Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait

The Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait is a ghost ship that can be seen sailing ablaze within the Northumberland Strait, the body of water that separates Prince Edward Island from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in eastern Canada. This phantom ship has been reported for over 220 years, with numerous eyewitness accounts.

The first sighting of the Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait dates back to 1786, however, there are few details of these accounts. Eyewitness accounts of the ship come from either side of the strait, and are often very similar in description. Understandably, many are skeptical of the recollections of the burning ship. However, occasionally a large number of people have witnessed the ship's appearance at the same time. Here are a few examples of first-hand descriptions of the ghost ship:
“I could make out the outline of the ship quite distinctly. I watched it for about twenty minutes and then it disappeared. I had heard so much about the phantom ship that I decided this must be it. My sister, who was visiting friends nearby, said she saw the same thing on the same night."
“As it came nearer it seemed to lose speed, and as it came opposite our house it stopped still. I said to Fred, “Perhaps they are coming ashore.” We got up on the banks to watch. There was no sign of anyone on board and no dory on tow. I can’t remember just how long it was, but I think about ten minutes after she stopped I seen smoke rising very slow all over the deck. Then it was only a few minutes I seen men that seemed to come up from below and they were running around the deck every way. Then as they were running around I seen a low flame all over the deck. When the flames started the men climbed up the masts of the vessel. When they was about halfway up the masts the sails caught. All the sails seemed to catch at the same time. I could not see the men any more as the flames hid my view. We watched it until the flames died and everything crumbled to the deck. There was nothing left but the hull on the water, and gradually it seemed to sink lower and finally disappeared as if it gradually filled with water and sunk.”
The most recent sighting of this ghost ship was by 17-year-old Mathieu Giguere, who noticed the “bright white and gold ship” in mid-January 2008. Sightings vary in description, but there are sometimes reports of other bizarre occurrences during the sightings of the ghost ship. Mysterious sea guns can be heard, and sometimes an apparent ball of fire can be seen in the sky. These incidents, like the phantom ship, have yet to be explained.