Without a Clue

Charles Berlitz. Without a Trace. Souvenir Press, 1977.
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Berlitz's first book on the Bermuda Triangle was conclusively demolished by Laurence Kuesche in his Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved. Now Berlitz is back, pausing only for a brief sneer to the effect that Kuesche has never been to the Triangle.True; what what are you expected to actually see there – vanished ships? He trots out all the 'mysteries' demystified by Kuesche. He lists among ships that have vanished in the Triangle the 'Raifuku maru' (1925) which was seen to sink off the coast of Labrador, and the 'Bella' (1854) which went missing off Brazil. The fate of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst in 1969 is cited as a mystery. British readers will need no reminding of his published diaries, vividly revealing his increasing mental unbalance and decision to commit suicide.

Several new mysteries are added to the list; on a preliminary investigation they do not seem to stand up any better. The 'Mahukona' (1941) only went missing after it had been abandoned by its crew as unseaworthy. The 'Anglo-Australian' (1938) vanished 'mysteriously' in a 60-knot gale off the Azores. The disappearance of the 'Nina' (1910) becomes less strange when we are aware that it was a 50-year-old tug.

However most of the book is devoted to other alleged Triangle mysteries, including strange archaeological finds, ghost ships and time anomalies, presented with no documentation at all. Although interesting if true, the author's record on matters which can be checked inspires no confidence. How little research has gone into this work may be judged from his repeating the story of the regiment that 'vanished' into a cloud at Gallipoli. A few moments reference to histories of the campaign would roast this old chestnut! Still, he does not try to claim that Gallipoli is in the Bermuda Triangle! Many of his other claims are refuted in detail in the New Scientist (14 July 1977), which includes statements by Leut. Wissman of the US Coast Guards and Prof. Wayne Meshijian that Berlitz has totally misrepresented their description of normal radar events.

I am indebted to Hocking's Dictionary of Marine Disasters for information on the true fate of the ships mentioned in this review.

• Roger Sandell, from MUFOB New Series 8, Autumn 1977