Do You See What I See?
To those who first see it, the Phantom Ship does not appear to be ghost-like at all, but rather a three-masted ship, wrapped in flames from bow to stern. People have tried to rush out to save those on board, only to realize that they are never able to reach the ship, or even more eerily, it just disappears altogether. Even those who attempt to view the ship through the lens of a strong telescope find that no more details are revealed than what is visible to the naked eye. The sightings have occurred in locations throughout southeastern Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The stories and sightings have persisted throughout the years, creating a ghost-ship lore that "haunts" these areas. Many locals have gone their whole lives without seeing the ship, while others have been lucky enough to see it multiple times. Each person who sees it seems to have the same reaction – amazement, excitement and, perhaps, belief.
According to Ralph Childs of New York's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, there are 15 to 20 nautical phantoms that roam the open seas of Canada's southeastern coast; however, the Phantom Ship is the queen of all of them. This phantom could be considered a passenger liner compared to the other "freighters" of the paranormal sea. The others may be seen only once or twice, and always by individuals, but the Phantom Ship can be seen several times per year, by entire communities.
The Phantom Ship may hover in one spot for several hours before slowly fading into nothingness, or it may appear to sail off into the distance. The one defining factor about the Phantom Ship is that it has been seen by many people, including those of acknowledged social and business standing in the community.
In 1980, Kevin Mann Jr., a local high school teacher, was able to get the first and only photograph of the Phantom Ship. Grading papers late into the night of October 10th, Kevin peered out across the Bay and saw a fiery mass that appeared to bob in the water about three or four miles out from shore.
"Looking through my binoculars, I was able to identify a structure with three spires that had the appearance of being entirely engulfed in red-orange flames," Kevin stated. If one could ever find a reliable witness, Kevin would be one. He does not even believe in ghosts, and states that what he saw that night was light manifestation, the same thing he believes all of the others have seen as well.
More recently, in January of 2008, 17-year-old Mathieu Giguere saw the Phantom Ship off Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. Originally he thought nothing of the brightly lit ship he saw sailing in the bay; however, after looking closer, he realized that the entire bay was frozen solid, making him question what he was seeing. "It was bright white and gold and, looked like a schooner with three masts, like the Bluenose," Giguere said.
Within the next hour, the ship had disappeared, a feat Giguere thought inpossible given the ship's size and the ice in Tatamagouche Bay. At the time, Giguere did not know that he was seeing the province's most famous apparition; in fact, he had never heard of the Phantom Ship until he met with local historian Dale Swan, who informed him of its existence. After that conversation, Giguere realized, "Oh wait! that is actually what I saw." Swan stated that Giguere was genuinely surprised to hear the story of the phantom folklore, and he described the ship to Dale exactly as many have done, without any prompting from Dale about the appearance of the ship.