CAN BUBBLES SINK A SHIP?

The simple answer is yes, they can! A ship must have a lower density than the water in order to be able to actually float. When methane bubbles through the sea bed it lowers the density of the surrounding water.

A ship unlucky enough to sail over such a blow-out, "would sink as if in a lift shaft." says Alan Judd, a marine geologist from the University of Sunderland.

This is the most likely reason for the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle. Believing we may have our own Triangle, Judd led a survey of the water around the Witch Ground, an area of the North Sea 150km from Aberdeen, (not too far away at all). This found the wreck of a trawler in the middle of 'Witch's Hole', a large pockmark on the seabed, made by the escape of methane. Bruce Denardo of the Navel Postgraduate School in Monterey, tried to disprove this theory by floating a set of small spheres and bubbling air into the bottom of the tank. The spheres sank! I have been told that people have actually seen flames under the water in that area of the North Sea, which can't be explained. These could obviously be methane gas alight, which I can imagine is quite an eerie sight during a night sail. So be aware, it's not only in Bermuda that strange things can happen, it's can also be on your own doorstep!!!

Editor