The Chilling Legend Of The Ghost Ship Jenny And Its Frozen Crew
We've all heard of ghost ships, vessels adrift at sea under mysterious circumstances, and crew members missing. Some have theories behind the abandonment of the ship, while others remain an enigma even after investigations. One of the most famous ghost ships is the Mary Celeste which set sail on November 7, 1872, only to be found floating in the Atlantic without anyone onboard. As reported by Reader's Digest, there are theories about what may have happened to the ten people aboard the ship, but it is impossible to know for sure. Other ships that shared a similar fate include the Caroll A. Deering, the MV Joyita, and the Kaz II.
There is another ghost ship that isn't as well known, but the facts behind what was discovered when it was found are puzzling, to say the least. A schooner named Jenny reportedly set sail in 1822 and went missing a year later, per Puzzle Box Horror. However, unlike the aforementioned ghost ships, this one was discovered with its crew still aboard.
What was discovered on the Jenny?
The legend of Jenny is unsubstantiated, and the only report about it was published in Globus — a German magazine — in 1862, as reported by Paranomal Catalog. According to the story, the whaling ship Hope was sailing in 1840 in Antarctica's Drake Passage when crew members spotted a ship floating between two icebergs. The schooner looked worn, but they allegedly spotted crew members standing on the deck. They called out to the men but got no response. When they got closer, they saw that the men were frozen solid.
Captain Brighton — Hope's commanding officer — boarded Jenny and went below deck to investigate further. He reportedly found Jenny's captain sitting frozen with a pen in his hand. According to Puzzle Box Horror, the final entry on the captain's log read, "May 4, 1823. No food for 71 days. I am the only one left alive." Captain Brighton also found a woman on a bed beside a dog, and just like the others, both were frozen (via Paranormal Catalog). Some reports say Hope's crew buried the frozen people at sea, while others say that the Jenny and its crew are still drifting along Drake Passage. However, as noted by Astonishing Legends, no one has seen Jenny since that day.
Is the Jenny real?
It's difficult to ascertain whether the ghost ship Jenny is real or not. Other details that were reportedly found in the captain's log included the ship's origin, which was the Isle of Wright, and that the last port it passed through was in Peru (via Paranormal Catalog). If it were true, Jenny's crew members might have met with an unforeseen heavy ice storm, which explains why they were discovered frozen solid. Another theory is that Jenny experienced something paranormal while out in the ocean.
An article published by Cambridge University Press studied the story of Jenny. Upon thorough research, its author concluded that Jenny and the fate of its crew members was just a legend. The story may have been spread by word of mouth, or it may have been greatly exaggerated. There is no other proof that Jenny ever existed other than the article that was published in Globus, and it was recounted by a crew member of Hope, who wished to remain anonymous, according to Astonishing Legends. Real or not, the legend of Jenny makes a chilling and mysterious ghost ship story.