The Flying Dutchman | Pirate Ghost ship

If you have seen Pirates of the Carribean series or Spongebob Squarepants then you all must be aware of the ghostly pirate ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. Yep, you are right in this post of Mystery Cafe we are gonna talk about the most famous nautical folklore, originated probably in the 17th century - The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander).
Most of you who have heard the name 'Flying Dutchman' know mostly its fictional portrayals in media like the floating sailor character in Spongebob Squarepants & the villain from Pirates of the Carribean but do you all know that the legend is based on some facts and that from centuries people have claimed to have sightings of it while they were sailing in the ocean. Whether those people were telling the truth or not doesn't matters this lore will still be the most interesting Pirate lore ever besides the Davy Jones Locker, which some people associate with this lore but these are different folklores.

Spongebob squarepants Flying Dutchman

The origin of this lore goes way back and can be traced back to a novel, a play, short story and an opera.

If I'm not wrong very few of us might be knowing that the term ‘Flying Dutchman’ actually refers to the captain, not his ship.

Flying Dutchman in storm

One of the stories about this Dutch Captain tells about the pride and arrogance of the person. Legend has it that this maniacal Dutch sea captain was struggling to round the Cape of Good Hope or Cape of Storms (which was the old name of Cape of Good Hope ) in the teeth of a terrible gale that threatened to sink his ship and all aboard. The sailors warned him to turn around, the passengers pleaded afraid for thier lives, but the captain, either mad or drunk, refused to change course. Instead, he pressed on, singing loud and obscene songs, before going below to his cabin to drink beer and smoke his pipe. Monstrous waves pummeled the sides of the ship, howling winds bent the masts and tore at the sails, but still the captain held his course, challenging the wrath of God Almighty by swearing a blasphemous oath.
Finally, there was a mutiny on board; the crew and passengers attempted to take control of the ship, but the captain, roused from his drunken stupor, killed the leader of the rebellion and threw him overboard. The moment the body hit the water,
 the clouds parted, and a shadowy figure materialized on the quarterdeck.
“You’re a very stubborn man,” the shadow said, and the captain answered him with a cussword. “I never asked for a peaceful passage,” the captain went on.
 “I never asked for anything. So clear off before I shoot you, too.”
But the figure didn’t move. Drawing his pistol, the captain tried to fire, but the gun exploded in his hand. Now the figure spoke again and told the captain he was accursed.
“As a result of your actions you are condemned to sail the oceans for eternity with a ghostly crew of dead men, bringing death to all who sight your spectral ship and to never make port or know a moment’s peace,” the shadow said. “Furthermore, gall shall be your drink and red hot iron your meat.”
The captain, reckless to the last, cried, “Amen to that!”

Flying Dutchman after Curse

And so, for centuries from then on, the Flying Dutchman was seen piloting his spectral vessel, its canvas spread, its masts creaking in a fearful wind.
Sometimes, it was said, he led other ships astray, onto rocky shoals and hidden reefs. Also, he was said to be responsible for turning sailors’ food supplies sour. His ship, looking innocent enough, would sometimes draw alongside another vessel and send letters aboard. But if the letters were opened and read, the ship would founder. Those who saw the captain himself claimed that he was bareheaded and repentant, clasping the wheel on the quarterdeck, pleading the heavens for mercy at last. In the rigging of his ship, some said, they could see a crew of skeletons, grinning miserably as they put on ever more sail.

Another version of the story goes like this:
This ship belonged to a Dutch Captain named Bernard Fokke.
Old Bernie had a habit of breaking his own speed records while sailing between Holland and the Dutch East Indies. People claimed he must have made a pact with the Devil in order to make his trips so quickly.
Well ol' Bernie ran into a tempest as he was rounding the Cape of Good Hope (tip of Southern Africa) but refused to give into the storm. As the storm worsened his crew begged him to turn around but he swore an oath and said he would sail through the storm even if it took him until judgment day. Needless to say, the ship was lost with all hands aboard. (Which makes you wonder who managed to pass on the story about Fokke issuing the oath?) The story dates from as early as 1641. It bears a strange resemblance to early folk tales of the Wandering Jew.
1641 is the year when most people believe that the ship was wrecked.

Flying Dutchman

Just like that, there is another version, It says the legend that allegedly originated the whole affair is said to have happened in 1641 when a Dutch ship sank off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope. The story goes that, as the ship approached the tip of Africa, the captain thought that he should make a proposition to the Dutch East India Company (his employers) to start a settlement at the Cape on the tip of Africa, thereby providing a welcome repose to ships at sea.
He was so deep in thought that he did not notice the dark clouds looming and only when he heard the 'lookout' scream out in terror, did he realize that they had sailed straight into a fierce storm. The captain and his crew battled for hours to get out of the storm and at one stage it looked like they would make it. Then they heard a terrible crunch — the ship had crashed into treacherous rocks and started to sink. As the ship plunged downwards, Captain Van der Decken (or whatever) knew that death was approaching. He was not ready to
 die and screamed out a curse: “I WILL round this Cape even if I have to keep sailing until doomsday!”

Flying Dutchman Ship from Pirates Of The Carribean

Well, whatever may be the original legend or even if there is something real about this legend, which we don't know (it might be real), it is & always will be the best pirate lore to read or listen or watch media about.

-XOXO
Ace

P.S. - Every lore has one thing in common, all claim that even today whenever a storm brews off the Cape of Good Hope if you look into the eye of the storm, you will be able to see the ship and it’s captain — The Flying Dutchman. BEWARE, DON'T LOOK TOO CAREFULLY for the old folk claim that whoever sights the ship will die a terrible death.
See Ya Chum!