A Brief History
On March 4, 1918, the USS Cyclops kept a date with destiny!
Digging Deeper
Cyclops, a US Navy coal carrier (collier) heading to Baltimore with a load of manganese ore.
The Cyclops had left from Rio De Janeiro on February 16, 1918 and was supposed to arrive in Baltimore on March 13, 1918. Mysteriously, she disappeared without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle and nothing of her or her crew has ever been found.
Chalk it up to the Bermuda Triangle? Or was she sunk by a U-Boat? Well, no U-Boat ever reported such a sinking and the German navy has repeatedly said they did not sink the Cyclops. At 542 feet long, the Cyclops would be a victim worth bragging about.
It is speculated by US Navy investigators that the cargo of manganese ore may have become wet and sloshed back and forth in the ship creating an uneven load and causing the ship to turn over, but without a wreck or survivor’s account no one can know.
A totally cracked angle to this tale (as if a ship disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle is not cracked enough) is the Captain of the ship. Capt. George Worley was not who he said he was! He was actually Johan Wichmann born in Germany and an illegal alien in the United States! He had snuck off a ship in San Francisco in 1878 and had changed his name to George Worley. Compounding the bizarre story is the Captain’s behavior. Tyrannical and petty, Worley was said to have run around the ship with a pistol in pursuit of one of the ensigns! Even creepier, he was known to make his rounds of the ship wearing long underwear and a Derby hat! His obvious pro-German bias also made him hated by non-German members of his crew.
Another twist to this incident, a passenger on this final voyage of the Cyclops was the US Consul General in Rio, Alfred Gottschalk, another well known and roundly disliked pro-German. Investigators speculated the Captain and Gottschalk may have turned the ship over to Germany, but this allegation is still denied by the German government.
The USS Cyclops AC-4 has also made its way into popular culture, becoming the star of Clive Cussler’s novel Cyclops, featured in the video game Dark Void, and appearing in television episodes of Quantum Leap and Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!
The loss of the Cyclops, a 20,000 ton ship over 500 feet long and carrying 306 people still stands as the worst US Navy non-combat disaster ever. As such, the Navy took a long hard look into what had happened, and came up empty! Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think happened? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, see…
Cussler, Clive. Cyclops. Simon & Schuster, 1986.
Howell, Jeffrey. Dark Void. Capcom, 2010. Xbox 360 Video Game.
Quasar, Gian. HELL SHIP. Brodwyn-Moor & Doane, 2011.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1305 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1305">110 Comments
I believe the ship was probably turned over to the Germans. This does not;however explain what happened to the crew. Strange things have been known to happen in the Bermuda triangle, though.
I agree that it is probable that the Germans likely had something to do with the disapperance of the Cyclops, especially since there were at least two Germans aboard.
I would the ship just mysteriously disappeared. The Bermuda Triangle is just too freaky to even talk about.
I believe Germany had something to do with this mystery.
I also would have to say that the Germans had something to do with it.
I think it was abducted by aliens. lol just kidding. I would have to agree with the majority, that Germany had something to do with it.
Lets just all blame the Germans hahaha
The Bermuda Triangle has always been a one of the greatest mysteries in the world. The enigma leaves questions of whether it’s a magnetic pole? is it a portal to another dimension? or is it a missing continent? The questions still pile up, and still no physical evidence.
Yea I agree that Germany was definitely involved.
I believe that Germany had an influence of the disappearance of the Cyclops.
If you’re a realist, it was the Germans fault. However, if one believes some of the stories about the Bermuda Triangle then truly anything could’ve happened. Magnetic poles, Aliens, etc etc! A very mysterious story!
Everything is lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
I think the Bermuda Triangle claimed another boat. I found it interesting that the captain was not who he said he was and was actually german so it would be a good guess that maybe the german government seized the boat and blamed it on the triangle. Another mystery we will never figure out!
I think she sank just like her two sister ships the Proteus and Nereus. They vanished in the North Atlantic and both ships were transporting heavy loads of metallic ore similar to that which was loaded on Cyclops.The Cyclops was carrying over the load limit of the dense manganese ore and the starboard engine had a cracked cylinder and was not operative. So a small storm could have done her in easily.
hmm , it is pretty iffy seeings who the captains actually where! You would think they would have known that? Overall i believe the Bermuda took the ship over in its storm. There is so many tails of the Bermuda triangle , something is off out there.
Aliens.
The Bermuda Triangle is a mysterious place with many eerie tales tied to it. If the ship was sunk, you would think some wreckage would have been found.
