The sea is a common setting for mass disappearances. With so much empty water, it’s easy for people to vanish without anyone around to witness their disappearance. This is especially true for ships sailing near the notorious Bermuda Triangle.

One such ship was the Carroll A. Deering. It was a commercial ship captained by William H. Merritt. On the Deering’s final voyage, Merritt took ill and was replaced by Willis. B. Wormell. On December 2, 1920, the Deering stopped for supplies in Barbados and remained there until January 9. This was the last time the ship would dock.

Several weeks later, on January 28, another ship was hailed by the Deering. A man described as having a foreign accent stated that the ship had lost its anchors. Witnesses noticed that the crew seemed to be milling around the deck aimlessly.

Three days later, the Deering ran aground in the Diamond Shoals with all of its sails up. Because of the rough weather, it was several days before the wreck could be investigated. When authorities boarded the ship, they found no trace of the crew. The investigators noted that the ship’s steering equipment was damaged and that the logbook and navigation equipment were missing. Additionally, the personal items of some of the crew members and two lifeboats seemed to be missing as well. However, they noted that it appeared that the crew had been in the process of preparing food at the time the ship was abandoned.

Authorities launched a massive investigation into the Deering. The most intriguing part of the case is that several other ships seemed to have gone missing in roughly the same area: the area commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle. Most of these ships later turned up in other areas without explanation.

The most commonly accepted explanation for the fate of the Deering is that the crew mutinied while sailing. It was no secret that there were tensions between the captain and the rest of the crew. However, this doesn’t explain how the crew managed to vanish. Where could they have gone? Why did they never resurface? Many theorize that the ship’s proximity to the mysterious and dangerous Bermuda Triangle is to blame. Authorities scoff at this theory, but no other reasonable explanation has ever been presented.