I recently had a pop-up on Facebook regarding not hearing about the Bermuda Triangle anymore. I recall growing up in the 1970s and hearing frequently about boats and airplanes disappearing in that location. As time went on I realized it was no longer in the news. With the recent pop-up on Facebook, my curiosity was piqued.
What better place to begin my research than the Britannica Encyclopedia? According to the encyclopedia, more than 20 airplanes and 50 ships disappeared without a trace in the triangular area between the northern point of Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Florida, near Miami. Occasionally a vessel was found completely abandoned, with no apparent reason for abandonment. Aircraft flying in the area completely vanished. No distress signals were received from ships or airplanes, and only minimal debris has ever been found; no bodies have been recovered. Even search and rescue missions disappeared without explanation.
I remember people being very superstitious about the area and wondering why anyone would travel within that zone because of the numerous disappearances. Some believed the pilots failed to consider the agonic line. This is an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface where magnetic north and true north are identical, resulting in no need to compensate for magnetic compass variation. Failing to compensate for this can result in a severe navigational error that can lead to a catastrophic accident and disappearance. Others believed the ships were overcome by rogue waves, which can be as high as 100 feet and strong enough to destroy a ship or a low-flying airplane.
The name “Bermuda Triangle” dates back to a 1964 article in Argosy, an American pulp magazine. The article discusses a pattern of ships and airplanes disappearing in the area without any explanation. The Deadly Bermuda Triangle by Vincent H. Gaddis examines the history of industrial, military, and commercial flights and ships that have disappeared in the area before the writing of the article. Gaddis provides a list of ships disappearing in the area as far back as 1854. It goes back to 1840 if you include the Rosalie, which was found with everyone missing onboard except a half-starved, caged canary.
In 1881, a schooner was found that was deserted, everything was in order, and there was “evidence of a struggle.” A crew from the ship Ellen Austin went on board to claim salvage. A squall separated the two ships as they were en route to port. The schooner was found; the crew had vanished. Another crew agreed to go aboard, but again a squall separated the two ships. The schooner and its men were never heard from or seen again.
Marina Life has an article by James R. Barneff, The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, written in September 2023. According to him, it was Christopher Columbus in 1492 who first recorded weird phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle—strange lights in the distance, erratic compass readings, patches of white water, and a large ball of fire crashing into the sea. They encountered a floating sargassum carpet, a mass of seaweed and tropical berries, which was so thick that they had difficulty navigating through it. The article lists a series of disappearances. It begins with the 1918 disappearance of the U.S. Navy ship, the USS Cyclops. The 542-foot-long cargo ship was carrying over 300 men and 10,000 tons of manganese ore. They sent a message that they had fair weather, and all was well, but it never arrived in port. In 1941, two of her sister ships also vanished in the same area without a trace.
Over the years, various theories have been proposed regarding the disappearances, including those involving aliens, time warps, and reverse gravity fields. Scientists have noted that the Bermuda Triangle is one of two locations on Earth where compasses align with true north instead of magnetic north, which can interfere with navigation if not accounted for. Other theories include pilot errors, sudden storms, running out of fuel, and damaged ships and airplanes. The mystery is that the Coast Guard has never been able to find any wreckage in the area.
So where are we today? The article The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle Finally Unveiled, shares that a shipwreck occurred in December 2020, when the vessel and its 20 crew members all disappeared. No trace of the ship, debris, or persons on board has been found. An average of 20 boats and four planes disappear in the Bermuda Triangle each year without explanation.
No firm explanation has ever been made, probably because there are no distress signals, no survivors, and no wreckage to determine a cause. Various factors may contribute to the disappearances, including the Gulf Stream crossing the Bermuda Triangle, which can cause sudden weather changes. The Milwaukee Depth (27,493 feet, 5.26 inches), the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, is located within the Bermuda Triangle. Methane gas production below the water’s surface is massive. Due to these natural circumstances, scientists believe that the ocean depth and methane gas production may cause underwater crevices to open, releasing giant bubbles of methane. This could lead to massive blowouts of gas that could suck boats below the surface and cause engines and aircraft probes to malfunction.
Why don’t we hear about it anymore? Most likely because, as science evolves, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle has been debunked. Compasses that read true north instead of magnetic north can cause a 20-degree difference in readings, leading to navigational errors and significantly deviating from course. The unpredictable weather patterns of the area can create sudden waterspouts and thunderstorms, putting ships and airplanes into danger, and the fast, turbulent Gulf Stream can quickly erase any wreckage.
