The minutes were fragmented, space pressed on my shoulders.
And the world tilted and the sky fell into me…
Vladimir Plyushchikov

If there was a need to define the bloodiest milestone in the history of Flanders, the second half of the 16th century would, without a doubt, win this unsightly title. The time of the Duke of Alba, the Guezes and the legendary Till Eulenspiegel, when the ashes of the burned rebels “knocked on the hearts” of the rebels, was abundantly shrouded in the glow of fires and painted in the usual shades of red and black. It is all the more unusual that Jos Stelling chose a completely different coloristic solution for this era: in the contrast of black and white, in greenish-swamp and brown tones, akin to the canvases of Dutch painters and consonant with the very place of action (“Flanders” from Dutch. “low-lying swamp” ), but not at all time. He saw it in his own way and built in its realities a cinematic prose that was, is not, and perhaps never will be more poetic in his career. This was facilitated to a large extent by artistic techniques, and the nature of the main character of the film. As a child he became involved in fairy world, fell under the influence of a wonderful invention. The minstrel Companelli, an analogue of the wandering Aigle from another parable, created a personal dream for the boy under scarlet sails: an unrealistic ghost ship, a symbiosis of love, happiness and eternal loneliness.

Ahead of the souls, hands will meet twice in the frame - male and female. Their welcoming dance promises a quick meeting of the couple, just as the sound of an ancestral shell, when it is put to the ear, promises the sea. Ahead of the obstacles, the Dutchman will twice lick the salty moisture from his palm: transparent, and later crimson. Ahead of danger, twice a woman will give birth to someone who will be destined to carry on the legend of the Flying Dutchman with red sails and black masts, with the latrine figure of a one-eyed lion. The romantic mood will not leave the narrator for a second, however, as will the sense of humor: in a cesspool in the middle of the feudal lord’s yard, a relative of a true dung heap, you can find a treasure, and thanks to a golden chalice, you can take a fictitious communion on the eve of the next fateful turn. The path to the cherished goal through all natural elements, from earth to water, from water to air, with fire in the soul that feeds faith, this is both the biography of the Dutchman, modeled on the knightly novel of the road, and the existential vector of any thinking being.

In The Flying Dutchman, Stelling's blissful "weirdos" live, as always, in their own universe. His Dutchman is the stubborn and stubborn Don Quixote, the Knight of the sad image, who fights not against windmills, but for a flying ship and the right to believe in dreams. This is one of the director's most meticulously recreated fantasies, with music by Nicola Piovani, similar to sea ​​waves sometimes pacified, sometimes furious, like the ninth wave, the viewer follows the characters through a unique polysemantic and figurative space in the plastic presentation of Gurt Khiltai’s camera. Exciting, not allowing you to fully understand yourself, stuffed to capacity with metaphors and meanings, the story of the bastard develops in two planes: plot, everyday and non-contextual, symbolic, philosophical. The Dutchman confronts on the screen his half-brother or a vengeful hunchback with an unexpectedly double Nagiy face, and, ultimately, it is good itself that fights evil, and the losses of the first time and again stimulate him to the next fight, resurrecting him from oblivion.

The years pass behind the scenes like an invisible horse in a frantic gait, the seasons replace one another, and the lame wanderer with the sea inside and a tired gaze directed upward, like Jonathan Livingston the seagull, ceaselessly strives to fly. A cunning old man with a whitened face, in a cloak of crow feathers and instructions for all occasions, argued that children and time can fly, but they are not the only ones: “Flying is not so difficult. You just need to get off the ground.” And although the Dutchman’s recursions, each time accompanied by Companelli’s successor, the mystical raven, border on a transition to another dimension, they become a symbol of liberation. But everything has its time: stones in his pockets, improvised anchors, do not allow his body to overcome the force of gravity, and the spirit to escape beyond the boundaries of matter before hour X, for the last ascent from the conditional vertical tunnel to the rays of the sun will be decisive for both him and for all participants in the story.