I found it insane that the Cyclops mysteriously disappeared with no trace in the Bermuda Triangle.
i can’t believe that a ship that was 542 feet long disappeared without a trace, it would have been remarkable to have been found and become a museum of some sort.
The Bermuda Triangle is a place with many mysteries attached, but I think it is possible the ship could have been turned over to Germany.
It is weird that the ship disappeared. The captain is an interesting character how he changed his name and didn’t tell anyone.
I like such kind of stories. I can’t guess what was going on, but I’d like to serch about Bermuda Triangle.
The part about this story that leads me to believe the ship was not sunk by natural means is that there was no wreckage found. It reminds me of the Malaysia Airplane that disappeared in 2014 that was never found. I am of the believe that there is still so much more to learn about this world and that we will never understand everything that happens here.
It doesn’t seem that it was just sunk because i think something at least would have surfaced eventually. this is truly a mystery.
it doesn’t surprise me another ship was lost in the Bermuda Triangle. It’s known for its mysterious disappearances.
If we are to take a look at the cracked angle, couldn’t we assume that if the ship hadn’t sunk, it would have been discovered at some point? It would be very difficult to make a ship of that size discretely land in foreign territory.
I found it very interesting to learn that the ship disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, and without a trace to. It’s such a large ship I feel like someone would have seen it.
Bermuda Triangle has had its secret for long period. I’m not sure how this triangle disappeared many things such as a big ship like the mentioned above. It is a legend story or action that technology should intervene to investigate the secret of this dangerous triangle.
Bermuda Triangle has always been an unknown. Several people have theories about why it is so dangerous and holds so many secrets, but none of them hold much water. It’s safe to assume Cyclops disappeared into the Triangle, otherwise someone would have fessed up by now. It wouldn’t be the first time the Triangle feasted on an unsuspecting ship.
I always find interest in hearing about boats and planes that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle. It is a definite possibility that the boat never made it out.
Something always goes missing when it goes into the Bermuda Triangle.
I love reading about the Bermuda Triangle. I recently watched a documentary about it and how planes have also gone missing. There are so many theories about it. Such a mystery!
I hope that they eventually find the ship so that we can learn more about the Bermuda Triangle.
The Bermuda Triangle is so fascinating to me. How do things just go missing there? How has no one figured out what happens there?
How did a ship that was 542 feet long disappeared without a trace? I never heard of The Bermuda Triangle before.
The Bermuda Triangle is one of the worlds most interesting mysteries.
What a crazy mystery, I wonder how many other ships have never been found in the triangle.
Maybe the captain went insane and sunk the ship on purpose.
I love hearing about the Bermuda Triangle. I hope one day we will find out what happen to all the ships and planes lost in there.
I find the Bermuda Triangle very interesting and I love hearing stories about it. When I went on a cruise this past spring I was nervous when we sailed through even though I knew everything would go smooth.
There is a lot unknown about the Bermuda triangle where ships and plans just disappear to but other people have sailed through and been fine
As if the story couldn’t get any more creepy sounding, just knowing that the captain himself wasn’t even who he said he was, but an illegal alien makes for an even bigger plot twist!
I find the Bermuda triangle is very interesting, I love hearing stories about it and it is very intruiging.
The Bermuda Triangle will forever be mysterious. I never took into consideration that people/captains such as George Worley (AKA Johan Wichmann) were just as mysterious as well. Maybe it just so happened that the captains were as equally responsible as the ships were, being more devious/keeping more secrets than what people realized. Either way, it is still intriguing that so many ships simply disappeared. -ACL
The Bermuda triangle is truly un-explainable and extremely interesting.
That is an awful loss not just in lives but cost. Will we ever know what truly happened?
truly a great mystery, I believe that this ship very well good have been sunk by u-boats,and the Germans just do not want to take the blame.
The bermuda triangle is so fasinating
I’ve always considered the Bermuda Triangle a myth, although I do not know that I would ever sail or fly through/around it. It is definitely superstitious of me, but I have heard to many stories!
its haunted by ghosts, plain and simple
A true unsolved mystery. I have never gave much credit to the Bermuda Triangle stories. I do find it strange that there has not been any evidence of a sunken ship or that Germany denies any involvement. Surely, if Germany were involved they would want the world to know.
A long time ago, I watched a documentary about the Bermuda Triangle, and if I remember correctly, the ocean in that area has a lot of different rock formations and underwater cliffs where a ship could get pierced in the side of the ship, continue on in a certain direction and sink into a cliff where it wouldn’t be found again.
