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The loosely defined region of the North Atlantic Ocean gets its nickname as the Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, due to the number of aircrafts and ships that have disappeared in the area. One of its most famous incidents occurred when five US Navy Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers vanished after losing contact during a training exercise from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All 14 airmen on the flight were lost, as were all 13 crew members of a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat that subsequently launched from Naval Air Station Banana River to search for Flight 19.
A new scientific investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the aircraft is the focus of the History Channel documentary “History’s Greatest Mysteries,” which airs next week.
It comes after researchers made an “important discovery” during a year-long scientific mission into an area off the coast of Florida that extends southeast to Puerto Rico and north to Bermuda.
In a preview for the show, lead underwater explorer Mike Barnette said: “We see this round piece of wreckage with teeth, like for gears.
“I’m thinking to myself, this looks like a turret. Emotions are running off the chart. Could this be an Avenger?”
It was the wreckage of an Avenger, leading to the question of whether it is from the mysterious Flight 19 that disappeared in 1945.
Mr Barnette told TODAY: “That’s a real question.
“We don’t know yet because a lot of people don’t realise that there are hundreds of aircraft lost off this coast of Florida.
“This potentially might not be one of the Avengers from Flight 19, but it still has a story to tell, and by knowing what this aircraft is, we know where Flight 19 isn’t.”
Muddying the waters is the fact that researchers found Navy records that suggest the wreckage discovered in the documentary may be a different crash.
READ MORE: Bermuda Triangle solved? ‘Key clue’ unravels greatest mystery in aviation history
But more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes are said to have mysteriously disappeared in the region.
Reports of unexplained occurrences in the region date to the mid-19th century.
Some ships were discovered completely abandoned for no apparent reason, others transmitted no distress signals and were never seen or heard from again.
Aircraft have been reported and then vanished, and rescue missions are said to have vanished when flying in the area.
However, in many cases no wreckages have been found.
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