Ghost photo taken of James Courtney and Michael Meehan after their deaths
The story of the SS Watertown is an amazing one, and although many would not consider the Watertown to be a ghost ships itself, this story proves to be a haunted one among the crew who sailed on this vessel, and is therefore categorized as one of the most famous ghost ship tales of all time. The above photo is believed to be an authentic photo of two ghostly seamen that were killed on board.
Tragedy Strikes
While the SS Watertown was sailing in the Pacific in December of 1924, below in a cargo storage, seamen, James Courtney and Michael Meehan were on duty cleaning out an area inside the cargo when tragedy struck. Neither man knew that they were about to meet with their fate. While toiling away, noxious gases began filling in the cargo as they worked. The crewmen were oblivious to the danger and were soon overcome by the fumes and collapsed where they stood. As was tradition, they had a funeral on board the ship on December 4, and the two seamen were laid to rest at sea. But that was not the last time that they would be seen.
Ghostly Sightings
The following day, the crew aboard the ship began swapping stories of their ghostly encounters with the deceased Courtney and Meehan. Their spectral visages were witnessed while staring down into the water on the side of the ship. Amazingly the faces were seen so often that while witnessing the apparitions in the water, one seaman ran to get his camera and snapped a photo of it. He was hoping to be able to capture the ghosts and prove this story was true. The camera was immediately handed over to Captain Keith Tracy where it was put into a safe. The film was developed when they reached port, and what appeared on film was the unmistakable images of the two men, their faces looking up from the foamy waters beside the ship. They were easily recognizable by the captain and crew of the SS Watertown.
Was this their final farewell to the crew or were they unaware that they were no longer living? Who can say for sure, but it seems as though the ghosts of Courtney and Meehan were very much alive, at least in a spirit form somewhere out in the vast watery world of blue.
Copyright© Sylvia Zimmer 2008
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