One of the main factors contributing to its loss of media coverage is that conspiracy theorists and journalists built popularity and hype around a dangerous area, when in fact, there are other, more hazardous locations. The Bermuda Triangle didn’t even make the list for dangerous shipping incidents from 1999-2011: British Isles, Bay of Biscay, North Sea; East Mediterranean Black Sea; Japan, Korea; West Mediterranean; Gulf; South China Sea, East Indies; West African Boast; Panama Canal; East African Coast; and Bay of Bengal.
The bottom line is that the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains a topic of debate to this day. Many minds still ponder its origins. However, scientists often attribute it to natural phenomena and weather. The Bermuda Triangle is considered safe and is heavily traveled.
Imagine back to when you were in the 8th grade, about 14 years old. You must make a decision that impacts the balance of your time in school. You can take a vocational program, which you attend to grade 12, or a university prep program, which you attend to grade 13.
Once you make your decision, you cannot change to the other program. Now, consider being that 8th grade boy and before you make that decision your school principal informs you that you aren’t “smart enough” for college, so you better go vocational.
That is the way school in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada was in the mid-late 1950s when Paul Cannon attended. He followed the advice of his principal. The question is, after hearing the principal’s assessment of his abilities, what did Paul do with his life?
The Teen Years
Paul was not afraid of water, and unbeknownst to his mother he and his friends would climb Inglis Falls in the summer. This was the largest of the four waterfalls in town and has a 59-foot cascade. I’ve seen in the fall with a slow flow of water. It is huge!
Inglis Falls in Owens Sound, Ontario Photo by Grace Grogan
When Paul was about 14-15 years old he became certified as both a swim instructor and a lifeguard. He worked as a lifeguard at the community pool and taught swimming to adults and children both there and at the YMCA.
Paul was interested in science and technology, and around age 16 he and three friends learned about an Army surplus store in Toronto selling non-working ham radios for parts. The store had ten radios, and they purchased them all. The intent was to build two or three operating ham radios from the parts, and they did!
Paul and his friends had fun communicating on the radios for about a year. None of the teens had taken the required test to become licensed ham radio operators so were broadcasting illegally. An officer tracked them down and removed the tubes, rendering the radios inoperable. Years later as an adult Paul took the test and became a licensed ham operator.
Paul always had an interest in aviation and was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in Canada growing up. The group’s intent was to introduce 12-19 year old students to flight. As a CAP cadet, Paul received education regarding citizenship, leadership, physical fitness and general aviation. In Canada today one out of every five pilots is an ex-air cadet and 67% of commercial airline pilots began as air cadets.
Bush Pilot
When Paul was 16-17 years old he got a summer job working for a bush pilot in a nearby town. That first summer Paul performed miscellaneous jobs and ran errands. When the summer ended the owner told Paul if he returned the following year the owner would teach Paul to fly.
Paul returned and became a bush pilot, flying a Beaver pontoon plane. Bush pilots fly in remote areas, and Paul’s job was to deliver supplies to cabins in the wilderness. You have probably seen this in movies where a plane lands on a body of water, docking near a cabin to leave supplies.
All pilots must learn how to read the weather, and because pontoon pilots land on water, they must also evaluate the water’s surface before touching down. Accommodations must be made for wind direction, the direction and speed of the current, and any obstacles that may affect their landing. Once on the water the pilot must follow all marine rules.
On one flight Paul was landing to leave supplies at a not-yet occupied cabin when the engine on his plane blew. Oil splattered the windshield and the plane stopped before he was near shore. Pontoon planes must carry a paddle for this type of situation. Paul shut down all systems on the plane, then climbed out to sit on one of the pontoons, straddling it like a horse. Paul then paddled his way to shore. If you think rowing a boat is difficult, try an airplane!
There was no radio communication, so Paul unloaded the supplies into the cabin and hunkered down for the night. His boss had expected him back before dark, so when Paul didn’t return the owner went out the next morning, flying Paul’s route. When he spotted Paul’s plane, he touched down so see what was going on. Paul already had the cowling off the plane, but neither Paul nor his boss had the tools or knowledge to repair the engine.
Beaver Pontoon Airplane Photo by Grace Grogan
The owner said he would be back, and when he landed the second time he was accompanied by a mechanic and tools. The owner left Paul and the mechanic to work on the engine. The two spent another night at the cabin before repairs were complete. The plane Paul flew only had one seat, the pilot’s. Once the repairs were complete, the mechanic strapped himself onto the top of a cargo box in the plane and rode back with Paul.
Bush pilots are required to carry a bush pilot’s rifle because situations such as the one above or an unanticipated stop in the wilderness can put you in danger. If Paul was flying his route and saw severe weather ahead, he would land the plane and beach it. Using ropes he would tie the plane to trees to secure it during the storm. When performing these tasks, he always had to be on the lookout for bear.
Paul continued working as a bush pilot for a year after graduating high school, then left for Toronto to attend college.