Interesting article. I have always had a suspicious mind and think that Germany might have had something to do with the ships disappearance.
I think the fact that the captain was an illegal alien is sketchy. There is a possibility that the Germans could have planned the disappearance.
Of course, a story regarding the Bermuda triangle would have twists and turns. I think it almost seems so far-fetched that it has to be real!! Too many twists to have made up!
I think that it is suspicious that the captain was an illegal alien and pro-German. It would not surprise me if the German’s planned for the ship’s disappearance.
The Bermuda triangle is known for things vanishing around it. This reminds me of the plane that went missing a few ago and makes me wonder what actually happened. The disappearance of a ship and plane is unbelievable because they are so large.
I find the Bermuda Triangle very interesting, however, I find this story to almost seem like a myth. I guess we will never know.
all of the planes that have vanishing in this area along with the amount of ships. i dont believe in ghost tales but it is a quiescence worth noticing
The disappearance of this ship is certainly mysterious. There have been plenty of other stories about the Bermuda Triangle through the years to make you wonder. But the story about the captain does make you think he had something to do with this particular vanishing act of a whole ship and its crew.
There is such a history with disappearing of ships and planes across the Bermuda Triangle that it is hard to not question if this is how this accident happened.
I have always found the unsolved mysteries that happened across the Bermuda Triangle so interesting. How not just one vanish can occur but many more can?
Although the Bermuda Triangle has a history that is hard to refute, I think that it may be plausible to connections with the Germans. The way that the crew members were connected to the Germans seemed a little fishy.
I love hearing about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. I have always heard rumors and myths about people disappearing and having crazy things happen to them but I was never really sure whether to believe it or not. I cannot believe that people and boats just vanish and are to never be seen again.
One thing that really struck out to me about the USS Cyclops AC-4 is that it was a very large part of many television shows in the nation. These shows included Quantum Leap, Scooby Doo, and Pirates Ahoy. It just goes to show that a very mystical thing can be shown in a more innocent form. I really enjoyed Scooby Doo as a kid.
I always love hearing about mysteries that happen with ships that sink or other areas similar to this. It is crazy thinking that know one will probably ever truly know what happened to the ship because there were no survivors. Interesting article to read.
When I was in primary school, I had heard about the mysteries of Bermuda Triangle. It is so interesting that even no one know the true answer why so many ships disappeared in that area. Hope someone can answer this question in the future.
What seems even crazier than the disappearance of the USS Cyclops is the behavior of the captain, and illegal alien from Germany.
It’s unfortunate that we lost over 300 men in this accident. I can’t wrap my head around the Bermuda Triangle or even begin to imagine what really happened. The behavior and false identity of the captain makes it even more suspicious.
I love reading about the Bermuda Triangle. I know it’s horrifying, but also extremely interesting as well. One of the world’s many mysteries.
I always thought the the Bermuda Triangle was interesting. I also think that it is unfortunate like Rose said that we lost over 300 men in this accident.
I have never been a believer in the bermuda triangle because how true is it. We have no facts either way but still an interesting article.
I think things happen all the time that can’t be explained so the Bermuda Triangle could be a reasonable conclusion.
The Bermuda Triangle is a strange and mysterious thing. Is it a conspiracy or is there actually a strong disorienting magnetic pull there.
Sometimes there are bigger powers that we cannot actually believe in, this may be one of them.
This whole article was sketchy and certainly mysterious. Makes you wonder just what went on that day….
Considering the size of the boat, it might’ve had some complications and sunk. The Bermuda triangle isn’t completely out of the question though.
They turned it over to the Germans. Otherwise something from that ship would have been found by now. Or………..
Who knows. That is a huge mystery. Sad that so many were lost and their families never knew what happened to them! The Captain had an interesting past, makes you wonder if he did give it over to the Germans. We’ll never know.
I am still so intrigued by the Bermuda Triangle! Maybe the crew got confused traveling through the Bermuda triangle due to fog or weather and they ended up going a different course and disappeared.
The Bermuda Triangle has always been mystery and a lot of ships have been lost there. It is weird how they disappear and no site of hem or the crew.
I’ve done reading on the Bermuda Triangle and many experts say that there are no more or less ship or plane wrecks there than anywhere else.
The Bermuda Triangle is a very mysterious place, that is for sure. I always felt like there was an explanation for all of the things that have went missing.
