Scientist explains what really goes down in the Bermuda Triangle — and why so many ships go missing there

Nypost · Jun 05, 2026 · 530 words · By Ben Cost

Scientific vs. Pseudoscience Explanations Bermuda Triangle Mysteries

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What to know about Scientific vs. Pseudoscience Explanations

Scientist explains what really goes down in the Bermuda Triangle — and why so many ships go missing there See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scientist explains what really goes down in the Bermuda Triangle — and why so many ships go missing there See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThe Bermuda Triangle could be a magnet for disaster.

Common ground

A scientist believes he has solved the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, claiming that a volcanic metal interfered with their navigational tools and sent them off course.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Scientific vs. Pseudoscience Explanations story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Bermuda’s basically a sea mountain – it’s an underwater volcano?
How does this story connect Scientific vs. Pseudoscience Explanations with Bermuda Triangle Mysteries over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/science/mystery-of-why-ships-go-missing-in-the-ber…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Bermuda’s basically a sea mountain – it’s an underwater volcano”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources attribute the 'sea mountain' and 'underwater volcano' description to Nick Hutchings in the Channel 5 documentary.

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web search NEUTRAL — Underwater Volcano Theory. Speaking in Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle, Hutchings described Bermuda as 'basically a sea mountain,' formed from volcanic activity and once above sea level around 30 mill…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bermuda-triangle-science-debunks-m…

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web search NEUTRAL — Bermuda's volcanic origins. According to Hutchings, Bermuda is the remnant of an ancient underwater volcano that once rose above sea level before gradually eroding away. “Bermuda's basically a sea mou…
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bermuda-triangle-m…

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web search NEUTRAL — “Bermuda’s basically a sea mountain - it’s an underwater volcano. 30 million years ago, it was sticking up above sea level.800 miles from Bermuda, 1,500 miles from the US, standing on a very nice Swan…
https://vt.co/news/weird/haunting-moment-sailors-come-across…

verified

Claim 2: “It’s the most magnetic naturally occurring material on Earth.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that magnetite is the most magnetic of all naturally occurring minerals on Earth (with rare exceptions of native iron).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — One of only a few naturally occurring magnetic materials, magnetite fascinated early civilizations and set many on a path toward the modern compass.
https://commonminerals.esci.umn.edu/minerals-g-m/magnetite

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web search NEUTRAL — It is one of the most abundant iron minerals on Earth and a major component of the planet's crust, mantle, and even meteorites. Magnetite has been found on ...
https://www.fossilera.com/pages/magnetite-earth-s-natural-ma…

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web search NEUTRAL — With the exception of extremely rare native iron deposits, it is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on Earth. Naturally magnetized pieces ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite

help

Claim 3: “Karl Kruszelnicki, a scientist at Sydney University in Australia, claims that the Bermuda Triangle doesn’t have any supernatural powers, explaining that the percentage of disappearing planes and ships is no different than in any other heavily-trafficked parts of the ocean.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific claims made by Karl Kruszelnicki regarding this topic.

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Claim 4: “the disappearance of the shipping carrier SS Cotopaxi in 1925”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm the SS Cotopaxi disappeared in 1925 in the Bermuda Triangle.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cotopaxi (US: KOH-tə-PAHK-see, UK: KOT-ə-PAK-see, Spanish: [kotoˈpaɣsi]) is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Cotopaxi National Park in Cotopaxi Province, about 50 km (31.1 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotopaxi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — SS Cotopaxi was an Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) Design 1060 bulk carrier built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) under the World War I emergency shipbuilding program. The ship, launched…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Cotopaxi

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “We have a few core samples, which have magnetite in them.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the theory that rock samples/cores from the Bermuda region contain magnetite.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 11, 2026 ... Bermuda sits atop rocks that are far older than the volcanic seamount it rises from, and its formation has puzzled geologists for decades. New ...
https://www.facebook.com/thedoctorasky/posts/a-strange-mantl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2026 ... The theory centers on rock samples collected from the area that contain magnetite, a naturally occurring mineral known for its powerful magnetic ...
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bermuda-triangle-m…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 17, 2019 ... That's where the rock core comes into play, which chronicled the volcanic underworld hiding beneath Bermuda's pink beaches. For one, it has ...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/bermuda-v…

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Claim 6: “Notable incidents included the USS Cyclops, which disappeared along with its 308 crewmembers and passengers in 1918”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the USS Cyclops disappeared in 1918. While one source mentions 306 crew and others 308, the core event and date are corroborated.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — USS Langley (CV-1/AV-3) was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS Jupiter (Navy Fleet Collier No. 3), and also the US Navy's first turbo-electric-powe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Langley_(CV-1)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of auxiliaries of the United States Navy. It covers the various types of ships that support the frontline combat vessels of the United States Navy. Auxiliary ships which function as hos…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_auxiliaries_of_the_Uni…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Navy has lost the following ships from its inception in 1775 as the Continental Navy in the American Revolutionary War. The navy has since been involved in several wars but saw its m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sunken_U.S._Navy_ships

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “Flight 19, a squadron of five bombers that vanished over the Houdini-like region while conducting a training exercise in 1945.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other sources confirm Flight 19, a group of five bombers, disappeared during a training exercise on December 5, 1945.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Flight 19 was the designation of a group of five Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945, after losing contact during a United States Navy ov…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of incidents attributed in popular culture to the Bermuda Triangle or the Devil's Triangle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bermuda_Triangle_incid…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “He floated this unorthodox theory in the Channel 5 Documentary, “Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle,” which first aired in 2019.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm the existence of the Channel 5 documentary 'Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle' and its 2019 air date.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Triangle is a three-part US-British-German science fiction television miniseries concerning the Bermuda Triangle, which first aired on Sci-Fi Channel in the US December 5–7, 2005. It was written b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triangle_(miniseries)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A triangle is a geometric shape with three sides. Triangle may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_(disambiguation)

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 9: “According to Lloyd’s of London and the US Coast Guard, the number that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm data from Lloyd's of London or the US Coast Guard regarding the percentage of missing vessels.

verified

Claim 10: “From the 1800s until recently, over 50 ships and 20 aircraft have allegedly vanished without a trace over this so-called “Devil’s Triangle,” located in the North Atlantic between Bermuda, Florida and the Greater Antilles.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and NOAA confirm the Bermuda Triangle is located in the North Atlantic, bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico/Greater Antilles.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bermuda, Islands of Bermuda, or The Somers Isles is an Atlantic archipelago, British Overseas Territory, and a former part of Virginia. Bermuda may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_(disambiguation)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bermuda Triangle is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared mysteriously. Bermuda Triangle may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle_(disambiguati…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.