Jos Stelling once said that “film is the art of association.” The cinematic poetry of “The Flying Dutchman,” in addition to reproducing the color palette of Russian artists, is based on the director’s undisguised awe of several world masterpieces: “Andrei Rublev” by Tarkovsky, paintings by Rembrandt and literary images Pushkin. Despite the fact that Stelling still plays more convincingly on his native territory and with native personalities, this national costume film literally breathes new life into textbook Pushkin heroes. At some point, a crazy thought creeps into your consciousness: haven’t you found yourself in a free adaptation of Alexander Sergeevich’s “Fairy Tales”, illustrated by Bosch and Bruegel, because “the Russian spirit there smells of Russia!”? Officially indicated in “The Girl and Death” and never hidden, the craving for the creative heritage of a fan of women’s legs and a scientist who keeps a cat on a chain was actually realized by the director in his work about a switchman, a kind of stationmaster, albeit from a novel by Jean-Paul Franssens. In “The Dutchman,” echoes of the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” are constantly and clearly heard. There is a full spectrum of her heroes: Ruslan, who is looking for his stolen beloved, an old minstrel, an evil dwarf, and even a huge head in the middle of a field. Expressive characters look even more expressive due to Stelling's reverence for the magic of lighting. Capable of “dressing a person or an inanimate object with bright mother-of-pearl,” she, according to a devout follower of Rembrandt, is “the most precious thing in cinema.” Are detailed dialogues really necessary, like “a string of long, boring days,” if the author tells the story more than successfully with the help of light and shadow? On white clothes, stains of dirt are more clearly visible, and the same a posteriori knowledge, when used on the set, leads to the fact that the darkness of the fortress in the scene of the meeting with Dutchman the Third aggravates the glow of the soul of Dutchman the Second through the pallor of his face to the limit. The final frame of the film is completely similar to a luminous icon, and therefore there is nothing to add after it. After all, contemplating icons is not an act of aesthetic admiration; after this, it is important to be able to quietly leave. Internally enriched and with a gaze, if not to eternity, then to the sky or to oneself…

I don't have to tell you anymore:
the fate of your coming days,
my son, from now on it is your will.
(A.S. Pushkin)

This story is very old. Some consider it a fiction. But the sailors know that this is the truth. To use the language of the sea wolves, “not even a drop of water was mixed into the rum.” For more than a century, a ghost ship has been rushing across the world's oceans, bringing death to all living things that it meets on its way.

How it was

Once, three or four hundred years ago, a certain Dutch captain wanted to go around Cape Horn. It was late autumn, and evil winds blow there at that time. The storm was terrible. The sailors did everything they could, but the wind blowing head-on constantly threw the ship back. The captain was a dashing and experienced sailor, but at the same time a great sinner and stubborn. He became completely furious when the headwind blocked his path for the fifth or sixth time. The sailor shook with anger, raised his fists above his head and shouted monstrous curses towards the storm. The crew began to persuade the captain to moor to the shore and wait out the storm, but he sent them to hell! Fearing for the fate of the ship, the sailors rebelled. However, the captain turned out to be more cunning and sent the leader of the rebels to feed the fish. This act angered the Lord. The heavens opened and a black shadow emerged from the flames. The captain decided to shoot the uninvited guest, but the pistol exploded in his hands. In an icy voice, the shadow pronounced the sentence: “From now on you are damned, captain, damned forever! From now on, your ship will have no refuge anywhere; it will sail in storms and calms across the seas and oceans until the end of the world!”

Such is the legend.

And since then it’s been running around “ Flying Dutchman» across the seas, without being able to enter the port. The ship, completely full of holes from old age, would have sunk long ago, but magical power keeps it on the surface. And the sails are always full of wind, even if the sea is calm and other ships are drifting. An encounter with this ship does not bode well. Two or three times a century, the crew of the ghost ship transmits letters to earth. It happens like this. At night, an angular silhouette of a ship appears on a parallel course. Everyone on watch is instantly chilled to the bone. “Flying” gives off a cold feeling, like coming from a crypt.
A cold, hoarse voice calls out from the darkness:
- Hey, on the ship! Which port are you heading to?
Then the ship is asked to deliver correspondence. You cannot refuse: this is the law of maritime politeness. A canvas bag flops onto the deck. And immediately the silhouette of the “Dutchman” disappears into the darkness. During the flight, the team sidles around the bag. And only upon arrival at the port are the letters taken out of the bag, sorted and sent to different cities. The addresses on the envelopes are written in faded ink, the spelling is old. Letters do not find recipients. The wives, brides and mothers of sailors, doomed to wander the world for the sins of their stubborn captain, died a long time ago, and even the trace of their graves was lost...