Radio College
Radio College of Toronto, Ontario trained students in electronic engineering technology and had a focus on tubes and digital electronics. Electronics technology was the wave of the future in the early 1960s.
While Paul was attending college, he lived in a boarding house with 17 other men. They were housed two to a room, with no locks on the room doors. The home was run by a single woman who ran a tight ship. She made all beds every day and washed the sheets once a week.
Board included breakfast and dinner Monday thru Friday. Paul quickly learned that when sharing a table with a large group of men there were no second helpings. You better get a sufficient amount the first time a dish went around the table. Lunch and weekends boarders were on their own for meals, but could use the kitchen and food she had as long as they cleaned up afterwards. This was a very different type of living than Paul had growing up as an only child.
One evening Paul and his roommate heard a knock on their door, which immediately flew open and in rushed the landlady. She didn’t say anything but hurried over and threw open the window, reached into her pocket to grab a pair of scissors and reached out. The next thing Paul heard was glass breaking on the sidewalk below. Apparently one of the borders owed the landlady money, and she suspected he might try to slip out. By cutting the string to the bundle of belongings the border was lowering from his third-story window, the landlady made it clear she knew what he was up to. No one knows if she collected the money owed her or just enjoyed a bit of revenge.
Paul rode the streetcar to and from college, and sometimes hitch hiked his way back to Owen Sound on weekends to visit his parents. If living in a boarding house and using public transportation bus wasn’t enough of a challenge, Paul was doing this on crutches. Paul played B-Team Hockey and did competition ski jumping. Unfortunately, he landed a jump wrong, breaking his ankle.
Paul quickly learned that in a time of need, crutches make a great weapon. One day Paul got off the streetcar and some guy, thinking he had one-up on Paul, knocked Paul’s books out of his hands. Paul may have been a bit disabled, but not unarmed. He swung one of his crutches around and clobbered the guy. A police officer saw the exchange, came over to pick up Paul’s books and make sure he was okay. When Paul left the scene his attacker was in the back of a police vehicle.
Using city transportation when dating was something Paul learned could be difficult. On one date Paul took a girl out, then escorted her home, staying to visit until about midnight. Big mistake! When he got to the bus stop he had missed the last bus in that area, so he walked down to the next line, just in time to miss the last subway of the night. He ended up walking all night to get back to the boarding house. Thank goodness it happened on a Friday night, and he was able to sleep when he arrived there the next morning.
Work and Electronics
After graduating from Radio College, Paul took a position installing and repairing x-ray machines throughout Canada. This took him into every Canadian province, a position that nurtured his love of travel and photography. His goal was to emigrate into the United States, work his way west and eventually end up in Australia. He didn’t make it past Michigan.
Immigration into the United States took about a year. Paul needed to find a job that would hold the position for six months while he completed the immigration process. He was about 23 when he got his first job in Michigan doing the same thing as in Canada. Paul was living the bachelor’s life, driving a convertible and working in hospitals throughout the tri-state area of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, where there was plenty of female staff to date.
Many people do not realize that immigrants must register for the draft six months after they become permanent U.S. residents. Paul registered during the Vietnam era and knew how to fly the same type of plane being used in the war. Each year he was obligated to check in at the military office, and each time he met new criteria for a waiver so was never drafted.
Career Change
Paul was talking with an electrician and learned they made more money than Paul was in the electronics field. Paul purchased code books and studied to become an electrician. Though not licensed, he got a job working for Morgan Electric. When a client requested a special electrical job, Paul volunteered for the assignment. The client was impressed with Paul’s work and offered him a job working for their company.
Paul made the job change. Always looking to advance, Paul later applied and got a job in skilled trades as an electrician at the Ford River Rouge plant. Unfortunately the plant did layoffs before Paul had 90 days in.
Needing work and the economy being bad, Paul took a job working on an ambulance. It was on-the-job training, they were not paramedics. The crew would perform basic first aid and transport patients to hospitals. This was during the 1967 Detroit riots and runs were often into dangerous areas. It wasn’t all bad though.
One run was to Governor Romney’s home. The governor’s wife had fallen and injured herself, requiring an ambulance transport. Paul also delivered two babies during his time on the ambulance. One laboring woman looked at him and said, “it’s my first” and he responded, “mine too.”
When Paul’s father notified him Pittsburgh Glass Works was opening a plant in Owen Sound and needed skilled trades workers, Paul applied and was the first electrician hired. He moved back to Owen Sound and lived there for two years. The glass plant job gave him experience in trouble shooting factory machinery, which would pay off later.
