30 August 2026: 12 years ago, creating Maritime Maunder seemed like a good idea; 22 August 2014 was our initial post. We ambitiously thought a daily bit, written by me after researching some subject or discussing maritime news would be a good thing, even if a bit challenging. Well, it wasn't long - maybe 6 months, before we saw the light and that evolved to a weekly post which turned into a bi-weekly post and then a bi-weekly repost of articles of maritime interest. And here we are today: 590,000 readers, 621 posts, and still at it. I guess one might say we've found our rhythm! So, pressing on, we have a bit of maritime trivia from allthatsinteresting.com to start year 13. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
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The "Dragon's Triangle" or "Devil's Sea" is an area of the Pacific Ocean south of Japan that's compared to the Bermuda Triangle because of its alleged paranormal activity.
There’s a stretch of the Pacific Ocean south of Japan that has become infamous for shipwrecks, mysterious disappearances, and alleged paranormal activity. It’s known as the Dragon’s Triangle — and it’s been called the “Pacific Bermuda Triangle.”
Ancient Japanese lore claimed that dragons lived in the seas surrounding the islands, stirring up storms and whirlpools or breathing fire on doomed ships. This tale may be explained by the Dragon’s Triangle, where underwater volcanoes often send massive plumes of steam into the air and passing typhoons whip the waves into a frenzy.
But some of the eerie reports from the so-called “Devil’s Sea” can’t be interpreted so easily. Sailors have allegedly seen strange silver discs floating in the sky, and several ships have gone missing without a trace.
So is the Dragon’s Triangle really a hot spot for strange activity? Or is there a scientific explanation for the rumors that surround it?
What Is The Dragon’s Triangle?
It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact boundary for the Dragon’s Triangle, as descriptions vary from source to source. The area stretches roughly from the Izu Islands south of Tokyo to the Ogasawara Islands, located roughly 500 miles southwest, east toward Okinawa, and back up to the Izu Islands. However, some people claim the Devil’s Sea is much larger and bordered by Japan, Guam, and the Philippines.
It’s been compared to the Bermuda Triangle due to the shipwrecks, disappearances, and bizarre sightings reported there. Some of these events are urban legends, but others were well documented at the time.
For instance, there’s no evidence that a pilot named Shiro Kawamoto vanished after seeing something strange while flying above the Dragon’s Triangle in 1945. And many reports about the number of known shipwrecks in the area have been exaggerated.
Still, there have been plenty of incidents that raise questions about the true dangers of the Devil’s Sea.
Shipwrecks In The Devil’s Sea
In January 1955, The New York Times reported that at least nine ships had vanished within the Dragon’s Triangle in a five-year period. “Only one ship — a fishery patrol vessel that was the third to disappear — left any trace of wreckage or bodies,” the Times noted.
While this does seem to be true, most of the lost vessels were small fishing boats that could have been caught in a storm or suffered mechanical issues in the middle of the ocean.[ed: and the New York Times never gets it wrong1]
The most famous shipwreck in the Dragon’s Triangle was that of the Kaiyo Maru No. 5, an oceanographic survey ship working with the Hydrographic Department of the Maritime Safety Agency. On Sept. 24, 1952, the vessel was investigating a volcanic island that had appeared just south of Aogashima.
When the ship arrived, the island had seemingly sunk beneath the sea once more — but then the volcano erupted just as the Kaiyo Maru was floating above its crater. The ship was destroyed, and all 31 scientists and crew members on board perished.
However, it wasn’t initially clear what had happened to the Kaiyo Maru — and rumors flew about its true fate. These were fueled by the fact that the Japanese government declared a danger zone around the volcano. Of course, the policy was simply to prevent further tragedy, but some conspiracy theorists insisted that something more sinister was lurking beneath the waves.
Then, in September 1980, the MV Derbyshire sank in the Dragon’s Triangle while carrying iron ore from Canada to Japan. The ship was caught in Typhoon Orchid, a massive storm with winds that reached speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. All 44 people on board died, including 42 crew members and two of their wives. To this day, the Derbyshire is the largest British ship ever lost at sea.
While these shipwrecks are tragic, they’re mostly explainable. But the Devil’s Sea has seen Paranormal Activity In The Dragon’s Triangle
On April 19, 1957, Japanese fishermen on the Kitsukawara Maru reported a UFO sighting in the Dragon’s Triangle. According to the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), five men witnessed “the sudden appearance of two silver saucer-shaped metal craft plunge into the water nearby.”
heavy volcanic activity in the area , part of the "ring of fire"
The mysterious objects were about 30 feet long and had no wings. As soon as they hit the water, “the sea where they fell became furiously disturbed, boiling and churning violently.” The fishermen searched for wreckage, thinking the aircraft may have been jets, but they found nothing.
Sailors have also reportedly spotted alleged ghost ships in the Devil’s Sea, though these tales may be urban legends. Indeed, it seems that most of the stories surrounding the area have little basis in fact.
While these shipwrecks are tragic, they’re mostly explainable. But the Devil’s Sea has seen its fair share of incomprehensible events, too.
In fact, many of the theories about the Dragon’s Triangle seemingly didn’t emerge until the 1970s, when Charles Berlitz published The Bermuda Triangle. Berlitz greatly exaggerated many of the facts about the Devil’s Sea, claiming that the fishing boats that vanished in the area were actually military vessels and that the Kaiyo Maru was investigating the disappearances when it sank.
The following year, author Larry Kusche debunked many of Berlitz’s claims in his own book, The Bermuda Triangle Mystery — Solved. Kusche reached out to various government agencies and realized that many officials had never even heard of some of the rumors regarding the Dragon’s Triangle.
Most of the strange sightings can likely be attributed to the undersea volcanic activity in the region. Suddenly turbulent waters, eerie steam, and mysterious explosions could frighten even the most seasoned sailors and fishermen. But in the end, the Dragon’s Triangle is no more haunted than any other place on Earth. [ed: damn! I was hoping....]
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Ok, a bit longer than our typical offering, but nonetheless, an interesting piece of lore, even if it was ultimately debunked! And we all know that other bit of haunted water (Bermuda Triangle for those of you playing along at home) is also not haunted even if there are a few anomalies unexplained.
So on we go into year 13 with all flags still flying and our ship mostly above water.
Until next time, stay safe!
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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