Simply put, the ocean is a terrifying place. In all of its mysterious majesty, it has managed
to harbour some of the most insanely terrifying tales of isolation and abandonment in human
history - which, when you realise the fact that the ocean covers over 70 percent of our
planet - it isn’t exactly difficult to see why. They say that the sea is a fierce and fickle
mistress - and from a sailors cautionary tale to a somber shanty - the warning signs are
the only thing that we can truly know for certain. Hello horror fans - and once again, welcome
back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos. As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack
Finch - as today, we curiously take a look at the Top 5 Creepiest Ghost Ships That Haunt
The Sea. Roll the clip. For the curious amongst you, that legendary
scene was from 1975’s Jaws directed by Steven Spielberg, and the only Shark-based horror
masterpiece that you’ll ever need. Of course it is, this is a list about creepy
tales from the sea - what did you expect? Kicking off at Number 5 - The Kaz II Which perhaps is one of the most terrifying
modern instances of the term - ghost ship - and one of the most profoundly tragic unsolved
mysteries of the deep blue sea. The Kaz II - which was publically dubbed - the
ghost yacht - was a 9.8 metre catamaran which was found drifting listlessly 88 nautical
miles off the north-eastern coast of Australia, on the 20th April 2007. The three men aboard, who were all residents
of Perth in Western Australia - were all incredibly experienced sailors. They were 56 year old Derek Batten, and brothers
Peter Tunstead and James Tunstead, who were 69 and 63 respectively. Their whereabouts still remains a mystery
to this day, and the fate of these three men perhaps may never be known. What made it even stranger - is that when
the Kaz II was eventually found by the coast guard - there were no signs of distress, no
signs of boat damage - or even a struggle between the three men. It was if they’d just vanished out of thin
air. Coffee cups were left out, and all lifejackets
remained stowed away - indicating that the trio never felt at risk. In an even more curious turn of events, rescue
teams discovered video footage of the three men on a handheld camera - seemingly hours
before they disappeared. It showed them fishing - relaxing in the sun
with the motor off - and offered no clues as to how these three experienced sailors
disappeared at sea. Although an enquiry was later drawn - no definitive
conclusions were ever reached - and only theories remain about the ultimate fate of the Kaz
II. Coming in at Number 4 - The Lady Lovibond Of course - no list would be complete without
a good old sea shanty of jilted lovers and ghostly revenge. As the legend goes, the Lady Lovibond was
a schooner that is alleged to have been wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, just off the southern
coast of Kent on 13th February 1749 - but if you ask any old sailor worth their salt,
they’ll tell you that it just so happens to have a habit of reappearing every fifty
or so years as a ghost ship. As the story goes - the Captain of the ship,
a man named Simon Reed - had just been married to his bride, Annetta - and was celebrating
the joyous occasion with a cruise - bound for Oporto in Portugal. Now - it is high time to mention that a longstanding
sailors superstition was that back in the day - it was grave, bad luck to bring a woman
on board - and in many ways, the legend of the Lady Lovibond is a cautionary tale that
exemplifies this. According to the tale, the ship’s first
mate - a man named John Rivers, was a rival for the hand of the captain’s young wife
- and in a jealous fit of rage, he killed the crewman manning the ship’s wheel - and
steered the vessel into the treacherous Goodwin Sands - killing absolutely everyone on board. If you’re asking me, that is a stark overreaction
- but nevertheless, since that fateful day in 1749 - the Lady Lovibond has been sighted
on numerous occasions with an ethereal, ghostly glow - eternally bound to wander the ocean. Next up at Number 3 - The Mary Celeste Which in fact, may very well be the world's
most infamous ghost ship - as well as one of the longest enduring mysteries of the seven
seas. Built in Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia in
1861 - and launched under the new name of the Mary Celeste in 1868 - this merchant brigantine
sailed uneventfully across the Atlantic for years as a seaworthy, efficient vessel. It wasn’t until her fateful voyage in 1872
where the true ghostly legend began - which has since gathered theories that vary from
submarine earthquakes, waterspouts - an attack by a giant squad - and even paranormal intervention. No one will truly know the ultimate fate of
the Mary Celeste - with every single soul on board never being seen or heard from again. Which is a terrifying thought, isn’t it? The Mary Celeste was discovered adrift and
deserted - just off the coast of the Azores Islands on December 5th 1872. It was a Canadian vessel, the Dei Gratia - which
