In 1918, the USS Cyclops and its entire crew of 309 vanished without a trace, leaving behind an unsolved mystery that has puzzled experts for over a century. This disappearance, which occurred within the infamous Bermuda Triangle, continues to baffle naval historians and the public alike. No distress signals, no lifeboats adrift—it’s as if the ship was “lifted” off the Earth by an invisible force.
National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Flickr
The USS Cyclops, named after the one-eyed giants of Greek mythology, was a colossal ship in the U.S. Navy. Measuring 540 feet in length and 65 feet in width, it was the largest collier in the fleet, with a cargo capacity of 12,500 tons. When the United States entered World War I, Cyclops was armed with 50-caliber guns and began transporting doctors and medical supplies from Baltimore to France. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander George W. Worley, the ship became an essential part of the U.S. Navy.
In January 1918, the USS Cyclops was tasked with refueling British ships off the coast of Brazil. After arriving with nearly 10,000 tons of coal, the ship loaded another 10,000 tons of manganese ore for munitions production and began its return journey to Baltimore. On its way back, the ship stopped in Barbados to repair a damaged engine before resuming its course. However, Cyclops never reached Baltimore as scheduled on March 13.
Library of Congress
Despite relentless search efforts by the U.S. Navy, no trace of the ship was ever found. The disappearance of Cyclops has become one of the greatest mysteries in naval history, with numerous theories but no definitive answers. Some speculated that the ship was attacked by a German U-boat, but no debris was ever discovered. Others believed that the ship might have capsized due to its heavy manganese ore cargo, but no storms were reported at the time, and the ship did not send out any distress signals.
As with other disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, some theories suggested that Cyclops was pulled to the ocean’s depths by a sea monster or some supernatural force. However, the U.S. Navy dismissed these ideas, focusing instead on more plausible explanations, including the involvement of the ship’s commander, George W. Worley. Born Johan Frederick Wichmann in Germany, Worley was a controversial figure, known for his harsh demeanor, and some speculated that he may have handed the ship over to the Germans during the war. Yet, no evidence has surfaced to support this theory.
United States Naval History and Heritage Command/Wikimedia Commons
Over the years, there have been moments when it seemed the mystery might be solved, but none have led to any conclusive findings. In the 1960s, a Navy diver believed he had located the wreckage near the coast of Virginia, which would have corroborated a rumored sighting of the ship by a molasses tanker in the area, but the search ultimately yielded nothing.
Captain George W. Worley, commander of the USS Cyclops.
For the U.S. Navy and the families of those lost on board, the USS Cyclops remains a tragic story marked by uncertainty. The pain of loss and the longing for answers have endured for over a century. Marvin Barrash, the great-nephew of one of the missing crew members, expressed, “I just want her to be found. I want the 309 to be at rest, as well as the families.”