Oh, lucky one!

However, there are many people who managed to meet the “Flying Dutchman” and return home safe. In 1886 he even met the Flying Dutchman English king George V. He was not yet king, but served as a senior officer on one of the squadron ships. The sailor who first noticed the ghost ship fell from the mast and was killed. This meeting was observed by three ships: the Bacchant (on which George V served), the Tourmaline and the Cleopatra. "Tourmaline" soon died in naval battle, and “Cleopatra” and “Bacchant” sailed for a very long time. Nothing bad happened to George V; he ruled until 1936. Apparently, God protected the king.

"Tourmaline" sees the Flying Dutchman.

Magic word

Old sailors say there is one magic word and it can overcome the power of the spell. You need to say this word during a meeting with the Flying Dutchman. And then the masts with tattered sails will fall flat on the water, and the ship of the dead will sink to the bottom. But no one in the world knows this word.
Other legends say that the captain of the cursed ship can only be saved by the love of a believing woman. As if this is why the captain is allowed to enter one of the ports once every seven years. And if within 24 hours he finds a woman who loves him sincerely and selflessly, then the curse will be lifted. And then the Flying Dutchman will stop its eternal flight. But it is unlikely for a captain to find an honest woman in the port who would fall in love with such a person in one day (and even in such a guise).

There are many “Flying Dutchmen”!

* Early on a sunny morning in 1850, the ship “Sea Bird” appeared off the coast of the American state of Rhode Island near the city of Newport. The ship was sailing towards the reefs under full sail, people gathered on the shore saw this. When there were only a few meters left to the reefs, a huge wave lifted the sailboat and carefully carried it to land. The village residents reached the ship and were amazed: there was not a single living soul on the ship. A kettle was boiling on the stove in the galley, there was tobacco smoke in the cockpit, and plates were placed on the table. Navigation instruments, maps, sailing directions and ship's documents - everything was in place. From the ship's log it became known that the sailing ship was sailing from Honduras to Newport with a cargo of coffee. The ship was commanded by Captain John Durham. The last entry in the logbook stated: “Abeam Brenton Reef.” This reef is located just a few miles from Newport. Fishermen who returned from fishing that same day said that early in the morning they saw a sailboat at sea and the captain greeted them. The police conducted the most thorough investigation, but failed to find out why and where the people disappeared.
* In October 1913, a rescue team from an English steamer boarded a drifting sailing ship. On board it was difficult to read the half-erased name of the ship "Malborough". Its sails and masts were covered with greenish mold, and the deck boards were rotten. At the gangway, on the bridge and in the cabins, 20 skeletons were discovered, covered with decayed rags. The pages of the logbook were stuck together, the ink had smeared, and it was impossible to read anything. The captain of the ship did not have the opportunity (and even the desire) to take the ghost ship in tow. He marked on the map the meeting place with the mysterious sailing ship and ordered to set a return course. At the port, the captain reported his discovery to the authorities. It turned out that the Marlborough left the port of Littleton in New Zealand in January 1890 with a cargo of wool and frozen lamb. The crew was commanded by an experienced and knowledgeable sailor - Captain Hird. Last time the sailboat was seen on April 1, 1890 in Pacific Ocean near Tierra del Fuego. Incredibly, the sailboat wandered the seas for 23 years!
* And these days you can often find a “flying Dutchman” in the ocean, which in a storm, and even at night, threatens misfortune. A few years ago, a fishing schooner was discovered adrift off the northwestern coast of Australia without a crew or fuel. The vessel Hi Am 6 is registered in Indonesia, but its owners are in Taiwan. On the ship that the plane discovered coast guard, there must have been 10 to 12 sailors. It is in good condition, the holds are filled with caught mackerel. The search for the crew at sea did not yield anything, as did a thorough inspection of the ship. It was not possible to find documents by which the identities of the crew members could be established. Representatives of the Australian authorities claim that there are no natural disasters, which could cause the disappearance of sailors, were not in the area.

