Without a doubt, the Bermuda Triangle is one of the most mysterious places on Earth that has captured our imagination for hundreds of years. And who could blame us, given the large number of strange disappearances that frequently occur there. Several airplanes and ships have constantly vanished in that area, all without a trace of neither the vessel nor its passengers. This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, but here are five of the most terrifying mysteries surrounding the Bermuda Triangle.

1. The Ellen Austin and The Ghost Ship

In 1881, the Ellen Austin, an American schooner, was traveling between London and New York when she came across an unknown ship that seemed to be aimlessly floating in the water. Upon boarding the vessel, the crew made a startling discovery: the ship was abandoned, as if in a rush. There was no sign of struggle and the ship was still stocked. The Captain then decided to continue to New York, this time with the unnamed ship tagging along for a ride. But a sudden storm separated them, only for the ship to reappear a few days later, still empty. The freaked out crew decided to leave it behind, never to be seen again.

2. Douglas DC- 3

The Douglas Dakota or DC-3 was one of the top aircrafts of its time. In December 1948, the airplane took off on what was supposed to be a routine flight from Puerto Rico heading to Miami. But only twenty minutes away from its destination, the DC-3, along with its 28 passengers and three crew members all vanished, despite the normal weather and crystal clear waters below. Investigators had their theories, but no one was unable to come to a solid conclusion due to the perfect weather and the lack of debris.

3. Carroll A. Deering

In August 1920, the Carroll A. Deering, a five masted commercial schooner, set sail from Virginia to Rio de Janeiro. Everything went fine as the journey was a smooth one, but the return voyage was seemingly anything but. In January 1921, the schooner was discovered near North Carolina completely deserted with not only the crew gone, but the ship’s log, navigation equipment and two lifeboats as well. The U.S. government conducted extensive investigations but nothing came of it.

4. The B.S.A.A Star Tiger

Like the Douglas Dakota, the British South American Airways was no stranger to routine flights. In January 1948, the plane was carrying 25 passengers and 6 crew members from Bermuda to Santa Maria. The flight’s operator is said to have requested and received the plane’s position at 3:00 a.m. just like always. But it was contacted again 50 minutes later, only to be met with radio silence on the operator’s end. The B.S.A.A. was gone without a trace or a distress call. Like the other vessels, there was no debris and no survivors.

5. Flight 441

On October 30, 1954, 42 passengers made up of Navy seals and their families were traveling on the U.S. Navy-owned Flight 441. Unfortunately, they never got to their destination because the gigantic carrier went missing upon reaching the Bermuda Triangle. Much like the other incidents, everything seemed fine up until that point, communications were normal, and the pilot never sent out an S.O.S. Whatever happened must have brought the plane down really quickly and in one piece, because not a single thing was left behind despite extensive rescue searches.