The story of the Flying Dutchman is probably the best known ghost ship.  The ship was sailing around the Cape of Good Hope (the southern tip of Africa) when it encountered a bad storm.  Because of the captain's refusal to sail for safe harbor, the ship was lost and the captain and crew doomed to sail the seas forever.  Richard Wagner wrote a play based on a legend that says the Captain is allowed to go ashore every seven years in order to redeem himself by winning the hand of a maiden.

    On January 26, 1923, four seamen sighted what is believed to be the ghost ship The Flying Dutchman.  At 12:15 A.M. they noticed a strange light.  Looking through binoculars they were able to make out what looked like a ship's hull.  The ship was luminous with 2 masts.  Instead of sails, it appeared as if there was a thin mist where the sails would be.  As the ghost ship neared the sailors' vessel, it suddenly disappeared.

    It is said that the appearance of the Flying Dutchman is an omen of disaster  and that it is seen most often during stormy weather.