The Unsettling Disappearance of USS Cyclops

[@AutismTakesOn]

One thing that sticks out to me is that USS Cyclops wasn't the only member of her class to go missing. USS Proteus and Nereus both disappeared in 1941, and the only member of the class that DIDN'T disappear was USS Jupiter, which later became the USS Langley, an aircraft carrier. With the report of bulging and corrosion of I-beams noted on the entire class, I believe it's likely that the Cyclops snapped in two, which would've rendered her wireless system inoperable and made her sink quickly, which would also explain why USS Proteus and Nereus disappeared, but not USS Langley, as, after conversion to a carrier, her days of carrying corrosive cargo would've been FAR behind her at that point.

[@TheSaneHatter]

I believe that this can be shortened to, "a design flaw inherent in the class."

[@corvus8000]

Indeed, and not only did Langley no longer have to deal with corrosive cargoes but as part of her conversion all those empty storage spaces were replaced with decks and bulkheads and other new support members which would’ve given her hull much more ability to handle shocks and stress. Even then though towards the end of her career she was suffering from minor hull warping and buckling (though to be fair she’d seen decades of regular use by then).

[@kmacksb]

This is what I have always suspected as well, especially if she got into seas that were at all heavy. There are enough similar examples out there.

[@LanceIngram-cg3ej]

The Bermuda triangle theory was far more dark and mysterious. The truth is often more tragic and preventable. R.I.P to all the sailors aboard the Cyclops!

[@ahhamartin]

@@corvus8000 THIS.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

My guess as a naval architect is this. These ships were owned by the US government, and Congress in those days was pretty stingy. They tended to buy low-quality coal for the Navy because it was cheaper. Low quality means high sulfur content, which means that when it gets wet it produces sulfuric acid, which is corrosive. (This is entirely separate to her cargo on her final voyage.) And care and maintenance on a Navy support ship that wasn’t actually a fighting ship is exactly the sort of thing that Congress would have skimped out on. And, the ships also had squared-off hatches in the deck, which tend to create stress concentrations. And, Cyclops wasn’t the only member of her class to disappear. Proteus and Nereus also both disappeared at sea. The only one that didn’t was Jupiter, which was converted into America’s first aircraft carrier, but with significant structural modifications. So all three of the members of the class that were in their initial service vanished at sea. And on top of that, but there was pretty severe weather off the coast of Virginia around the time Cyclops would have been expected to be there based on her speed and route. And the other two also disappeared in rough weather. And all three ships were carrying ore, not coal, when they were lost. That is a cargo they were not designed for. Coal is actually pretty light weight as far as rocks go, so the holds on a collier are larger than the holds on a dedicated ore carrier designed to carry the same weight of cargo. This means that if a collier is carrying ore, it’s very easy to overload the ship because the holds won’t be anywhere near full at the point that the cargo weight has already reached the designed load for the ship’s structure. So my guess is this. The entire class had a pre-existing design flaw, which was exacerbated by the deterioration of the structure caused by the corrosive cargoes that they carried. Ultimately, the combination of insufficient longitudinal strength in the design, combined with loss of section modulus from corrosion, stress concentrations at the hatchways, overloading, and wave bending stresses caused by bad weather caused Cyclops, Proteus, and Nereus to all experience metal fatigue in their hull girders and eventually break in half. In those days, rules for watertight subdivision weren’t nearly as advanced as they are today, so it’s completely reasonable to believe that after breaking, the ships would sink pretty rapidly. Bulk carriers are infamous even today for sinking very quickly because their massive hatches let water flood in very quickly. And since their massive holds wouldn’t have been completely full because they were carrying ore instead of coal, it would leave with lots of volume that could flood with water, and leaves them vulnerable to the free surface effect once they flooded. Add all of that together, and you get a recipe for a ship that will break in half and sink too quickly to make a distress call. What sank those ships wasn’t magic or aliens, it was poor engineering and stingy politicians.

[@AutismTakesOn]

@michaelimbesi2314 I think this is most likely. I don't think it's a coincidence that the only member of the class to not disappear was converted into an aircraft carrier.

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

Just from my brief time working on lake freighters, and my enduring love of ships, and shipwrecks (the Great Lakes are the place for them!), that sounds like the most reasonable explanation I've heard thus far. Do you think these ships' large superstructures might have increased their instability in heavy weather? I'm no expert, but they just don't look like they'd be good for stability to me.

