Before They Were Ghost Ships

Where did these ghosts come from? According to John Davis, owner of Eco Nova Productions, Nova Scotia has a higher density of shipwreck sites per linear kilometer of coastline than anywhere else in the world. In the 1400s, Nova Scotia was one of the first land sites for early European travelers. However, it sits at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and could pass for a large rock in the middle of the ocean. Many ships have sunk after running into the "rock" during heavy fog. In fact, more than 4,500 shipwrecks have been located along the coast and it is estimated that there could be four to five thousand more still waiting to be found.

Any one of these shipwrecks could be thought of as the Phantom Ship, but perhaps there is more than one. One theory regarding the origin of the Phantom Ship tells the tale of a Scottish immigrant ship that was bound for Quebec a few hundred years ago. On its way, the ship was struck by lightning and every person on board perished

Still another story tells of a pleasure craft that met its end by way of a drunken brawl. The fight broke out at the captain's table, and an oil lamp was overturned and exploded. The resulting fire eventually killed everyone on board. It's been said that the ship is still looking for its way out of the Northumberland Strait.

However, in Pictou, N.S., the belief is that the Phantom ship is a different Scottish immigrant ship bound for Nova Scotia that disappeared after leaving Scotland. The story originated in 1773, after the arrival of the ship Hector in Pictou, when the settlers from the Hector first told of it. No one knows for sure what happened to this boat, or if it even existed, but many in Pictou believe this is the Phantom Ship they have seen for hundreds of years.

Could any one of these, or perhaps all of these, be the infamous Phantom ship sailing the waters, searching for their destination for all of eternity?