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Author Topic: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!  (Read 2057 times)

Brian60

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S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« on: August 09, 2017, 08:11:02 am »

Anyone heard of this ghost ship? I'll admit I hadn't but last week picked up a history magazine at the airport while waiting for my flight. In it was just a snippet on the ship. Intrigued once I got home I searched google and there are loads of references.....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW5EP_lJbeE

roycv

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2017, 08:58:04 am »

Hi Brian are you sure this is not Fake News?  How come a still photograph of a corpse is shown shaking as if from a low quality camera?  Just looking at the body, dieing with one arm in the air is to say the least, 'unusual',  More like a statue.

There was a 90 year old mystery ship reported recently in the Pacific, later realised to be untrue, could a ship in that condition actually stay upright?

regards Roy


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Brian60

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2017, 05:09:22 pm »

Not fake news, there are just too many reports over the interweb about it. Having said that the video is obviously manufactured to fit the story line.

Colin Bishop

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2017, 05:17:58 pm »

However, you often find that all those separate reports boil down to one uncertain source in many cases. It just gets embroidered with repetition. One reason the internet is frequently a very unreliable source of information!

Colin
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JimG

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2017, 07:48:31 pm »

It doesn't take much searching to find that there is no record of a ship with this name, either at launching or possible renaming. There are no records of it having docked in the area . The other ship did exist and was in the area but there is no entry in it's log for an attempted rescue at this time. Looking more and more like a myth and urban legend. Reading the comments you can see that many people are capable of believing any unlikely explanation if it fits their delusion.
You can find any conspiracy theory on the net if you look for it, doesn't mean it's true.

Jim
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Brian60

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2017, 07:54:38 am »

If its fake then I have lost faith in the BBC researchers, the story was published in their top 50 world mysteries list in the History magazine. >:-o

imsinking

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2017, 09:45:55 am »

Hmm , what captain would order a boarding of a 'derelict ship' that's just sent out an S O S that "everyones dead including me" .. . . who knows whats happened aboard it? . . . plague / mutiny etc if they had got a tow line aboard there's not many port's in that area that would've allowed it in . . .
Bill
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Colin Bishop

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2017, 03:01:46 pm »

The BBC History magazine is sold under the BBC logo but it appears to be actually produced and edited by an outside commercial company. It is unlikely that 'BBC researchers' have any involvement with it at all.

It is a popular magazine and not a scientific journal and so the articles are unlikely to be subjected to critical expert scrutiny. All magazines are on very tight budgets so the probability is that the editor will commission a piece from a list of credible contacts. When it is submitted it will be looked over for obvious mistakes or 'howlers' but that is probably all that will be done in terms of checking. The editor will assume that the author has done their homework on it. The BBC do have a panel of historical 'experts' overseeing the publication to offer credibility but one wonders just to what extent they get involved in the regular content of the magazine. Very little I suspect. In any event they will all be mainstream historians and not necessarily familiar with obscure maritime issues. Neither they or the editor would be likely to check whether the ship actually existed or not.

I've not seen the article but I would assume that the author did not properly research the subject as there are several references debunking the story online and these should have been checked out/followed up. But maybe he/she was up against a deadline with mouths to feed etc...

It is also a good yarn, likely to titillate the interest of the casual reader so in it went.

Colin
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Capt Podge

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Re: S.S Ourang Medan - a strange tale!
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2017, 09:32:24 pm »

Has someone been "monkeying" around ?

The name of the vessel would suggest so... %)

Regards,

Ray.
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