[@kilianortmann9979]

@@thing_under_the_stairs They should be relatively lightweight compared to the massive amount of ore in the holds.

[@TheEnigman]

When I was a kid I remember reading a book that discussed the Cyclops and her sister ships. There was an account in it by a someone on one of the sister ships who reported a structural component (possibly a girder) in one of the holds practically turning to powder when he banged on it and an account of seeing the forward part of the ship raising up and down while the stern didn't and making horrible noises. The story stuck with me all these years and I really wish I could remember the name of the book or what subject it was on as It was 40 plus years ago, I was a huge book nerd and read a lot of books on a wide variety of subjects partly out of my own curiosity and on the recommendation of the librarian who was amused by a kid who kept borrowing books from the adult section of the library. I'd got bored with the selection in the children's section and had to get a letter from my parents and pay a 'bond' as at the time, children weren't allowed to borrow from the adult section. The library burned down (arson) years ago and they lost of a lot of history - books, newspaper records, microfiche etc.

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

@@TheEnigman Those stories of unusual motion and horrible noises sound suspiciously like reports from the Edmund Fitzgerald's last few trips. Those long, skinny lake freighters are supposed to have a certain amount of give to them, because at their length, if they don't bend and work with the seas under them, they'd just snap. But crew members who weren't on the last trip mentioned that the Fitz had been bending in ways that a ship just isn't supposed to before she was lost, and even her captain admitted that she was moving in heavy seas in ways that scared him. More than one sailor mentioned hearing ominous banging and groaning sounds, and seeing what looked like cracking around recently welded repairs. It sounds to me like the Cyclops ran into a similar fate - sudden and catastrophic structural failure in bad weather, with no time for a distress call. A sad situation that could have been prevented with better standards of care and maintenance.

[@ShadeEmberi]

If he was so hated and so drunk, I am surprised he didn't "accidentally" fall overboard

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

Captain birdseye 9000

[@DSFARGEG00]

I was thinking the same thing. It's been known to happen...

[@carlmanvers5009]

Average, everyday people aren't prone to cold blooded murder. Oddly enough.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@carlmanvers5009especially when it comes with a guaranteed firing squad sentence

[@riograndedosulball248]

That one old senile captain from Hornblower

[@georgemartin1436]

"Overloaded and unbalanced"; sounds like my last diagnosis.

[@firstnamelastname6216]

Shoot... sounds like my ex-wife... 😂 kidding!!! Maybe...

[@Rheneas]

Didn't know my medical history was part of the script....

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

This is hilarious but I kind of feel bad laughing lol

[@raquellofstedt9713]

It's a club I also belong to. Welcome!

[@evil1by1]

I've never felt more seen

[@Isteak80]

We are living in a bit of a golden age of finding shipwrecks, I hope some team finds the USS Cyclops to give the crew some closure.

[@michaellorah9051]

With the advent of digital technology and the massive influx in recent years of historic documents being scanned and digitized, it's likely only a matter of time until ships like USS Cyclops, SS Bannockburn, and Marquette & Bessimer No 2 are found. The biggest challenge with hunting for ships outside of the Great Lakes is the sheer size of the search zone. It's like hunting for a needle in a haystack the size Texas.

[@riograndedosulball248]

The problem is that the probable location of the Cyclops is well inside an oceanic trench :(

[@user-wf5co6ct7l]

Not closure for the crew but for those relatives who still remembers them. Given it is now 2024, it’s likely to be among the family legends.

[@figureofauthority]

@@riograndedosulball248 the wreck is in the old bahamas channel.

[@Clyde-x1x]

After over 100 years wouldn't the Cyclops have mostly disintegrated by now?

[@felixjones9198]

It's interesting to see how everyone reacted to the presence of a camera back then, compared with today lol

[@stevegillespie6424]

I took note of that as well. Like they were staring at an alien.

[@jamesfracasse8178]

​@@stevegillespie6424for that era it was new technology for the time 15:12

[@stevegillespie6424]

@@jamesfracasse8178 Of course it was.

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

At least they did not flash the thug-life "peace sign" and make duck lips LIKE EVERYONE TODAY! And their tattoos were earned and artistic!

