Case No. #1492
The Vanishing Vessel in the Tsugaru Strait
Summary
On the night of November 14, 2018, a fisherman transiting the Tsugaru Strait in clear weather and good visibility reported that a small fishing vessel approximately 100–200 meters ahead of him disappeared while he was looking at it. He notified the Japan Coast Guard; no vessel was found in the subsequent search. AIS records for that time and location contained no matching entry. Regional fishing port records showed no corresponding vessel departure or arrival. The Tsugaru Strait has a decades-long tradition of similar "vanishing vessel" accounts.
Details
The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu and is an important international maritime corridor. On the night of November 14, 2018, a fisherman in his sixties was en route from Hakodate to northern fishing grounds when he observed a small white-hulled fishing vessel with a red stripe ahead of him, proceeding in the same direction. Port and starboard running lights were lit normally. He estimated the distance at 100–200 meters.
When he increased speed to close the gap, the vessel disappeared. He described the disappearance: "It didn't enter fog. It didn't turn sharply. While I was watching, the vessel in front of me vanished." He reported immediately to the Japan Coast Guard, which dispatched a patrol vessel. The area was searched; no vessel was found.
Review of AIS (Automatic Identification System) records for the strait at the relevant time and position found no entry matching a small fishing vessel. Small fishing boats below a certain tonnage threshold are not legally required to carry AIS transponders, so absence from the record is not itself anomalous. However, inquiries to fishing ports in the Tsugaru Strait area found no record of a white vessel with a red stripe departing or arriving on that date.
The Tsugaru Strait carries a long-standing folkloric tradition of vanishing ships and ghost vessels among local fishermen. The Bureau's database contains three similar "vessel disappearance" reports from the strait over the prior decade. Strait-specific optical phenomena — sea fog, mirage layering — are considered as possible sources of illusion; however, the witness reported clear weather and good visibility, weakening those hypotheses in this case.
Timeline
- Night of Nov 14, 2018Fisherman observes white vessel with red stripe 100–200 m ahead in clear conditions. Vessel disappears while he watches.
- Nov 14, 2018 — shortly afterCoast Guard notified. Patrol vessel searches area. No vessel found.
- Nov 15, 2018Next-day search conducted. No AIS record matching vessel at that time and position.
- November 2018Fishing port inquiries in the strait area find no departure/arrival record for a matching vessel.
- SubsequentlyCase compared against prior strait reports. Three similar "vanishing vessel" cases confirmed over the prior decade.
- PresentCorrelation analysis with Tsugaru Strait mirage and optical conditions ongoing.
Witness Testimony
Witnessing fisherman (male, 60s)"There was a vessel ahead of me. White hull, red stripe, running lights on. I sped up to close the gap, and while I was watching, it disappeared. No fog. No sharp turn. I have no explanation."
Coast Guard officer (male, 40s)"We searched after the report and found nothing. No AIS record either. Small fishing boats sometimes aren't required to carry AIS, but a vessel that simply disappears — that's not normal. I can't explain it."
Veteran local fisherman (male, 70s)"Stories of vessels disappearing in the Tsugaru Strait go back generations. A ship running parallel suddenly gone. I saw something like it once when I was young. People say it's a spirit vessel from the other side. Whether one believes that is a personal matter."
Kyu's Analysis
A vessel disappeared in clear weather in a monitored strait. No AIS record. The Tsugaru Strait's ghost ships are still in transit.
