This next ghost story from Charles Turek Robinson’s The New England Ghost Files (Covered Bridge Press, 1994) brings to mind a certain terrifying scene from Jaws...

GHOST FILE #56

“Underwater Apparition”

Location: Coastal Southeastern New England

Number of witnesses: 2

Interview date: 2/94

Vinnie and Fred Hutton, brothers who own a scuba diving shop in Massachusetts, report experiencing a bizarre encounter while diving off the coast of southeastern New England. The brothers were exploring a sunken cargo ship, a medium-sized steel-hull vessel that sank earlier this century (with several crew lost). The decaying, encrusted ship, which lies in relatively shallow waters, frequently attracts curious divers.

The Hutton brothers’ account is simple but inexplicable. While underwater examining the ship, both men were suddenly shocked by a human face staring at them through one of the ship’s portholes. The face - a man’s - gazed at them inquisitively. The absence of a mask and diving gear revealed that the man was not a scuba diver.

Since the sunken vessel was completely filled with water, the man inside the ship could not have been breathing. Still, the way that he calmly looked out at the brothers through the porthole - and the fact that his eyes were moving - indicated to Vinne and Fred that they were observing something that had no earthly explanation. The strange face continued to gaze through the porthole for a total of nine minutes, and then it vanished.

The terror-stricken brothers swam out of the area and have never again returned to the wreck. The sunken boat, they believe, is inhabited by the ghost of one of its drowned crewmen.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Two additional area divers - Sandy Cady and Jennifer Armstrong - report sighting the same face at the same sunken wreck.

Do you have a spooky story? Maybe you grew up in a haunted house or saw a UFO? Perhaps you’ve encountered a Bigfoot on a lonely trail? If so, please contact me at lisa.f.matthews@gmail.com - I’d love to hear your story. And if you enjoy mysterious stories like the ones featured in the 13 Days of Halloween Tales of Terror, look for our Mysterious Harbor Electric Bike and Walking Tours starting in Spring 2024.