[@zspud21]

Didn't have to worry about your life getting turned upside down by the internet

[@fenrislegacy]

Cyclops' sister ships would vanish 23 years later, 17 days apart, on the same route. Both ships were carrying aluminium ore for the war effort.

[@user-lm7iq2dc3n]

Lol, the captain stated, she would last as long as we do. He should have said that we last as long as the ship does.

[@sasquatch7234]

Then he would be admitting that something was wrong with the ship lol

[@susanpasarow2680]

Thank you, as always, for remembering the crew; we frequently remember the vessel, but rarely the people who crewed the ships 😓🫡

[@Chord_]

"-they're waiting for their final chapter to be written." A very nice and poignant way of ending this sad tale. Personally, I find a lot of similarities between the Cyclops and the Marine Sulpher Queen. Both lost without a trace, both with sister ships lost just as mysteriously or disastrously, and both with "supposed" connections to the Bermuda Triangle. They're mysteries that don't have their own answers individually, but take on answers when taken as parts of a larger whole. Perhaps one day they and their crews will be found.

[@MsAdventure531]

Marine Sulpher Queen was not lost within the Bermuda Triangle, but I believe just west of Ft Jefferson in the Gulf of Mexico.

[@Chord_]

@@MsAdventure531 You'd be correct. Nonetheless, that hasn't stopped conspiracy theorists from claiming it was Bermuda Triangle related. Hence why I said "supposed connections" in my original post.

[@richardweil8813]

It is well understood why the Sulpher Queen sank, it was carrying an extremely dangerous cargo that it couldn't manage. Anyway the "Triangle" is bunk, but some writers enjoy telling ghost stories.

[@wrp3621]

My grandfather kept a log / scrapbook during his time in the Navy starting in 1911 I believe. Among the numerous newspaper and magazine clippings are many photographs of big ass boats of the day including Cyclops. I kind of knew the story, but this video spells it out for me. Well done and thank you.

[@xXDoomWolfeXx]

your grandfather sounds really cool, that would have been fun to look at his newspaper and magazine clippings

[@raquellofstedt9713]

Your last tribute to these young men brought me to tears. Well said.

[@OffendingTheOffendable]

Tears??

[@clazy8]

Well done. The ending is perfect, much more interesting than a reprise of Bermuda triangle woo-woo. The "survivor's" story really brings that home.

[@ethanreynolds4942]

Thank you so much for all of the work you put into these videos! Im not even a boat person, but the work you put into these always has me so excited just to listen to these stories. Thank you so much. My day just got so much better.

[@zachhale2815]

How many people believe that most of this class was lost in the same way?

[@jarigustafsson7620]

yes.

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

Maybe it was Structural failure like Edmund Fitz generald

[@EricDaMAJ]

I do. But I can’t help but wonder if there’s a logical fallacy tucked into attributing one or two causes to 3 separate ships disappearing without more evidence.

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

If all but one of the ships built to a certain design sink or go missing under very similar circumstances, there's something wrong with that design. Simple logic.

[@medea27]

@@EricDaMAJ I don't think it's a logical fallacy as much as a logical supposition given the limited info available... because without the wrecks to compare it's not about attributing a cause but simply postulating likely theories. And it's certainly noteworthy for three of the same unusual ship design to disappear under similar circumstances.

[@Ohiotrucker1]

Personally, i think she is somewhere off the coasts of Florida and the Carolinas, as that's the rough area she could've gone through.

[@merru-mun7414]

An interesting side note to the story is that out of the four Proteus-class colliers, three of them sunk in the same general area, under mysterious circumstances. I'll also have to verify my sources because it's been a while since I've seen the info, but when Jupiter, the last of the sisters, was converted into an Aircraft Carrier, the retrofit would also involve a strengthening of her structure, as well as new, more thoughtful calculations of her balance. Given that, a major design fault seems to be a very plausible explanation as to why they all sank, either leading to the structure of the ship getting destroyed, or capsizing, or why not both. If the ships were known to have been unbalanced, then it would make sense that they would more easily founder. If it were a U-Boat that targeted them, the structural weakness and poor balance of the ship would have most likely lead to them sinking even faster, or more unpredictably, leaving the crew little time to evacuate, thus leading to the loss of all hands in all three cases.