When the economy improved Paul moved back to Michigan and took a position at Allied Chemical in Mount Clemens. An electrical inspector saw his work and volunteered to sponsor Paul for taking his journeyman’s test. You cannot take this test until you have verification of 10 years of experience working as an electrician and a sponsor. Paul passed the test and immediately began studying for his master’s license.
You must work as a journeyman for a minimum of two years before taking your master’s exam. When Paul reached the qualification period he took the test and became a master electrician. Paul then started his own electrical contracting business, Trojan Electric. This electrical contract work was in addition to his full-time employment. His business was lucrative enough to necessitate employing a work crew.
While working at Allied Chemical in Mt. Clemens, Paul saw an ad for skilled trades at the Ford Motor Company Paint Plant. Paul applied and went into Ford as a re-hire. He remained at Ford as an electrician in skilled trades for the balance of his working life, retiring out of the Ford Utica Trim plant.
Back to Flying
After Paul immigrated into the United States, he checked into getting his pilot’s license. The bush pilot Paul worked for never had him keep a pilot’s logbook, so there was no record of his time in the air. Paul had to start over. Lessons were easy because he knew how to fly, he just had to master landing on solid ground.
Pilots must learn navigation and weather patterns, plus cloud types and cloud levels for flight. Paul can look down the road when driving and recognize rain that is coming down but not reaching the ground. He can also see it ahead and predict the time the vehicle will drive into it. Navigational training allows him to know the direction he is driving based on the sun.
Paul purchased his own plane, a Cessna 177 RG (RG means retractable gear) and served as an adult member on the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The Civil Air Patrol is an Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that was founded in 1941 to mobilize civilian aviation resources for the national defense.
Cessna 177 RG Photo obtained off Internet
Paul underwent training in CAP to fly both counter drug operations and search and rescue. He enjoyed his time working on missions, which often ran one to two weeks at a time. He also volunteered his time working with CAP cadets, taking them up in his plane for a ride or assisting at special cadet outings. The CAP has the same officer ranks as the Air Force, and by the time Paul retired from service he had achieved the rank of Major.
Paul’s love of aeronautics led him to volunteer his time at the air show held each year in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He worked in the sound center manning the sound control for the music and announcers during the air show. This required balancing the voice and music, plus timing the music for the air acrobatics of the plane.
Paul learned to be prepared for the unexpected. A woman was narrating her husband’s performance when his plane crashed. Her reaction was a blood-curdling scream into the microphone. Paul immediately cut the sound.
Paul enjoyed his time at the air show, meeting celebrities and working with pilots to time their music to their performance. It was a week of both work and fun, affording him full access to the air show grounds.
In His Free Time
When Paul was ready to move out of the city, he purchased five acres of property in St. Clair, Michigan and built a home. Paul was the contractor for the job. He ran all electrical wiring in the home and finished the interior. This included building the staircase leading to the second floor and installing all kitchen cabinets and countertops. He did this while working full-time at Ford Motor Company and running Trojan Electric.
In addition to volunteering his time with CAP, Paul participated in a computer club and remains a member of the Blue Water Shutterbugs Camera Club. Paul served as treasurer in both clubs. His photographs are sold on Alamy and Fine Art America, and for several years he sold them in fine art shows. Paul spent several years teaching photography, originally in a classroom setting, then one-on-one. He customized lessons to fit his student’s needs, including how to operate a camera, how to take better photographs, and how to process photos in Photoshop.
Paul Cannon now lives and travels throughout the United States and Canada in a 35-foot motorhome, towing a Jeep Rubicon. I am lucky to be living and traveling with him on his latest adventures. We enjoy visiting new places and navigating off-road trails. We produce videos of our adventures and share them on our YouTube Channel, Rolling Thru North America, Travel With US!
Not Smart Enough?
Can you imagine if Paul had only been “smart enough” for college what he might have done with his life? Maybe it is a good thing he did not attend a 4-year college. Paul may have not been ‘smart enough” in his principal’s eyes, but what he has accomplished in his 78 years of life has been diverse and interesting.
Writer’s Note: This was originally written entirely from memory based on information I garnered from Paul over the past six years. After publication Paul read the above and advised me of some minor corrections needing to be made. Those changes have been made and the writing is now accurate.
When I was starting this blog I struggled with a theme. Most people stick to one particular topic in their blogs, but I like to write about a variety of things because I am involved in a wide range of things in my daily life. That is when it hit me, my life is a melting pot of activities and that would be the topic and theme of my blog. LIFE IS A MELTING POT covers anything and everything. My activities as a photographer, our families involvement with CPS/DHS, travel, genealogy, family events, work, or any other topic that I feel is worthy of comment. I hope you enjoy the blog, comment often, and become a follower/subscriber.
--- LIFE IS A MELTING POT --- Grace Grogan...Writer, Photographer 