Picture a dark and foggy night on the Northumberland Shore. Suddenly, a haunting sight unfolds before your eyes: a majestic three-masted ship, engulfed in flames, sailing at unnatural speeds, and then disappearing into the mist.
This is the legend of the burning ghost ship of the Northumberland Strait, arguably Canada’s most renowned ghost ship.
What Does the Northumberland Strait Ghost Ship Look Like?
The burning ghost ship is often described as a three- or four-masted vessel, sometimes resembling a square-rigger or a top-sail schooner.
Eyewitness accounts vary, with some reports mentioning only the rigging on fire while others describe the entire ship ablaze. Startlingly, reports even mention figures on the ship’s deck, including “people and dogs.”
Most accounts depict the ship sailing rapidly in a north or northeast direction, vanishing into thin air just when rescue efforts are underway.
When is Canada’s Most Famous Ghost Ship Spotted?
This ghostly apparition has been sighted in all seasons, with spring and fall being the most common times for encounters. Reports often occur during the night, at dusk, or in the pre-dawn hours, closely linked to the approach of storms in the region. The burning ghost ship has become synonymous with an eerie harbinger of impending rough weather.
A Long History of Haunting:
Accounts of the burning ghost ship date back over a century, with notable figures like New Brunswick scientist William Francis Ganong documenting its existence as early as 1905. Fanciful tales of the ship’s sightings have also been recorded in books like Roland H. Sherwood’s “Story Parade” and Helen Champion’s “Over on the Island,” further solidifying its legendary status. Sherwood’s 1975 book, “Phantom Ship of Northumberland Strait and Other Mysteries of the Sea,” delves into the subject in detail.
Lost Ships, Shipwrecks, & Other Explanations:
Various theories attempt to explain the origin of the burning ghost ship. Along the New Brunswick coast, it is known as the John Craig Light, named after a ship wrecked off Shippigan Island. Some New Brunswickers associate it with the ghost of the Colbum, lost during a storm in 1838. Others believe it is the spectral remains of the Isabella, which vanished in 1868 after departing for South America.
For those who prefer a more dramatic narrative, the ghost ship is linked to a pleasure craft or pirate ship set ablaze during a drunken brawl below deck. In such versions, Captain Kidd, the infamous pirate executed in 1701, often plays a central role. Alternatively, it’s seen as the ghost of a ship bound for Quebec, struck by lightning and consumed by flames, with all hands lost.
The Non-Supernatural Explanations:
There are more mundane explanations for the burning ghost ship phenomenon. Some attribute it to St. Elmo’s fire, a rare electrical discharge from pointed objects during electrical storms. Others suggest it could be a form of fata morgana, a complex mirage caused by distinct bands of warm and cool air. Under certain atmospheric conditions, fata morgana can distort the appearance of distant objects.
The third explanation is simple:
Dark, foggy nights preceding storms can play tricks on the human imagination, creating eerie illusions that linger in memory.
A Northumberland Shore Tradition:
The burning ghost ship continues to be spotted to this day, becoming a part of local folklore and even immortalized on a Canada Post stamp.
If you’re adventurous and intrigued by the mysterious, head to the Northumberland Shore an hour before sunset during the spring or fall, and you just might encounter this legendary phantom vessel.
Be prepared for a spine-tingling experience that will leave you pondering the mysteries of the Northumberland Strait.
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