What Science Says

When talking about the Flying Dutchman phenomenon, scientists shrug their shoulders. The only more or less intelligible explanation is infrasound. These are elastic waves of low frequency (less than 16 Hz) inaudible to the human ear. During storms and strong winds above the sea surface, transverse and longitudinal vibrations occur in the air. A relatively small storm can generate infrasound high power. The result of its impact on human body Temporary blindness, a feeling of anxiety may occur, and attacks of insanity are not uncommon. During such attacks, people are thrown overboard or turn into murderers, after which they themselves commit suicide. If the radiation frequency is 7 Hz, the death of the crew occurs almost instantly, since the heart is not able to withstand such a load. In September 1894, the three-masted sailing ship Aby Ess Hart was spotted in the Indian Ocean from the steamer Piccuben. A distress signal fluttered from its mast. When the sailors landed on deck, they saw that all 38 crew members were dead, and the captain had gone crazy. The faces of the dead were distorted with horror.

Ship of Fortune

In addition to the “Flying Dutchman”, another ghostly ship plows the waters of the seas and oceans - “La Barca” (“The Flying Spaniard”). Woe to the one who meets the “Flying Dutchman”, but the ship is very lucky if its path intersects with the “La Barca”: this sailing ship saves ships from certain death, a meeting with it guarantees good luck.
IN early XIX century, the pirate Pepe Mallorcan gathered a crew of fifty thugs on his schooner. The bandits settled on the marshy island of Pinos off the southern coast of Cuba and kept the surrounding coastal trade at bay. Emboldened by impunity, they began to catch the ships of English slave traders. The angry British recruited one of the fishermen from Pinos. He gave Pepe the base and indicated the approaches to it. "La Barca" was shot at point-blank range. The pirates got off the schooner, which had landed on the ground, and tried to hide in the dense jungle of the island, but they were met by an armed detachment. The seriously wounded Pepe reached the hut of his beloved, the beautiful Rose, and died in her arms. One thug, Gonzalez, managed to escape. He repented of his sins and, with his family and the descendants of Pepe and Rosa, founded the settlement of Reina Amalia in these parts, known for the integrity and piety of the inhabitants. The wreckage of the schooner was visible among the mangroves for a decade and a half, and then suddenly disappeared. But fishermen in the area of ​​Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas began to meet the schooner. I saw her and returned home with a rich catch. Followed La Barca - dodged the reef...

The formidable "Flying Dutchman" has been terrifying superstitious sailors around the world for more than 400 years. Even the mere mention of this ship during a voyage was considered a bad sign, not to mention a direct encounter with it on the open ocean. This is the most famous ghost ship ever described in human history.

"Flying Dutchman"

Under black sails, raised even in the most terrible storm, the ship with a half-rotten hull confidently floats on the water. The captain is standing on the bridge near the helm. He looks only forward doomedly, not noticing the sailors around him - very colorful characters in the form of skeletons in old rags. The team confidently manages the sails, not paying attention to the storm. This is how surviving eyewitnesses describe the meeting with the Flying Dutchman.

The ranks of this crew are usually joined by the captain of a lost ship. Moreover, the higher degree of abomination of the deceased during life gives him a greater chance of ending up on the Flying Dutchman.

The essence of the curse of the Flying Dutchman

According to the curse, the entire crew of the ship, led by the captain, cannot land on the shore. These people are doomed to wander the seas forever. Cursing their unfortunate fate, the crew members of the sailing ship take revenge on all oncoming ships. They have been sowing death and destruction for many centuries.

Most often, the “Flying Dutchman” is encountered precisely at the birthplace of the legend - near the Cape of Good Hope. This sea ghost created insurmountable difficulties for everyone who tried to go around the cape.

A chance to end the curse

This curse can be lifted. For this purpose, the ship's captain is allowed to go ashore once every ten years. He is free to choose any port in the world or the bay he likes. During the night, he must find a deeply religious woman who will agree to marry him. Only fulfilling this condition will break the curse. Otherwise, the ghost ship will again go on an endless voyage.

Where did it all start?

The history of the "Flying Dutchman" began in the distant 17th century. The impetus for creating the myth about unusual ship was inspired by the story of the Dutch captain Philip Van der Decken. Different sources offer several options for the captain's name.

The legend of the "Flying Dutchman" says: on a ship sailing from the coast of the East Indies under the control of Captain Philip Van der Decken, there was a young couple. Unfortunately for them, the captain decided that the girl should become his wife. He killed the young man and offered himself as a future husband. The unfortunate woman chose death in the waves of the raging sea.

