The case record
What was reported?
USS Cyclops disappeared after departing Barbados for Baltimore in March 1918. The US Navy collier carried more than 300 people, and no confirmed wreck has explained its loss.
The ship was transporting a heavy manganese cargo during the First World War. It did not reach its destination and left no verified distress account. Its disappearance later became part of Bermuda Triangle literature, although the original problem is a missing wartime vessel.
Last confirmed departure is 4 March; month-end is a search/filter bound, not a known death date. Ocean marker represents the route broadly.
- Reported date
- March 1918; last departure 4 March
- Witnesses
- Historical records, investigators and observers; see case-specific account · Not reliably reducible to a single count
- Investigation
- Historical and research accounts reviewed from: US Naval Institute
Evidence in the record
Voyage records establish the departure, cargo and people aboard. Naval historians discuss mechanical condition, load and structural vulnerabilities, but the lack of physical remains prevents testing the failure sequence.
Competing explanations
Official and research context
Naval histories discuss structural, cargo and machinery problems without a wreck that could establish the sinking mechanism.
Conventional explanations
Structural failure, cargo movement, reduced machinery performance and adverse sea conditions are conventional possibilities. Wartime attack was considered, but no corroborated enemy action explains the disappearance. The absence of a distress message does not by itself establish a sudden extraordinary force.
Arguments that remain contested
The location, timing and immediate mechanism of the sinking remain unconfirmed.
Locations & timeline
Coordinates are representative. Area and route labels do not imply exact paths or object positions.
- Primary reference location
Barbados–Baltimore sea route
Last confirmed departure is 4 March; month-end is a search/filter bound, not a known death date. Ocean marker represents the route broadly.
Representative case location · Approximate area radius: 1800 km
23.000°, -65.000° · point · Regional reference only; not survey-grade
Record notes
Map coordinates are representative and do not establish an exact incident position.
Case-specific sources researched 8 September 2026. Evidence, alternatives, dates and representative geography reviewed.
Original dataset status: unresolved