Are ghost ships real? - Peter B. Campbell

Please note: we are currently working on a fix for an error spotted in the video. The error relates to the behavior of the water filling the hole in the Mary Celeste's hull. The water would reach equilibrium with the outside water level, not cease filling at the hole. We thank you for your patience as we work on a fix.

In 1884, the British steamer “Rumney” crashed into the French ship “Frigorifique.” Seeing their ship filling with water, the French crew climbed aboard the “Rumney.” But as they sailed towards port, a silent form emerged from the fog – the abandoned “Frigorifique,” seemingly back for revenge. So what happened? Peter B. Campbell investigates the fascinating phenomenon of ghost ships.

Lesson by Peter B. Campbell, animation by Zedem Media.

[blazingfire]

I feel bad laughing at Mary Celeste. They jumped into life boats and died at sea while the Mary Celeste stayed afloat. The irony in that situation is hilarious.

[MagicAccent]

The animation was so great, I almost forgot to listen.

[varizza]

Explaining ghost stories with science facts is probably my new favourite thing

[limerence]

Science is cool and all but the idea of ghost ships is much funner than just a bunch of boats floating around.

[joymaebalmes]

buzzfeed unsolved's last upload was about ghost ship (Queen Mary) and now Ted Ed....what a time to be alive.

[biocapsule]

The Mary Celeste is intriguing not because it still floats around... but rather where & why the people are gone.

[chronicmasterbaiter]

Do ghosts have relation-ship to those ships?

[kerluster]

3:20 oh so that’s why the ocean taste salty

[killerOfMoons]

Welp time to go to the Bermuda Triangle and test this out myself!

[xMDawgx]

"YOU BEST START BELIEVIN' IN GHOST STORIES MISS TURNER"

[ashna]

*gets hit by another ship*
*gets abandoned*
*hits the other ship and all those who abandoned it while it sinks*

Frigorifique is on the levels of petty I aspire to reach.

[fastestbasket]

Just imagine how scary a ship would be, sailing along filled with corpses and in the middle of an ocean, hella spooky, especially on a foggy night.

[savitha]

*Titanic's ghost ship*: These petty humans already made a movie of my demise..?? I'm still here..!!

[nathanielmartin]

I don’t think anyone questioned how the Mary Celeste was floating, but rather they questioned where the crew went

[joshb]

The incredible effort put into this video's animations has not been lost on me. It is very clear the creator(s) put a great deal of thought into this piece. The detail is really extraordinary. Just look at how the compass' (bottom right) motion was reconfigured at 1:43 so that it swings in tandem with the ship.

[TheRealPentigan]

See I never really put the boat continuing to sail as something supernatural. It's a boat, it's built to do that and unless something bad happens that requires urgent attention from a crew it's going to keep sailing. I thought the weird ghost part of these ghost ships was that the crew just up and left all at the same time even though evidently the ship was still functional.

[theomgsee]

But can you explain what happened to the things that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle

[Jess-swyt]

When they collected data it reminded me of those rubber duckies they keep track of in the ocean

[DevynnEBMusic]

The story of the Mary Celeste seems pretty misrepresented here from what I know about it.

When the ship was found, the boat held only a little bit of water, which would’ve been expected in any sea storm. Any experienced captain/crew would know that the boat would survive that small amount of water. Only a few things were out of place: 9 barrels of denatured alcohol were found empty, a frayed rope was trailing behind the ship, one water pump was damaged, and the lifeboat was gone along with all the crew. However, everything else was in its place and undamaged. There was no signs of a struggle. There were plenty of supplies left and all personal items were still on the ship. It seems that they either left extremely urgently OR they left thinking they would be back on the ship shortly.

The most plausible theory, in my opinion, is that the denatured alcohol spilt and filled the ship. The alcohol released fumes (making it hard to breathe) and was an explosion hazard. So, the captain told everyone to get in the lifeboat, tie it to the ship, and trail behind it while the fumes aired out and the alcohol was pumped out by the water pumps. One of the water pumps was broken, so the alcohol was taking a long time to get pumped out. Eventually, the rope snapped and the lifeboat, with everyone in it, was lost at sea while the ship sailed off unmanned.

[averagedude]

As a dutchie I'm kinda offended that the Flying dutchman didn't appear in this video :/