[@JaneGreen-u4r]

Hmmm

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

Not an expert, just someone who loves ships and has spent a bit of time on the water, but to my eye, that superstructure looks pretty top heavy, especially for something that's going to be sailing in the kind of weather you get in the tropical Atlantic. Just a thought.

[@katho8472]

As mentioned in the video - at a U-boat attack, there would have been a remark of the ship being sunk in the U-boat's logbook, let alone of one of those three. Also, one of the three would probably have been able to send a distress signal somehow... A catastrophic, fast sinking because of the ship being faulty (loading, structural integrety) and/or rough sea is the most likely cause.

[@marhawkman303]

@@katho8472 Also, if they were loaded with more weight than her original design called for that would explain quite a lot.

[@EOJ111]

U boat doctrine was to take the crew on board, not just leave them to drown. That was unthinkable. They had a code and respect among seamen and military in general that they fully honored. But that is a fact hidden from history. The all-lies didn't seem to follow the same honor code, especially in ww2. They even knowingly targeted boats full of prisoners and left them to fend for themselves in the open seas

[@KlausKlausen-dj7nf]

Great video. Regarding the cause of her disapperance: In my opinion she sank in the storm near the Virginia Capes probably by capsizing. There seems to be no reported problems with the cargo and the ship except the disabeled engine in the days before the last wireless transmission. So my theory of the events after the last message was recieved is that she steamed into the storm and was indeed sighted by the Amolco on March 9th. At some point after the constant battering of the rough sea caused the manganese ore to turn fully or partly into pulp (either it was already loaded wet in Brazil or some leakage happend during the storm). This pulp would started to slosh around in the cargo holds until it synchronised, so that the entire pulp in every cargo hold would went to one side of the ship and then the other. this process called "free surface effect" caused the cyclops to roll stronger and stronger, aided by her topheavy superstructure, until at an instance she rolled over and capsized. This would also explain the lack of any distress message, because the time between the crew realizing that something is wrong and the point of capsizing were probably a couple of minutes at best.

[@jetty92487]

The only issue with this theory is that, with a disabled engine, it's unlikely she would have made it to the Virginia cape by March 9th. It's not terribly likely that a ship running with a disabled engine and heavily laden would be ahead of schedule unless the given schedule was substantially overcautious. If she was believed to be steaming at 10 knots, one would have to calculate the distance from Barbados, since that's the last known position, to VIrginia and see if should could have made that distance, at that speed to arrive there on March 9th.

[@garybrown1404]

What a well thought out and concisely explained theory! I am familiar with "free surface effect" and how water content of cargo is supposed to be monitored by a captain before/during loading, but until your post, I was unaware of manganese being subject to that and it being her cargo on that trip!

[@Clyde-x1x]

It's great to see a documentary about the Cyclops that doesn't mention the Bermuda Triangle until the final 2 minutes and then only as a side note.

[@Puzzledtraveller]

This video is a good example of what sets your channel apart from countless others, the compassion at which you approach the subject matter.

[@aceofhearts4048]

3:16 the way I screamed “WHAT?!” When I learned this!!! I used to visit Mare Island every time I went out to Vallejo, California. My grandfather is working on a book about the Mare Island historical naval hospital there! I have to send this to him! Thank you for making this video! Damn the torpedoes!

[@merafirewing6591]

I've been asking for this a long time and I'm happy that you made a video about the Cyclops.

[@greenthing99100]

As always, brilliant. So out of a class of 4 ships, 1 was converted to be an aircraft carrier and all the other 3 vanished without trace carrying a cargo denser than the coal round which they were designed... If I were a betting man, I'd bet all three broke in two at exactly the same location, and the part containing the radio operator was driven straight under the water by the configuration of the fractured ship, under way. We'll likely never know unless divers find one or more in the future. RIP all three crews.

[@neptunenavalmods4420]

The crew montage at the end tears your heart out - behind the exciting mystery for ship fans to ponder, there is also a lot of human pain for families involved. A sad loss of 300+ men; what would their lives have been like? Was going to skip this vid because I knew about the Cyclops, I am so glad I didn't.

[@marhawkman303]

I have to say, one thing the "woo-woo" accounts leave out is just how heavily loaded Cyclops was when she sank. If the hull buckled in rough seas? They'd be gone in minutes.

