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What is the Devil's Sea? -

The Devil's Sea, also known as the Dragon’s Triangle, is a geographical area in the Pacific Ocean, near the Japanese coast.

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Where is it? -

The Triangle is located near Miyake, an island 60 miles (100 km) south of Tokyo.

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The Pacific Ocean's own Bermuda Triangle -

The region is also known as the Pacific Bermuda Triangle due to the apparent paranormal phenomena that occur in its treacherous waters.

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Reputation -

The notorious reputation of the Devil’s Sea has persisted for decades, as there are stories of several ships that have disappeared there.

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Unusual activity -

Legend has it that no vessel, no matter how strong, can withstand the paranormal energy that surrounds it.

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Mysterious disappearances -

In the mid-1950s, numerous large ships disappeared along with their entire crews.

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Mysterious disappearances -

Between the years 1950 and 1954, it was reported that a total of nine cargo vessels vanished in the Pacific Ocean. It is claimed that all of these ships had radio transmitters and that there were no recorded weather issues.

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Investigation -

The Japanese government became suspicious and sent its own team of scientists on board the Kaiyō Maru (pictured), but they never returned either.

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Tragedy -

The wreck of the Kaiyō Maru was later salvaged, but the whereabouts of the 31 crew members remains a mystery.

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Invasion -

The mystery of the Devil's Sea goes back to Kublai Khan, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, when he tried to invade Japan. In the 13th century, he crossed the Dragon Triangle to invade Japan but lost most of his ships along with 40,000 crew members after they were hit by two typhoons.

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Evil dragons -

The term 'dragon triangle' actually comes from traditional Chinese fables, which speak of dragons that live underwater.

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Evil dragons -

According to these ancient tales, dragons attacked passing boats to satisfy their appetite. These legends have strongly influenced the numerous enigmatic stories about the Devil's Sea.

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Theories -

Many have tried to unravel the mystery of the Devil's Sea by developing various theories such as electromagnetic interference or time warps.

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The "Vile Vortex" theory -

Scholar Ivan T. Sanderson stated that the Dragon Triangle is one of the 12 Vile Vortexes of the world.

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The "Vile Vortex" theory -

His theory is that a "Vile Vortex" is a specific geographical area associated with "electromagnetic aberrations" that are the cause of unexplained disappearances. The Bermuda Triangle is the most famous of these Vile Vortexes.

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Paranormal activity theory -

In 1989, Charles Berlitz, a theorist of paranormal activity, wrote a book in which he claimed that the area had an "evil nature" that made it unnatural and unstable.

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Paranormal activity theory -

He spoke extensively about UFOs and how there have been reports of strange objects sighted over Japan for centuries.

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Quest for truth -

To refute these inconsistent theories, the American author Larry Kusche published a book in 1995 in which he claimed to provide real answers to the mystery of the Devil Sea.

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Rational theories -

According to Kusche's research, the government ship, the Kaiyō Maru, was destroyed either by a volcano or a tidal wave.

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The violence of nature -

Scientists regularly monitor underwater volcanoes along ocean ridges and study the emissions of lava, carbon dioxide, and other elements into the ocean.

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Misinformation -

Kusche also disputed Berlitz's claim that the missing ships were massive vessels with a sizable cargo, suggesting instead that they were fishing boats.

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Dangerous missions -

According to Kusche, naval resources were scarce or unreliable in the 1950s, which is why many ships, even those with radio transmitters, were unable to call for help.

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The sad reality -

From his correspondence with Japanese naval officials, Kusche inferred that most of the ships had probably crashed and sunk off the Japanese coast.

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A twist! -

He also uncovered a crucial detail: the Kaiyō Maru was not sent to investigate the mysterious disappearances.

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The truth about the Kaiyō Maru -

The Kaiyō Maru was instead a survey ship that collected information on local volcanic activity.

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Say what? -

It seems that the Japanese were unaware of the worldwide interest in the Devil's Sea until Kusche contacted the American Embassy in Tokyo.

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Danger zone -

The area was not even designated as a danger zone by the government!

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Facts -

The story behind the Dragon’s Triangle (or the Devil’s Sea) gathered so much attention around the world that several theories were conjured, resulting in an entirely made-up story.

Sources: (Marine Insight) (Ocean Info)

See also: The lost city of Atlantis: fact or fiction?

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