This did not affect the captain's plans at all, and he continued on his way to the Cape of Good Hope. A strong storm and rough current did not allow the ship to go around the cape. All attempts by the crew to convince the captain to wait out the storm were unsuccessful. Moreover, the navigator and one of the sailors paid with their lives for the offer to enter a bay that was safe for the ship.

The captain had the imprudence to utter fatal words about his readiness to fight the sea for at least an eternity, but to go around the ill-fated cape. It was they who became the curse under which not only the captain, but also the entire crew of the Flying Dutchman fell. It turns out that Philip Van der Decken himself became the cause of his misfortunes.

Other versions of the appearance of the Flying Dutchman

This was the basic myth. The "Flying Dutchman", with all the ensuing consequences, could have appeared for other reasons:

  • The captain shouted that he would try to go around the Cape of Good Hope at least until the second coming. To the blasphemous statement, heaven gave the answer: “So be it - swim.”
  • Hurrying home, the crew violated the unwritten rule of all sailors - to come to the aid of a dying ship.
  • The captain unsuccessfully played for his own soul with the devil at dice.
  • Due to a terrible disease that struck the crew, the ship was not allowed into any port, and everyone died.
  • The Flying Dutchman met with the ghost pirate ship Kenaru and defeated it, but along with the victory he also received a curse.
  • The captain promised the devil his soul for the opportunity to go around the ill-fated cape; the payment for the fulfillment of his wish was eternal wandering across the seas and oceans.

Reasons for the birth of the legend

The sea has always attracted people, promising adventures and uncharted lands. Thousands of ships set sail. Navigation was especially stormy in the 16th and 17th centuries. Not everyone was destined to return to their home port.

Without seeing the bodies of the dead sailors, their relatives refused to believe the worst. The most fantastic stories were invented to justify the “defectors.” It was easier to think that due to some incredible circumstances (the ghost ship wouldn’t let go) they simply couldn’t return home.

Logical explanations

Not everyone believed that the Flying Dutchman - a ghost ship - appeared due to the madness of one person or curses.

There are several logical, from the point of view of pundits, explanations for the appearance of ghost ships.

Firstly, this may be a Fata Morgana phenomenon. The appearance of mirages on the surface of the water is not that uncommon. And the glowing halo around the ship is nothing more than the fires of St. Elmo.

Secondly, the version about diseases on ships also has a right to exist. Yellow fever, carried by mosquitoes, could easily wipe out a crew on the high seas. An uncontrollable ship with the bodies of dead sailors on board, of course, was an unpleasant sight and was a threat to the safety of ships.

Indeed, such a case took place in 1770. An epidemic of an unknown deadly disease began on one of the ships. The crew's attempts to land on shore were unsuccessful. Not a single port of Malta, England, or Spain gave the ship permission to moor on its shores. The team was doomed to a slow death.

A meeting with an “infected” ship could be fatal for any ship. After all, the disease could spread, through objects or through the same mosquitoes, to members of another crew. Thus, a terrible curse about imminent death after meeting with the Flying Dutchman came true.

Thirdly, Einstein’s theory of relativity is becoming increasingly popular, according to which our reality has a mass of parallel worlds. Strange ships appear through temporary or spatial ports and modern ships disappear without a trace.

This theory can be confirmed by the case of coal king Donald Dukes from New Mexico. In 1997, in August, while traveling on his yacht (near the Bohemian Islands archipelago), he met a sailing ship.

In appearance, the ship belonged to the times of the 17th century; people in strange clothes were clearly visible on board. They also saw the yacht and were no less surprised. Some moments before the inevitable collision, the sailing ship simply disappeared into thin air. It was suggested that the ship "got lost" in parallel worlds.

In 1850, on the coast of the American state of Roy Island, in front of the residents gathered on the shore, the ship "Sea Bird" under full sail went straight to the coastal reefs. At the last moment, a powerful wave carried the ship over the rocks and lowered it to the shore. During the examination of the ship, not a single person was found. Traces of their recent presence were observed everywhere: the kettle was boiling on the stove, the smell of tobacco was still felt in the cabins, plates were placed on the table, all documents and utensils were in place.

Fourthly, academician V. Shuleikin, back in the thirties of the last century, put forward a version about the occurrence of low-frequency ultrasonic vibrations during storms with strong winds. They are inaudible to the human ear, but with prolonged exposure they can cause death. At a frequency of 7 Hz, the human heart is not able to withstand such a load.