found her in a dishevelled but seaworthy condition - under partial sail - and with a lifeboat
missing. The last entry in the ships log was dated
ten days earlier, which detailed the vessels last known location - before the mysterious,
infamous events unfolded. On board was the ship’s captain, Benjamin
S. Briggs, his wife Sarah - their 2-year-old daughter, Sophia - and eight seasoned crewmembers,
all veterans of the sea. It poses the question, what dire threat did
the Mary Celeste face that caused a highly experienced captain to abandon his ship? Nothing was stolen, all of the crew’s possessions
and cargo were exactly as they’d left them. In all likelihood, we may never know. Swinging in at Number 2 - The Flying Dutchman Of course - this legendary vessel couldn’t
not make this list - the ghost ship that can tragically never make port - doomed to navigate
the perilous ocean for eternity. In actual fact though, the Flying Dutchman
has had such an impact on nautical culture - that it’s easy to overlook the treacherous
tale of its origin. It is thought that the legend of the Flying
Dutchman first originated from the 17th century golden age of the Dutch East India Trade Company
- a mega corporation that had a stranglehold monopoly on the Dutch spice trade that ran
throughout the 16 and 1700s - where tale was told of a Dutch man-of-war that was lost off
the Cape of Good Hope. Purportedly, every soul on board perished
after being ravaged by a violent tempest. The following few days, numerous other trading
ships reported seeing a ghostly, ethereal vessel out in the foggy mist of the ocean
- flying the same exact colours as the Dutch vessel. Since then, the Flying Dutchman has gathered
notoriety as the worst omen you could ever hope for - of a phantom ship that heralds
the demise of an entire crew - with sightings continuing all the way into the 19th and 20th
centuries. In fact, perhaps the most recognised sighting
was by King George the V himself - during a three-year-voyage in 1881 just off the coast
of Australia. He noted in his personal log that thirteen
people had seen the glowing, Flying Dutchman in the early hours of the morning - and later
in the day, the ordinary crewman who had first spotted the vessel, fell from the foremast
and, in his words - was smashed to atoms. That’s a little worrying, eh? And finally, at our Number 1 spot - The Ourang
Medan And where do we even begin with the bizarre,
perplexing legend of the Ourang Medan, perhaps the most terrifyingly unexplainable instances
of a ghostly shipwreck. But - well, the leading physical theory of
the Ourang Medan may be even more horrifying than it first appears. As the legend goes, at some time in June 1947
- an American vessel by the name of the Silver Star picked up several distress calls from
a nearby Dutch merchant ship - the Ourang Medan. A radio operator aboard the troubled vessel
sent a message in morse code. In rushed, confused dots and dashes - it read
- We float. All officers including the captain dead in
chartroom and on the bridge. Probably whole of crew dead. A few moments later, after even more confused
dots and frantic dashes - two words came through very clearly. I die. Then, silence, nothing more was heard of them. But well - when the Silver Star eventually
located and boarded the apparently-undamaged and otherwise seaworthy Ourang Medan - what
they found horrified them. Every single person aboard was found dead
- sprawled on their backs - frozen in fear with their mouths gaping open and their eyes
staring straight ahead. There were no survivors - but even more terrifying
- apparently no signs of injury of foul play. Just as the rescue crew was preparing to tow
the ship to a nearby port, a fire broke out on the Ourang Medan - which shortly exploded,
before finally sinking. Since this horrifying incident, theories have
ranged from the vessel carrying a highly dangerous chemical nerve agent - to an entanglement
with the C.I.A after the result of a secret experiment - to an unprovoked alien assault. But - if you haven’t already sensed a theme
with this list - it seems that we may never know. Well - there we have it horror fans - the
Top 5 Creepiest Ghost Ships That Haunt The Sea - what do you think? Why don’t you let us know your thoughts
in the comment section down below, as well as any terrifying tales that you yourself
have from the seven seas. Before we depart though, let’s take a look
at some of your most creative comments from over the past few days. Coming in - frequent horror fan Robert the
Dude says -- Top 5 Scariest God Like Entities. I WON’T GIVE UP. -- Robert, buddy. Listen. We got you. Calm down. It’s coming, just be patient. Well - unfortunately folks, that’s all we’ve
got time for in today’s video - cheers for sticking around all the way until the end. If you were a fan of this video, make sure
to hit that thumbs up button - as well as that subscribe bell, and we’ll be seeing
you in the next one. As per usual, I’ve been your horror host
Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos - and until next time, you take
it easy.