[@Peepjouster27]

4 inch 50 caliber guns were fitted. The "50 Caliber" part of that, is describing how long the barrel is *In relation to the barrel size*... Without saying it's a 4 inch gun... It could be anything from a peashooter to a 16" battleship main gun.

[@myparceltape1169]

I've often come across people referring to the 0.50 inch bore machine gun as fifty caliber. (Spelling as spoken)

[@Peepjouster27]

@@myparceltape1169 yes, however in this case, in naval cannons it refers to barrel length to barrel size. These were specifically 4" guns, 50 calibers in length.

[@myparceltape1169]

@@Peepjouster27 Sensible.

[@brothergrimaldus3836]

Except, the M2 50 cal wasn't developed until 1918 and wasn't put into service until 1919. ​@myparceltape1169

[@myparceltape1169]

@@brothergrimaldus3836 thank you.

[@TheOfficial007]

Im surprised we still havent found the Cyclops. It is incidents like these that never get solved and make the ocean even more terrifying in what we do not know vs what we will ever learn.

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

1:41 I love the one guy who's so fascinated with the film camera that he forgets to keep shoveling coal for a few seconds. The clip before with all the filthy guys just stopping to smile at the camera is also cute.

[@ThraceVega]

I only just made the connection, but the USS Cyclops was the subject of one of Clive Cussler's novels that I must have read when I was nine or ten. I think I'll read it again after this video. Great work, as always!

[@SolarWebsite]

The book is called Cyclops, and it's a very good read.

[@Ravenfellblade]

I just can't believe I had to scroll so far through the comments to find anyone even mention Cussler. Cyclops was by far one of Cussler's most demented and ambitious titles. It really was Cussler at his most Ian Fleming with airships, secret Soviet moonbases, and a showdown with Fidel Castro. While his later books might still reach for the bombastic, I don't think any of them ever went full James Bond like this one did.

[@williamdunklin]

Excellent presentation as always! Many thanks for your commitment to well researched, good story-telling that never veers into sensationalism.

[@martaiswatchingyoutube5063]

I'm scared of the sea but my whole mom sides family is full of sailors -im always excited to watch ur videos !

[@ashleyowen7664]

given 3 out of 4 in the class disappeared, my guess would be catastrophic structural failure, the "saving grace" was converting one to an aircraft carrier - the overhaul required would of strengthened a weak joint or something that otherwise would of doomed the ship, an the "failure point" would of gone undiscovered entirely

[@bostonrailfan2427]

…and it too went down, only it was due to enemy action

[@stevewixom9311]

Excellent video (like usual) Really enjoyed this one. Hadn't heard about Cyclops's two sister ships just disappearing like she did. Like everyone else here, i have no proof of anything but i'll bet it was do to the cargo being carried.

[@user-yh9mc1sw6j]

I remember reading some years ago in the Washington Post that a diver off Cape Hatteras found a metal vessel of a type he had never seen before, with tall metal poles with wires attached, sitting upright on the bottom. He investigated and realized it was probably USS Cyclops, but could not locate her again. He is still searching!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@teaeff8898]

If that one officer saw her bending in the middle or “hogging”, I’d assume at some point she broke apart. Happened to a number of great lakers. The Daniel J Morrell comes to mind.

[@wayneyanda]

First heard of this ship through the Clive Cussler novel of the same name.

[@brettjones4733]

Another great episode, thank you 👍

[@StellarRayna]

Omg this voice! I watch these videos/stories to unwind and fall asleep and i often skip ones with annoying intense voices but this .....THIS is my jam! Thank you for speaking so peacefully 👌🥰

[@Peter-z5f]

If I was to hazard a guess I'd say all 3 lost ships broke in half and sank like a stone. The reason none of them radioed for help was probably because the engines were at the back and the bridge was at the front, so when the ships broke in half, the electrical cables supplying the bridge were severed so the radio didn't work. Since ore is very heavy and not buoyant, and a lot of the flotation was at the ends of the ship, it's possible that breaking in the middle caused the ships to fold in half and sink almost instantly, making escape all but impossible.

[@HandyMan657]

I really enjoy your uploads, BoB. THank you much. Take care, keep safe.

[@richardkeilig4062]

The crew should not be forgotten. They served their country, and that is appreciated. The other sailors as well did their duty. RIP.

