The Baie Chaleur Fireship, more commonly referred to as the Chaleur Phantom or the Phantom Ship, is a form of ghost light, an unusual visual phenomenon, occasionally seen in

Bathurst, New Brunswick Bathurst () is a city in northern New Brunswick with a population of 12,157 and the 4th largest metropolitan area in New Brunswick as defined by Census Canada with a population of 31,387 as of 2021. The City of Bathurst overlooks Nepisiguit Ba ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, or across the bay in

New Carlisle, Quebec New Carlisle () is a town in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of Quebec, Canada. It best known as the boyhood home of René Lévesque although he was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Its population is approximately 1,336, approxima ...

. It takes the form of an arc of light, usually seen before a storm. Its cause is unknown, but speculation includes rotting vegetation, undersea releases of

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

, and St. Elmo's fire."The Legend of the Phantom Ship"
Source: City of Bathurst. The phenomenon has been the source of many a tall tale, and has been said to appear as a flaming three-mast galley much like the style of ship featured on New Brunswick's provincial flag. Local accounts of the supernatural vessel claim that it is possible to hear the screams of the burning ship passengers by submerging one's feet in the Chaleur Bay waters. Sightings are claimed to be most frequent on hot summer nights.

Versions of the story

Portuguese captain selling Mi'kmaq

In this version of the fireship tale, a Portuguese captain arrived on the shores of Heron Island in

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence">Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and t ...

in 1501. Upon his second trip to the region to capture more Mi'kmaq natives for the slave trade, he was tortured and killed by the locals who had bitter memories of his first visit. A year later his brother came looking for him and was also attacked by the locals; their ship caught fire and they jumped into the waters and swore to haunt the bay for 1,000 years. In several eye witness reports from early settlers on Heron Island, most notably the Pettigrew family, the ship is most often seen on the north side of the island, during the full moon. In a horrifying incident, Mrs. Pettigrew reported to be on her veranda at dusk one summers evening in 1878, when a ghostly figure of a sailor appeared at the corner of the farm house, and reportedly asked her to help him, see to his burns. When she turned away from the figure to run inside, it apparently brushed by her and to her horror she realized he was legless. Victims, both Mi'kmaq and Portuguese of the sinking, reportedly washed up on the shores of the island, and were buried in shallow graves at French Woods, a low-lying area at the west tip of the island."Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs"
Source: Université de Moncton, Centre d'études acadiennes, Fonds Catherine-Jolicoeur, 63.011.

Pirate killing near Port Daniel

This Restigouche lady's version tells of a group of pirates who killed a woman. With her dying words she cast a curse upon them that "For as long as the world is, may you burn on the bay."

Sailor murdered aboard

Sailors aboard a ship heading to sea in bad weather feared they would die and blamed their bad luck on one of their own whom they murdered. When the ship caught fire, it was told that it was Catholic blood reaping its vengeance.

Explanation

Dr. J. Orne Green a professor from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

investigated and concluded it was a natural phenomenon, electrical in nature. Prof William Francis Ganong who visited the area, believed the Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs to be a case of St. Elmo's fire. He wrote a paper on the subject in 1906. G. L. Ellis a geologist from

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

speculated that the fireship might be

marsh gas Marsh gas, also known as swamp gas or bog gas, is a mixture primarily of methane and smaller amounts of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and trace phosphine that is produced naturally within some geographical marshes, swamps, and bogs. The surfa ...

that had drifted over water.Behe, George; Goss, Michael. (2005). ''Lost at Sea: Ghost Ships and Other Mysteries''.

Prometheus Books Prometheus Books is a publishing company founded in August 1969 by the philosopher Paul Kurtz (who was also the founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, Center for Inquiry, and co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). The publ ...

. p. 85.

References