It would be hard to pinpoint the event only on the Bermuda Triangle. Even though it is a mysterious place. There were clearly plenty of other factors that were causing tension between crew members. Whatever happened it truly is one of the worlds greatest mysteries.
I think we were visited by aliens and they are living in that area. What else could it be. Something supernatural is out there.
Never go into the Bermuda triangle, if you do you may not make it out alive. It is crazy that the captain of the Cyclops would walk around the ship in underwear and a derby hat.
It is hard not to believe that the Germans had no involvement the in the disappearance especially given the captains German ties.
I wonder if this is one of the many things to ‘disappear” in the Bermuda triangle, or if maybe the ship sank in one of the deepest areas of the ocean and was never recovered. Seems like the Captain was off his rocker, so many things could have went wrong.
I have done research for another course on the Bermuda triangle and find the concept that radio signals and radar have a hard time reading the area to be highly fascinating.
I think it is completely insane for a ship to disappear like that. Sad time for the Navy for sure!
That ship was sunk by a U-Boat. It’ll turn up some day and be a history spectacular. Sad day for sure but a victim of the U Boat.
For a ship that is that large to come up missing and no one knows what happened to it, is unbelievable. I think that a U-boat sank it and didn’t want to take the claim for it because it would mean maybe the start of a war because they took such a large boat out.
I think the ship was turn over to Germany because that was common during the war and Captain was loyal to them.
I find the Bermuda Triangle very interesting. I don’t understand how a ship can just go missing without any explanation.
I believe the Cyclops sunk due to Captain George Worley. Since he was found to be a fraud, I’m sure he turned the boat over to the Germans or caused damage to the boat. Its astonishing that nothing has been found about the boat, still till this day.
I find it unbelievable that a ship the size of the Cyclops disappeared without a trace. I would like to think that with the technology we have today that if the ship did sink we would have found some trace by now. Makes me wonder if the ship was taken over by the enemy and the crew was killed, the ship dismantled and later destroyed. With no person left alive and no evidence of the Cyclops we may never know the destiny Cyclops endured.
How is it that a ship that huge has never been found? All the theories of the Bermuda Triangle are interesting. If the Germans did take it surely by now it would have been discovered its not like you hide something of that size. I bet there are treasure hunters all over the world trying to locate this ship. And with the technology available today you wouldn’t think it would be that difficult.
Aliens. Just kidding. I believe the ship had reported engineering issues before departure. This was also her first time being loaded with ore and could have been loaded incorrectly/overloaded.
This reminds me of the plane that just disappeared a few years back. With the amount of technology we have today, we couldn’t track it down or find anything… imagine in the early 1900’s.
I think the Cyclops was just lost in the Bermuda Triangle; however, what an interesting back story with the Captain and the US Consul General. I do find it astonishing that a ship weighing 20,000 tons being 500 feet long, and carrying 306 people can just vanish off the face of the earth! I would have loved to be part of the investigation looking into what happened to it.
I don’t believe in coincidence. There is absolutely NO WAY that German captain had nothing to do with the Cyclops disappearing. I’m actually surprised that I had never heard of this story until now, considering the circumstances surrounding the ship’s disappearance.
The Bermuda Triangle is a fascinating concept to me. With that being said, I don’t believe a 542 foot
long boat just disappears. There were many twists to the story to believe the ship was sunk. Especially with two Germans on board.
It most certainly is NOT impossible for a ship that size to be lost in the Bermuda Triangle. There have been so many others go missing without a trace. I feel as though, because 2 Germans were on board, they are being linked to the rest of the Germans. That’s like throwing away an entire bag of apples because one is bad. Maybe coincidence, maybe not.
Wow!! What a very interesting read. The Bermuda triangle concept has always interested me. I am in the middle of a series on Netflix called LOST, it kind of reminds me of the Bermuda Triangle.
Interesting. A ship that large left without a trace? Sounds funny to me. Maybe some sort of pirates attacked the ship.
I get there is speculation in the Bermuda Triagle; however, many myths have been over turned and are simply that…a myth. Honestly, government everywhere has corruption and I believe the German government had it also. I believe the ship was steered toward Germany and the passengers were held captive with the ship destroyed and no evidence remains. Then again, its just a thought.
I have always been interested in the Bermuda Triangle and the theories that surround it!
The Bermuda Triangle is pretty interesting. I would love to read more about it someday.
Wow! How ironic that the boat was named “Cyclops.” What a mysterious tale.
I am always fascinated by the Bermuda Triangle and the mysteries it contains.