The Ghost Ship Joyita...

Every now and then I have the pleasure of inviting a guest--who loves the paranormal as much as I do--to contribute a post. Today is one of those days. I am excited to welcome Summer Siquian, who will tell us a little bit about the Pacific ghost ship known as Joyita! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a great deal of mystery surrounding Joyita, a missing ship found partially afloat and void of any crew members. In time she became known as the Pacific’s ghost ship.

The Famous Flying Dutchman

Now, most everyone knows that Wolfert Dircksen Van Ness, the handsome hero of Heart of the Storm is a 17th century sea captain from our world. However, after going through a tumultous storm in the Bermuda Triangle, he and his crew find themselves in another dimension altogether. Despite his change in venue, our dashing captain has discovered that he can cross back and forth between our world and his. But the thing is, during his visits, he, his crew, and his ship, appear as ghostly shadows of their former selves. Kind of like the Flying Dutchman...  

Yes indeed...The Flying Dutchman...almost everyone recognizes the name. But did you know the moniker refers to the Captain of the ship, and not the ship itself?

The Flying Dutchman by Albert Pinkham Ryder c. 1887

Ghostly Shenanigans Aboard the USS Constellation....

Distinguished as the first U.S. navy vessel put to sea, and the first to engage and defeat an enemy ship, the USS Constellation set out on her maiden voyage, September 1, 1797.

 Navy History and Heritage Command PD-USGOV-MILITARY-NAVY.

After years of faithful service, she was decommissioned in the year 1853, and broken up for scrap material. But this was hardly the end of her life. In 1854, the navy constructed a new ship, possibly using bits and pieces of the old, and again christened her the USS Constellation. If nothing else, the name lived on. Under the command of Charles H. Bell, the navy launched this powerfully armed sloop-of-war on the 26th of August, 1854. The Constellation served in various capacities for a full century, until her final decommission on the 15th of August, 1955, when at long last, the navy removed her from the rolls.

Again, not the end of her life, though. You see, once removed from the naval rolls, the ship found a permanent berth in what is known as Constellation Dock, Inner Harbor at Pier 1 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was designated a National Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. She also has the distinction of being the last existing naval vessel from the American Civil War that remains intact.

Fully restored in 1999, the Constellation made her first trip out of Baltimore's Inner Harbor since 1955. In October of 2004, she set sail for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and this six day voyage marked her first trip to the city in 111 years.

PD-USGOV-MILITARY-NAVY.

All fine and good, but is it haunted? 

Otherworldly Tales of the U.S.S. Constitution...

Constitution Underway by Hunter Stires

Fondly known as "Old Ironsides," the oldest commissioned vessel in the world’s navies today is the USS Constitution. Commissioned in 1797, and named by George Washington, the ship received her moniker during the War of 1812, while she served under the command of Captain Isaac Hull. The event took place August 19, 1812, just off Nova Scotia. One week earlier, the United States, still in her infancy, surrendered Detroit to the British. The Brits were riding high on this victory when the USS Constitution, and the British ship Guerriere, bombarded each other at close range. They were so close, in fact, that during the melee they collided once.

The Constitution, built far heavier and longer than her adversary, volleyed twenty-four pound cannonballs, which decimated the Guerriere's mast.  In return,  the British fired eighteen pound cannonballs at the Americans, to no effect. The balls just seemed to bounce off her thick oak hull. Recorded in a memoir of the incident, one British sailor hollered out, " 'Huzzah, her sides are made of iron! See where the shot fell out!" Thus the ship's nickname was born.

During her two hundred plus years of service, we find many old reports of distraught sailors, with ships in peril, who were rescued by the crewmen aboard the  USS Constitution. Once aboard they said they felt safe and at peace. Yet, at the same time, they could feel a bit of sadness lingering in the surrounding atmosphere. Whispers abounded of ethereal apparitions, from the very young to the very seasoned in years, wearing uniforms from the past still going about their earthly duties. They said if one listened closely, one could hear many different languages, antiquated in nature, yet the living were not responsible for these voices. Some reported the existence of a ghostly officer who invited various passengers to join his crew.

But what about ghostly experiences in the here and now? This beautiful old frigate, now stationed in Boston, still has a standing, living crew.  And indeed, this crew have reported brushes with the unknown. These brushes would mesh quite well with an episode of the Twilight Zone.

An unseen presence once blew on the neck of an unsuspecting female crewman... amorous ghost perhaps? After all, it has been quite awhile for some. And then one night, the watch caught sight of a 24 pound cannonball, rolling off to the left, then traveled back to its original spot, with no apparent motion of the ship to cause the event.  This particular cannonball didn't follow any natural turns or arcs attributed to the ship.  

Creepy? 

The Ghost Ships of Legend...

A noble (and did I mention handsome?) 17th century sea captain, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, featured in my latest novel, Heart of the Storm, inspired me to write about "Ghost Ships..."  

Painting of the Flying Dutchman by Charles Temple Dix (1838-1873)

The Flying Dutchman...almost everyone recognizes the name. But did you know the moniker refers to the Captain of the ship, and not the ship itself?

According to legend, Captain Hendrick Van Der Decken set his course for Amsterdam. During the voyage he encountered a fierce, tumultuous storm while rounding the Cape of Good Hope. The tempest threatened to dash the ship to pieces and end the lives of all aboard. Despite calls from the crewman to turn the ship about, he swore an oath to round the Cape “even if it took him ‘til Doomsday.” 

While giant waves hammered the ship, Van Der Decken smoked his pipe, quaffed his ale, and sang obscene songs. In a last ditch effort to save their lives, the crew mutinied. Enraged, the captain took hold of his pistol, killed the chief mutineer and tossed his body into the sea. In that same instant, the clouds parted, and from the heavens, a roaring voice accused him of obstinance.

In reply, the good captain said, “I never asked for a peaceful voyage. Indeed, I never asked for anything. So away with you before I shoot you as well.” Hendrick aimed his weapon toward the heavens. Yet, before he had the chance to use it, the pistol exploded in his hand. In that same instant, he was cursed to eternally sail the oceans with naught but dead men for his crew. They’d eat nothing but red hot iron and instead of ale, they’d only have gall to quench their thirst. Worst of all? The ship would never make port or know a single moment of peace.