[@RobbieHatley]

Fascinating story; thanks for making and sharing this. I like how this tale spans decades and involves both Theodore Roosevelt (US President when the Cyclops was built) and Franklin Roosevelt (who declared Cyclops "lost with all hands"). As for what happened to the Cyclops, I think you're right: it was bad weather + shifting cargo. The Bermuda Triangle truly is a very dangerous stretch of ocean. Not because of anything supernatural, but because it's Hurricane Alley. Weather there can shift from good to bad in minutes flat, often killing the unwary. As with other unexplained disappearances (Amelia Earhart; MH-370; etc), I hope Cyclops is eventually found so that this mystery can be solved and so that any lessons which can be learned from it are learned.

[@ScottTeel-s4k]

There is a caviat to "no records of the Cyclops in German records." In the book, "The Devils Triangle" by Richard Weiner, The author offers all the clues he can find for the incidents he writes about, including the Cyclops. He mentions there is one German reference to -A- ship named Cyclops, sunk by Captain Doenitz (Later Admiral).The ship was a collier flying a neutral flag in the North Sea. My bet is if someone reads the incident log and goes to the coordinates of the torpedo attack, The Cyclops will be found.

[@steveshattuck8128]

Such an eerie tale of lost at sea. I read about the Uss Cyclops in a Bermuda Triangle book in Fourth Grade. I also read Clive Cussler's Cyclops novel great book.There was another book I read it had an excerpt from a Navy Diver who swore he had found the Cyclops spooky!!!!!

[@worldtraveler930]

So where does the wreckage lie?!? 🤔

[@steveshattuck8128]

@@worldtraveler930 Oh I forgot to mention that they wrote down the coordinates and when they went back it wasn't Cyclops. So either they made a mistake or said diver was mistaken

[@michaelaltig5519]

I love it when I see there is a new drop! Biscuits and gravy and a bloody Mary, the dog, and a down comforter!

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

That sounds great! Mind sharing?

[@michaelaltig5519]

@@thing_under_the_stairs Everything but the dog :)

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

@@michaelaltig5519 Fair enough, I've got a cat here. :)

[@michaelhead7483]

Damn good show sir. I had never heard of this ship and it's amazing the stories you tell of something so obscure to so many.

[@jenniferlevine5406]

You do such amazing work! This is a very sad story. Thank you for this very significant memorial to all those lost. Great video!

[@miapdx503]

Another masterpiece, poignantly told. Bless those who put out to sea! I keep you all in my prayers, and wish you calm seas and good fortune 🌹⚓

[@jeremyvahle5861]

As always a great production!

[@charlesbosse9669]

I always love the way you tell a story. Thank you,very entertaining to hear your theory,however tragic.

[@rotorheadv8]

My guess, she was overloaded. The load shifted in high seas and she went down in about 30 seconds.

[@callenclarke371]

Such great content. Not only is this piece full of facts and details, it is effortlessly dramatic and fascinating. Really well done, BoB! Keep up the great work.

[@Straswa]

Great video Big Old Boats. RIP to all those lost on the USS Cyclops, Proteus and Nereus. Fascinating to learn more about USS Jupiter's ill-fated sisters.

[@lyedavide]

Thanks for another excellent episode!

[@hobbyfarmer62]

Was always surprised by how many were on board, as for the captain short of murder or losing his ship the navy almost always supported the captain of a vessel. Over time didn't everyone of cyclones sisters also sink?

[@markanderson4163]

broke in half and sank in seconds...seems to fit the other descriptions of how the ship reacted in rough seas.

[@citiprivate]

Have to say your voice is so calming, I love just listening to these videos.

[@georgemartin1436]

You can safely click the Like Button before even watching the video.

[@JaneGreen-u4r]

Always do ❤

[@RyanKlapperich]

As if there was any doubt!

[@TheMiipmiip]

I'm good, not following others off of a cliff just because they walk off.

[@recurvestickerdragon]

seeing jittery old footage always makes me wonder why stabilization wasn't part of the restoration process

[@kitsmiller2]

Perfect sunday mornin ' watch✅

[@buckjones4901]

I didn't realize the crew size 300+ on those ships was so much larger than the ore freighters on the Great Lakes which have less than 50, are those ships that much larger? or what is the reason for so much more crew.

