Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman, known in Dutch as De Vliegende Hollander, is a legendary ghost ship of Dutch folklore.

Description:
The Flying Dutchman is described as a ghostly ship, usually appearing as a hazy image or in a strange light. Based on the time period of its origin, the ship was most likely a common ship of the 18th century.

According to the myth, the ship was doomed when its arrogant Dutch captain refused to take harbor during a storm, despite please from his crew and the passengers. The captain instead challenged God to take he and his ship down.

First Sightings:
The first literary mention of the ship appears in Travels in various part of Europe, Asia and Africa during a series of thirty years and upward written by John MacDonald in 1790."'The weather was so stormy that the sailors said they saw the Flying Dutchman. The common story is that this Dutchman came to the Cape in distress of weather and wanted to get into harbour but could not get a pilot to conduct her and was lost and that ever since in very bad weather her vision appears.'"The second mention of the Dutchman appears in Chapter VI of A Voyage to Botany Bay written by George Barrington in 1795. The third, Scenes of Infancy written by John Leyden in 1803.

King George V:
There were many reported sightings of the Dutchman in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the most well-known sightings was by Prince George of Whales, who would later become King George V. During a three-year voyage in 1880 with his brother Prince Albert Victor of Whales and his tutor John Neill Dalton, he (or his brother, as it is disputed) wrote of his experience seeing the Dutchman."'July 11th. At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our bows. A strange red light as of a phantom ship all aglow, in the midst of which light the masts, spars and sails of a brig 200 yards distant stood out in strong relief as she came up on the port bow, where also the officer of the watch from the bridge clearly saw her, as did the quarterdeck midshipman, who was sent forward at once to the forecastle; but on arriving there was no vestige nor any sign whatever of any material ship was to be seen either near or right away to the horizon, the night being clear and the sea calm. Thirteen persons altogether saw her ... At 10.45 a.m. the ordinary seaman who had this morning reported the Flying Dutchman fell from the foretopmast crosstrees on to the topgallant forecastle and was smashed to atoms.'"

Explanation:
Some scholars have attempted to provide an explanation to sightings of the Dutchman. Many have concluded that it is either a superior mirage or Fata Morgana.

In Popular Culture:
The Dutchman has inspired many elements of popular modern culture. One notable example is the character and ship named Flying Dutchman in the Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePants.