The Mystery Ship

Source 2: THE SHIP THAT PASSED IN THE NIGHT

By Ken Ringle

Researcher: Romeo Portillo

Revised by Geena San Diego

Abstract

As a child, David Eno was fascinated by the Titanic, yet something always confused him. He kept seeing plotholes and overall inconsistencies. One of which was the notorious legend of the mystery ship. On the tragic night in which the RMS Titanic sank, there was indeed another boat that lies in between the RMS Titanic and the SS Californian. Researchers and individuals who recall the voyage of the Samson, say they do recall a “Mystery Ship” in between the sinking RMS Titanic and the SS Californian on the night of April 14, 1912. Some people and researchers oppose this theory, as the location and the fact that none of the crew members and captains mentioned anything about such occasion.

Notable Quotations

"The Samson, a Norwegian sealing ship, has long been a part of the Titanic lore. After the disaster, its former first officer, one Henrik Naess, told a newspaper in Norway that The Samson had been within sight of the Titanic the night the great ship went down" (NIGHT p18).

"Scholars of the Titanic found Naess's story intriguing but contradictory in some places and simply baffling in others. For example, Naess stated that his ship had been south of Cape Hatteras, which was not only physically impossible but logically confounding. Why would a Norwegian sealer even think of being near Cape Hatteras? It's a thousand miles from his Arctic hunting ground and nowhere near any seals" (NIGHT p22).

Source 4: Mystery Ship Made Simple

By Senan Molony

Researcher: Geena San Diego

Revised by Alaa Ibrahim

Abstract

Among the millions of theories created by the many people that are infatuated with the sinking of the RMS Titanic, some of them question the SS Californian as the official identity of the mystery ship. When we observe the coordinates of the Titanic and observe the SS Californian at the time, it can become quite evident that the identity of our beloved Mystery Ship may be corrupted. When it comes to the coordinates of both the Titanic (shipwreck and SOS) and the trackway/emergency path for the Californian, they were too far away. And even though the mystery ship was spotted an hour after the wreck, the actual mystery ship kept going (the Californian stopped in the area in which the mystery ship didn't). The Californian cannot be the mystery ship, as there is more evidence and finite proof that the Californian is not.

Notable Quotations

"The Inquiries in 1912 assumed that the Titanic’s SOS position was correct. Because of apparent inconsistencies in relation to where the rockets were seen, inter alia, Lord Mersey next assumed that the Californian’s position was 'not accurate.' In fact matters were the other way about" (Mystery Ship p3).

"But even earlier, hours before the Titanic struck, the Californian sent her own position to shipping when seeing three bergs to her southward, in 42° 05' N, 49°09' W. This 6.30pm Californian position is therefore indisputable, since it cannot have been pre-fabricated to cover for something that has not yet happened – Titanic’s sinking. We can rely upon it" (Mystery Ship p6).

"Of course, the Mystery Ship was only seen an hour after the collision, which means a further drift to the south by the Titanic of one mile since collision. The Mystery Ship was also seen to be approaching, whereas Californian was stopped – but let’s not rub it in" (Mystery Ship p14).

"But we know for an indisputable fact that she was not troubled by ice for another four hours after making her 6.30pm position report. Therefore she would surely have remained steaming west (above 42° N) until she should meet any obstruction" (Mystery Ship p20).

Source 6: Samson

By: Encyclopedia Titanica

Researcher: Geena San Diego

Abstract

The Samson is largely blamed when it comes to the legend of the Mystery Ship. Witnesses/Survivors have claimed that they saw a light or had to row towards a light while on the lifeboat. Some may think this just may be the Californian, yet witnesses argue for the presence of a third boat. The Californian's captain, Stanley Lord, has been wrongly accused for the deaths of 1,517 people. The captain of the Samson (Hendrik Bergethon Naess) and the crew openly ignored the rockets sent by the Titanic because they were afraid to be caught illegally poaching and forgot about what happened. Once they remembered, Naess checked the location of his ship compared to the Titanic, and got a 10 mile difference. In the late 1920s, the ship was sold, which then quickly resulted in a fire on the ship).

Notable Quotations

"There has been speculation that the Samson was close to the Titanic during the sinking of that vessel. Many survivors claimed to have seen lights or been told while boarding lifeboats to pull for a light on the horizon. May think that this vessel was the Californian but some have argued for the presence of a third ship, visible to both the Titanic and Californian" (Samson p3).

" In an article for the Guardian (London) newspaper "Clue to the Titanic ghost ship " in 1963 he considered that the captain of Californian, Stanley Lord had been the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice. The Californian had been, he claimed, more than 20 miles away, while the Samson was, according to one of its crew, very much nearer" (Samson p3).

"The Samson did nothing in response to these rockets but this, explained Naess, was because Samson was sealing in territorial waters and could have been prosecuted for doing so illegally" (Samson p7).

"Naess said that when he got back on board the Samson he compared their positions and saw that Samson had been within 10 miles of the sinking ship" (Samson p10).

"In the late 1920s 'Samson' was sold to the American explorer Richard Even Byrd. It was renamed City of New York. Byrd used the Samson on his first expedition to Antarctica (1928 - 29). On 30 December 1952 while being towed to Halifax, Nova Scotia the ship ran aground off Yarmouth. A fire later broke out which quickly spread throughout the vessel" (Samson p11-12)