Hendrik Van Der Decken was also engaged in this business on his trustworthy ship named 'Dutch -East India Man.' He earned a massive and enormous fortune, but one of his ship was lost in the tempest. Many have claimed to see the ghostly vessel since it sank in 1641. Sailors and people named this ship as " The Flying Dutch Man". It is such a ghost ship which can never make port, and is destined to cruise the seas for eternity.
In 1790, John MacDonald described in his book " Travels in various part of Europe, Asia and Africa during a series of thirty years and upward "
The weather was so stormy that the sailors said they saw the Flying Dutchman. The common story is that this Dutchman came to the Cape in distress of weather and wanted to get into the harbor, but could not get a pilot to conduct her and was lost and that ever since in very bad weather her vision appears
George Barrington in 1795 wrote in his book A Voyage to Botany Bay in Chapter VI
I had often heard of the superstition of sailors respecting apparitions and doom, but had never given much credit to the report; it seems that some years since a Dutch man-of-war was lost off the Cape of Good Hope, and every soul on board perished; her consort weathered the gale, and arrived soon after at the Cape. Having refitted, and returning to Europe, they were assailed by a violent tempest nearly in the same latitude. In the night watch some of the people saw, or imagined they saw, a vessel standing for them under a press of sail, as though she would run them down: one in particular affirmed it was the ship that had foundered in the former gale, and that it must certainly be her, or the apparition of her; but on its clearing up, the object, a dark thick cloud, disappeared. Nothing could do away the idea of this phenomenon in the minds of the sailors; and, on their relating the circumstances when they arrived in port, the story spread like wild-fire, and the supposed phantom was called the Flying Dutchman. From the Dutch the English seamen got the infatuation, and there are very few Indiamen, but what has someone on board, who pretends to have seen the apparition.
Thomas Moore in his poem "Written on passing Dead-man's Island in the Gulf of St. Lawerence, Late in the evening, September, 1804. "Fast glides along, a gloomy bark / Her sails are full, though the wind is still, / And there blows not a breath, she sails to fill." A footnote adds: "The above lines were suggested by a superstition very common among sailors, who call this ghost-ship, I think, 'the flying Dutchman'."
Prince George of Britain was on a three year voyage in 1880 with his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor of Wales and their tutor John Neill Dalton.
Prince George wrote on July 11, 1981 in the log-book of the warship 'Inconstant ' on which he was posted at that time.
" At four in the morning, 'Flying Dutchman' passed very near our ship. The ship was surrounded by a mysterious light and in that unearthly light the entire ship was glimmering. After some time, we tried to investigate the matter, but the ship was nowhere to be seen."
Prince George was 16 at that time, who later ascended the throne of England as King George V. Apart from the Prince, 13 other sailors and naval ratings posted on the two accompanying ships also cited this ghostly ship.
The next day, on July 12, the sailor Alfred, who was posted on the observation tower fell down and died. The admiral of the fleet also died after a few days.
During World War II, Nicholas Montserrat the author famous for his novel 'The Cruel Sea' saw the ghost ship in the Pacific Ocean. He was serving as an officer of Royal Navy during world war.
The crew of the German submarine also notices the Flying Dutchman during the second world war, this time the ghost ship was sailing on Suez Canal.
Nearly 150 people who were sea bathing in False Bay on the Glencian Beach saw this ship passing by in March, 1939. There was a hubbub when these individuals saw an old ship of time of Columbus, with full pole, sliding past them. Before any individuals could draw out their cameras and take photos, the ship disappeared.
This spooky ship, 'Dutch-East India Man' which went among India and Amsterdam in Holland was a wonder in itself. It cruised under seasoned sailor Capitain Hendrik Van Der Decken. During the seventeenth century the captain made incalculable outings to India on this ship and made a fortune on the deal. He used to take fabric, arms and different things from Britain and Germany and in return came loaded down with flavors, silks and valuable stone from India. These things were in the extraordinary interest everywhere throughout the world. Captain had full knowledge of the ship and how to keep up his ship in great condition and stable. In spite of the fact that he spent enormous sums on the upkeep of the ship, he didn't spend it on his shipmates nor had any goal of doing as such. His solitary point was to gain cash.
Once, on a voyage to India, a tempest broke out at the Cape of Good Hope close to Africa. As the shipmates surveyed the speed and strength of the storm, they requested Captain Decken to change the course of the ship so the tempest could be stayed away from. Captain was so confident and sure of the capacity of the ship to withstand any tempest, he didn't acquiesce to their solicitation. In a matter of moments, the ship turned into a heap of wooden boards in the stormy ocean. One of the shipmate swarm to Africa and related the whole story of the disaster to the local people on the beach.
With the passage of time, people started making stories of it. As indicated by one legend, there was a youthful couple on board which was going to Holland. The captain took a liking to the girl and got rid of the fiance. The broken heart lady got vanished one night. At the point when the ship was near the Cape of Good Hope, it fell into a horrendous tempest. Superstitious shipmates began to accuse their captain. But he said that no one would go shorewards until they adjusted the cape, even it take ages. What's more, the voice from the sky roared "So be it".
There are different renditions of this legend, as per one of them the whole crew of the Dutch merchant ship caught a horrendous disease. No port agreed to give shelter to the ship, since people were worried about the possibility that the contamination would spread. That is the reason this vessel alongside its entire group is as yet floating over the water.
As indicated by another legend, one day the team of the flying Dutchman was hustling to return home and wouldn't save a sinking ship this coldhearted demonstration put a curse on a Dutch ship.
Science has its own explanation of the sighting of this ghost ship. According to science, there is a phenomenon called "Fata Morgana". It is an optical phenomenon in which different levels of hot and cold air distort the appearance of objects on the horizon to make them look like the ship appears to float inside the waves or like castles in the air. A Fata Morgana is basically a complex form of mirage may be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions or in deserts. It may involve almost any kind of distant objects, including boats, islands and coastline.
Hence, according to science the Flying Dutchman ship is nothing but Fata Morgana's visual illusions played tricks on the sailor's mind.
But what about those cases when witnesses got crazy or lost their lives after encountering the ghost ship. People of science say a mere coincidence. But is it really a coincidence?
In September.1942, this ship was sighted from Mouille Point in Capetown. It was continuing towards Table Bay. Many individuals saw it vanish behind Robben Island.
After this, the ghostly ship 'Flying Dutchman' was never seen again by anyone. Why? It remains one of the greatest unsolved and unexplainable question till now.
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