Unreasonable anxiety caused by fluctuations, even to the point of insanity, can lead to a panicked flight of people from the ship. This explains why completely intact ships are found without a single person on board.

But some scientists saw another reason for the death of sailors. This is already the fifth version of the development of events. It is quite possible that the crew members were simply poisoned by the meat of sleepy fish. It contains hallucinogens. In most cases they cause nightmarish hallucinations. Under the influence of fear and an insane desire to leave the terrible place, the sailors lower the boats and flee from the ship.

In the Caribbean Sea in 1840, a small ship, the Rosalie, was found abandoned. Full cargo holds immediately rejected the theory of a pirate attack. The chaos on deck was evidence that people were leaving the ship in panic. It was not possible to obtain any information about the crew.

Sixth, according to the English poet and scientist Frederick William Henry Myers, the Flying Dutchman phenomenon can be explained by the experience of some forms of consciousness of one's death and the ability to telepathically project images for living people. In its turn, material world perceives it as ghosts, whether they are images individuals or huge sailboats.

There are many versions, but the mystery of the Flying Dutchman still does not have a clear explanation. Drifting ships, from small private yachts to huge liners, abandoned by their crews, are still found in the oceans today. They are all united under one common name: ship "Flying Dutchman".

Just the facts

Any ship left without proper care begins to deteriorate. In extremely unfavorable conditions - sea ​​water, storms, underwater reefs - destruction occurs much faster. But the paradox is that the abandoned ships were found many years later, and they were afloat.

Not far from the coast of Greenland (in 1775) the English ship Octavius ​​was discovered. The last entry in the ship's log indicated that the ship's crew would attempt to pass through the Northwest Passage. There seems to be nothing supernatural in this recording, except for one thing: it was made thirteen years earlier - in 1762.

In 1890, on a January morning, the ship Marlborough, with a cargo of frozen lamb and wool on board, left the port of New Zealand. The ship was spotted on April 1 of the same year near the shores of Tierra del Fuego. The next Marlboro meeting took place 23 years later. The English rescue team of the Johnsons was able to board the half-rotten ship. The remains of crew members and ship documents were discovered. Unfortunately, it was not possible to read them due to their poor condition.

In 1933, a small empty lifeboat from the passenger ship SS Vlencia, which sank back in 1906, was found.

All the vessels found could not have stayed afloat for so long. This is inexplicable; common sense speaks of the impossibility of the existence of such facts. This mystery is still waiting to be solved.

The consequences of an encounter with a ghost ship

The sailing ship "Flying Dutchman" brings only troubles. Absolutely all sailors are convinced of this. And it doesn’t matter at what moment this rendezvous happens - in a terrible storm or under a cloudless clear sky. After this fateful meeting, any ship is doomed.

Even if the team reaches the port, it is immediately written off to the shore, and it becomes almost impossible to recruit new people onto the “tagged” ship. Precautionary measures in the form of a horseshoe nailed to the mast also do not help.

Only under one condition can a ship reach the shore safely: when the Flying Dutchman uses the oncoming side as a postman. As the ships pass side by side from the Flying Dutchman, they throw a barrel with letters written in the first year of the voyage. The mail, without being opened under any circumstances, must be delivered ashore. This is a kind of guarantee of the safety of both the ship and its crew.

The Flying Dutchman theme in the movie

Of course, filmmakers could not ignore such a vivid legend. Films based on the plot of "The Flying Dutchman" have found their fans in all countries of the world.

The most famous is “Pirates of the Caribbean”. The popularity of the American film is evidenced by several (from 2003 to 2011, 4 full-length series were shot) films with excellent computer graphics, colorfully telling about the adventures of pirates.

It has everything: mysticism, love, betrayal, excellent acting, sparkling humor, and an exciting plot. The film company plans to release the fifth film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, in 2017.

The theme of the ghost ship was also played out in animated films.

"The Flying Dutchman" and music

Richard Wagner wrote one of his first operas, The Flying Dutchman, inspired by his trip to England. Having survived a storm on the ship, the composer wrote music very quickly. The opera was presented to the public in 1843 in Dresden.

Rock bands have used the ghost ship theme more than once in their compositions. different time and in different countries.

