Ghost Ship Found

Authorities discovered an apparently abandoned yacht floating off the coast of Australia over the weekend.  Onboard, they found the engine running, a laptop computer still on, and place settings and food on the table, ready to be eaten.

What they didn't find was any sign of the crew.

The yacht left with a crew of three Sunday before last (April 15) and was destined for Townsville.  The radio still worked and all the sails were up, though one was badly torn.

Reports like this, while rare, are not unheard of.  The torn sail would seem to suggest bad weather or turbulence, but if it was enough to rip the sail and throw all three men overboard, it seems logical that it would have caused more damage.  It could mean that the mast tore loose, striking the entire crew and throwing them overboard in a tragic mishap, or (more likely) that all three were working on the torn sail when tragedy struck.

Rescue workers ended their search for the men yesterday (Sunday the 22^nd) due to medical experts' assertions that no man could survive that long in the open sea.

Perhaps not ironically, the History Channel ran a report on USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects) earlier tonight.

One rescue worker spokesman said of the investigation that, "It was a bit strange."