USS Cyclops Disappearance
The USS Cyclops vanished without a trace with 309 crew members. No wreckage, no distress signal, no survivors. It remains the U.S. Navy's largest non-combat loss of life.
The Disappearance of USS Cyclops
In March 1918, the USS Cyclops—a 542-foot Navy collier with 309 people aboard—sailed from Barbados and vanished. No distress signal. No wreckage. No survivors. It remains the largest non-combat loss of life in U.S. Navy history.
The Ship
The Cyclops was a Proteus-class collier, 542 feet long, carrying manganese ore. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander George W. Worley, it departed Barbados on March 4, 1918, bound for Baltimore. It never arrived.
The Mystery
- No wireless distress signal was received
- No wreckage found despite extensive searches
- German submarines (checked after WWI) claimed no attack
- Weather was reportedly fair
Theories
Structural failure from heavy ore load. Storm that struck suddenly. Bermuda Triangle phenomena. None confirmed.
Eerily, its two sister ships also vanished without trace in WWII.
A 542-foot ship with 309 people disappeared completely. No call for help. No debris. No answers. Over a century later, we still don’t know what happened.