[@davidjones332]

I was puzzled by that too. Given that 50 were just passengers, 250 still sounds a lot for a collier which had a mechanised loading/unloading system as part of the design. It isn't as if they needed that many hands to shovel coal. Even allowing for a large stokehold crew in a coal-fired ship, and a number of gunners, it's not clear to me what that many men were needed for.

[@pedenharley6266]

Thank you for telling this story. I was aware of Cyclops - mostly as a footnote to the Langley story - but I was unaware of the fate of the sister ships. Thank you!

[@MadBeausuff]

Beautifully done.

[@atreyuprincipalh4043]

Absolutely thoughtful last words made by You -thank you for showing the faces of these young heroes lives cut short

[@vernicethompson4825]

Excellent presentation as always! Sad tale. One correction is necessary: Newport News Shipbuilding is actually in Newport News, Virginia, not Norfolk, which is on the other side of the James River and is home to Norfolk Naval Base. The shipbuilder is a private company with its own apprentice school.

[@tmorganriley]

And Norfolk Naval Base didn't exist until 1917, so the Norfolk naval yard referenced is Norfolk Naval Shipyard... which is in Portsmouth, VA. ; )

[@c-man7740]

Beautifully haunting video that pays a very good tribute to the Cyclops crew. I’ve never seen a video on this ship that went into such detail, all the other videos just say “disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle,” u deserve all the praise and more for your work and time u put into these videos!!!

[@joninpgh]

I did a book report on the Cyclops when I was in high school 50 years ago.

[@Catrinus1]

What book?

[@chantalhebelfournier1739]

This might be a dumb question, but how do they know how much big ships displace/ weigh? How do they measure that?

[@JaneGreen-u4r]

Physics

[@jarigustafsson7620]

Archimedes law or calculation.

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

On the drawing board, they know. Measurement of the hull, for displacement. They keep track of # of cargo, as it's loaded, so they know the weight. They can tell how low in the water a ship will be with the math, and how much cargo + ballast is on board.

[@sdingeswho]

The displacement of a ship (below waterline) is calculated with Integral Calculus, and the overall mass of the ship would be easy to calculate from the plans / materials list. As long as the mass of the ship + cargo doesn’t exceed the mass of the water displaced, she’ll stay afloat 🙂 (barring encounters with storms, rogue waves, and the like).

[@flyingtigerline]

A lot of channels ask you to hit the "like" button before you even watch the video. With Big Old Boats, I naturally hit the like button as soon as the video starts.

[@stevegillespie6424]

Great video as usual. Thanks. FYI, there is an editing issue at about 23:50, where the same audio is ran twice in a row.

[@104thDIVTimberwolf]

The first American aircraft carrier, USS Langley, was converted from the USS Jupiter. All 3 of the remaining sisters disappeared without any trace and with all hands. 6:37

[@bostonrailfan2427]

and she too was lost, but due to enemy action

[@medea27]

We've learnt so much over the last century about the unseen safety hazards of different types of cargo, that I can't help but assume that the cargo & ship's design played a significant part in it's demise. Aside from the issues of weight & deteriorating infrastructure, a cargo that's able to move around can seriously impact a ship's stability... and if an ore is allowed to become a slurry, the free surface effect can capsize the biggest of ships with little warning. I hope we find the wreck of Cyclops or her sister ships one day, so they can become a hard-learnt lesson for seafarers rather than the fodder for supernatural speculation that they are today. RIP to those lost on the USS Cyclops, Proteus & Nereus 🤍

[@hayleyruth710]

That last part about the unfinished lives gave me chills. I appreciate the seriousness and solemnity that you have with these cases, especially these that have been bastardized to ridiculousness with conspiracy theories.

[@brianfisher5525]

Thank you for covering this!

[@pennytill5183]

You do such a great job on these videos. Thanks for all the research you do

[@chrish5018]

The Cyclops disappearance has always been my favorite mysterious Bermuda Triangle vanishing. Great video!

