The ocean is good at keeping its secrets. Thousands of missing sailors, hundreds of ships that have disappeared into the abyss without a trace - throughout history, the ocean has taken many lives. Many sea disasters will forever remain a mystery, beyond the control of modern researchers, despite the arsenal of technical means. One of them is the strange disappearance of the sailing ship Copenhagen in 1928.
The five-masted training barque “Copenhagen” (and in Danish its name was “København”) was built in 1921 in Scotland. At that time it was the most advanced sailing vessel in the world. The hull was made of high-strength steel, equipped with all the latest technical and engineering innovations. On board there was a power station, all winches drives were equipped with electric drives, which significantly saved time on deck works. Besides, the barque had a modern ship radio station, very powerful with a large radius of coverage.
“Copenhagen” became a training and production vessel. Its main purpose was transportation of large-capacity and bulk cargoes. Part of the crew was made up of cadets of the Danish navigation school.
By 1928 the sailing ship could boast an extensive geography of voyages - it managed to work in all oceans, except for the Arctic Ocean, and to visit all continents of the planet. It was considered very prestigious among Danish cadets to undergo practical training on the “Copenhagen”, and the leadership of the maritime department encouraged such aspirations. Gradually the crew of the sailing ship began to consist of 80% of cadets and only 20% of professional sailors. This was the composition of the ship and it set sail from Buenos Aires, Argentina to the Australian port of Melbourne. On board the ship there were 16 regular crew members and 45 cadets, who were assigned to the positions of deck sailors. The cargo in the hold was grain.
Everything went on as usual, the route was not complicated and quite familiar to the captain. After a week of sailing, on December 21, 1928, the sailing ship came in contact and confirmed that the voyage was normal. And that was the last radio communication session with the ship. More “Copenhagen” did not contact and it never arrived in Melbourne.
When all the deadlines were up, the Danes sounded the alarm. Requests were sent to all ports to inform who knows what about the possible fate of the sailing ship. The captains of English and Norwegian ships responded. They reported that passing the southern part of the Atlantic, came into contact with “Copenhagen”. The captain of the barque congratulated them on the coming Christmas and said that everything was all right with them. That was the end of it.
Denmark outfitted the steamer Ducalien. He was to pass the route of the missing sailing ship with a call on the lying on the way islands Crozet and Prince Edward. They should have been examined with special care - if there was a wreck, the waves could throw ashore any parts of the sailing ship. But in vain. “Ducalien” twice passed along the route with a visit to the islands - no signs of people and broken sailing ship on them found. Moreover, the food supplies made there in case of a possible wreck were untouched.
Denmark announced a large reward for any information about the “Copenhagen” and for three years the crews of all ships that followed this route did not forget to look over the horizon - if anything could be found. In addition, a special commission was organized, which additionally went through all the drawings of the barque in search of a flaw in the design, capable of prompting versions of its disappearance. They didn't find it.
We had to admit that the five-masted barque “Copenhagen”, which had 61 people on board, was lost due to “the action of insurmountable forces of the elements and unforeseen accidents at sea”. The strangest thing about this story was two circumstances. First, the crew did not broadcast a single distress signal, which is only a matter of one minute. And two, the sailors didn't use the lifeboats. The only thing that could explain both of these factors is a sudden collision with an iceberg. Even so, the survivors had time to launch life rafts. Probably, experts thought, the impact was so sudden and strong that the sailing ship could have broken in half and sunk in less than a minute.
After these conclusions, the search for the Copenhagen was stopped, and the sailors were officially recognized as dead. However, the absence of any finds related to the sailing ship was disconcerting. Not a single piece of wreckage, not even the smallest part - nothing of this kind was never found. It was not until 1932 that the veil of mystery was lifted.
There is a land on the southwest coast of Africa, which sailors have long called the “Skeleton Coast”. This is the place where the sands of the Namib Desert closely approach the ocean. The territory is completely deserted and for several hundred kilometers from the coast there are no residential areas. Such a name was given to the coast because it is a de facto trap. It is possible to moor to the shore, but no matter how hard you try, you cannot get away from it due to the current and strong surf.
So at the end of 1932, a British expedition found seven dried skeletons in this place, which were half-styled sea coats. According to the structure of the skull scientists realized that the dead Europeans, but the most valuable information gave just bushlats, or rather copper buttons. According to their pattern experts determined that the buttons belong to the form of cadets of the Danish nautical school. It turns out that a few unfortunates still managed to get to the shore and died there from hunger and thirst. The mystery of the Copenhagen is solved after all. Or is it?
In October 1959, the captain of the Dutch cargo ship “Straat Magelhas” being near the southern coast of Africa, suddenly saw a five-masted sailing ship moving towards him. It appeared as if out of nowhere and was heading straight for the Dutch ship. The crew managed with great difficulty to prevent a collision, and when the danger was over, the strange vessel with scraps of sails on its masts disappeared into the fog. The crew only had time to read the inscription on board the “ghost” - “København”.