Computer games

It would be strange not to develop such a fertile topic in modern computer games. There are quite a lot of them with different plots. Players are invited to go through several levels of challenges and help the crew get rid of the curse.

Writers and poets

Books and poems, ballads and poems have been written about the legendary sailing ship. At different times, this topic inspired E. McCormack, S. Sakharnov, A. Green, A. Kudryavtsev, L. Platov.

The solution to the Flying Dutchman phenomenon is still waiting in the wings. Perhaps it is already close, or perhaps this secret will not be revealed for several centuries.

The legend of the Flying Dutchman is passed down from generation to generation by sailors. Just thinking about the Flying Dutchman makes your heart beat faster. The history of this ship, shrouded in mystery and romance, does not leave many historians and scientists indifferent. The legend is incredibly poetic, as you can see for yourself

In the distant 16th and maybe even in the 17th century, led by an experienced captain, a passenger ship flew through the waves heading through the Cape of Good Hope, located in southern Africa. As soon as the ship approached the cape, a strong storm raged. The team turned to the captain with a request to dock and wait out the bad weather. But the captain refused the team. Perhaps he was drunk or even lost his mind. He promised the crew that he would go around the cape no matter what. The crew and the excited passengers, who disagreed with the captain’s decision, started a riot, setting the goal of neutralizing the desperate captain. But it so happened that the captain outwitted the rebels by catching the leader of the rebels and feeding him to fish.


Legend has it that this treacherous act angered God. And it so happened that in an instant the heavens parted, the fires shone with a bright flame, from which a dark shadow appeared and descended onto the deck of the ship. Captain. Out of military habit, I decided to use a weapon and scare away the approaching shadow. But, suddenly. The pistol in his hands exploded fine particles. In an indifferent and unshakable voice, the shadow pronounced the sentence. “You are cruel and heartless, captain. Now bile will be your wine, and iron will be your food. You will be damned forever." After these words, the sailors turned into half-decayed skeletons, and the captain - into the Flying Dutchman himself. God is in no hurry to forgive him. According to legend, only the love of a believing woman can save the captain. But where can you get it in the ocean?


The Flying Dutchman swims in all sea spaces. The ghost of the ship is a harbinger of certain death for the ship. Sailors are still afraid of the ghost ship, so they nail horseshoes to the masts for good luck.


It is true to believe that the above legend has some historical background. Everyone knows that real facts lose their “edges” under the cover of time.



The legend is based on a true story that happened in 1641 with a merchant ship. It tried to go around the cape in search of a convenient place for a settlement, which was supposed to become a resting point for the ships of the East India Company. A strong storm did not stop the assertive captain. The confrontation between people and nature has ended, as always. By the way, this is where the legend branched out. The captain was eager to get to the eastern side of the cape and he was going to do it even if it took time until the very end of the world. The devil heard his words and decided to help. By giving eternal “life.”

There is another option, more realistic: at the end of 1770, the entire crew landed on the island of Malta. Including the captain, they were infected with yellow fever. The Grand Master of the Order of Malta gave the order to tow the ship from the port, along with the 23 people on it. The ship sailed to Tunisia, but they had already been warned and did not allow the ship into the port. In Naples, where the team set sail later. The sailboat was also not allowed in. The same thing happened in France and England. The team slowly died, and eventually. Turned into a group of skeletons on board.



Almost met the Flying Dutchman british ship"Bacchante" in 1881, on board at that moment was the young prince. Everything worked out fine. Fate gave the prince long life. The prince became King George V. But the sailor who was on patrol soon died tragically.



The mythical ghost ship was encountered even in the 20th century. In March 1939, it was seen by many South African swimmers. Many newspapers wrote about it that day.




Very often in the seas and oceans there are ships without a crew of sailors and a captain. It is difficult to explain such findings. There have been cases when teams disappeared on a clear day.


What exactly happens to the ship's crews? They have been trying to solve this mystery for several centuries. There are many hypotheses about this, starting with exotic ones - abduction by alien creatures, the transition of people to a parallel world, other dimensions, attacks by sea monsters; but there are also quite possible ones: mass poisonings, or epidemics, or the crew was washed overboard, an attack by pirates, or zones of strong ultrasonic radiation (in which the crew dies) What is really happening? We probably won't know. The ocean keeps its secrets very well.