[@markstott6689]

My view is that they were built with the cheapest iron and steel available (highsulphur content springs to mind). Add the I-Beam corrosion, the unwieldy cargo and potential rough seas, and I, like others, believe that she likely snapped in two and sank within minutes. If it can happen on the Great Lakes, it will definitely happen on the Atlantic Ocean. 😊❤😊

[@Newbobdole]

Maybe it’s because you have access to more varied footage in regards to this boat, but your editing of this episode is exceptionally well done! There’s something almost haunting in watching long-dead people working in this episode, at least to me

[@cmphighpower]

My guess they broke in half

[@Robocopnik]

"Cyclops" is a weird name to give a ship, anyway, right?

[@dr_cynix]

Not really, Cyclops was a child of Poseidon, God of the Seas

[@SpearFisher85]

My thoughts exactly😊

[@petersicheri1150]

On the first one here yes looking forward to this one😊

[@oldman975]

Newport News Ship Building and Drydock is located in,wait for it,Newport News,Virginia on James River on the opposite side of Hampton Roads from Norfolk.

[@jimc.goodfellas]

Love this channel my friend

[@comemrberrimar6337]

Very good editing on this video as well. The focus on the captain is obvious, but as you point out in the first couple of minutes, the problems the captain posed wasn't an unknown, yet the navy kept him on. That decision lead directly to that tragedy. I doubt its much different today, only the tech has improved.

[@barrydysert2974]

This is a wonderful tribute to those lost men and boys. Thank You !:-)

[@brucefye3778]

Hi! Great historical maritime video. You stated more than once that Newport News Shipbuilding was located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is located in the City of Newport News, Virginia. Also FYI, Norfolk Naval Shipyard is located in the City of Portsmouth, Virginia. History and Geography go hand in hand when accurately recounting events.

[@SSN515]

Banging and clanging hull plates indicative of stress loads under normal load out and then overloading the ships structure with a denser heavier bulk cargo probably caused a catastrophic breakup at the keel for all those ships. There must have been a design flaw not factored in for the extra dense bulk cargo. Wonder if computer modelling would provide a answer?

[@richardjohnson4238]

During his time in the US Navy between the wars, my Grandfather served on the Proteus. Of course he left the ship long before it vanished, but he had a picture of it on his wall the rest of his life.

[@randyhebbebusche3644]

Very touching story, sad to lose so many young men. Your videos are very well done. Thank you for your research and effort in the telling of these stories.

[@misterflibble6601]

USS Cyclops joins the Mary Celeste in the enduring mysteries of disappearances of ships at sea

[@SPierre-dm4wo]

The Mary Celeste didn't disappear. She was sunk on the Rochelois Bank in the mid-1880's as part of an insurance scam.

[@ianmc87]

I don't recall the details but years ago I read an account of a diver who was convinced he found the wreck of the Cyclops. The wreck was unusual as it had the metal beams and scaffolding of the Cyclops. It happened sometime in the 1950s or 60s. For whatever reason the diver couldn't relocate the wreck site. Have no idea if this actually happened or not.

[@karenmcdonald7801]

Loved this, so well made, and how wonderful to see the old films.

[@mellissadalby1402]

If the two sister ships also disappeared, I think it likely that the ships were overloaded and broke apart and sank swiftly. If only one ships vanished, then extraordinary circumstances are slightly more entertaining, but since 3 almost identical ships vanished while carrying ore that is heavier than the coal for which they were designed, I think that strongly suggests they broke under the heavy load. This was in the days before load lines were widely established and enforced. Both Manganese ore and Bauxite ore (especially when wet) are much heavier than the coal for which these ships were designed. A breakup at sea is likely.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

FINALLY I was wondering when you'd get to the Cyclops. I've obviously heard the name a lot but I don't know much about her or her disappearance. Those poor boys from the Pittsburgh. They were supposed to be going home...and they'd never get there.

[@jmeyer3rn]

That captain was unhinged.

[@thevox1075]

Cyclops was built by William Cramp and Sons.

[@YukariAkiyamaTanks]

Tbh the way things lined up are like a episode of date line. Fascinating video man!

[@jansoule4395]

I am shocked there aren’t more comments calling that appalling “captain” out

[@myvideosetc.8271]

The novel by Clive Cussler put this ship on my radar, breaking in half in a storm was shocking.

[@XthatsXcrumpX]

Mom get the camera! New Big Old Boats video just dropped!

[@GLF-Video]

I like your videos. Very interesting. Suggestion… lower the music volume when you are speaking.