The Palatine Light
Off a small island in New England, people say a ship in flames appears on the horizon on certain winter nights, then fades into the dark.
What was reported
In 1738, a ship carrying German emigrants, often called the Palatine, was wrecked on Block Island after a terrible voyage. Legend grew that islanders had lured the ship onto the rocks, looted it and set it on fire.
Ever since, people have reported a burning ship seen offshore, especially around the anniversary in late December. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier made it famous in his poem The Palatine.
Explanations offered
Historians say the ship's real name was the Princess Augusta, and that the story of wreckers is a myth: islanders seem to have helped the survivors. The light may be reflections, distant ships or St Elmo's fire, and the legend is one of several phantom fire-ships told about on the Atlantic coast.
- When
- Reported since the 1700s
- Where
- Block Island, Rhode Island, USA
- Witnesses
- Islanders and sailors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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