Ghosts in the Rigging
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Privateering was a dangerous way to make a living, but it could also be a quick way to make a fortune. When countries were at war, their governments would give permission to some private ship owners to attack enemy merchant ships and claim any loot they found for themselves. Doing this allowed the navy to spend more time fighting sea battles, and it robbed the enemy of needed supplies carried by the merchant ships.
During the War of 1812 several American privateers chased down British ships sailing along the southeastern coast of Nova Scotia. But on June 27, 1813, one of those American ships, the Young Teazer, became the hunted instead of the hunter.
A British navy warship chased the Young Teazer into Mahone Bay west of Halifax. A British deserter aboard the Young Teazer, realizing that his ship was trapped and about to be boarded by British officers, made a desperate move. Knowing that if they found him he'd be hanged, he threw a lit torch into the ship's supply of gunpowder.
The fiery explosion that followed blew apart the Young Teazer and killed many of the crew. Some of the sailors were buried in the nearby town of Chester, and parts of the ship not destroyed by fire were hauled ashore to be used as building materials.
About a year later, a ghost ship made its first of many appearances near Chester in Mahone Bay. Ever since then, hundreds of people have seen a burning ship out on the bay. Some of them were in their own boats when the ship appeared out of nowhere. At times it seemed to be heading right for them, and they were terrified that it was going to run them down. At the last second, it vanished into thin air. Sometimes it passes so close to the shore that people on the beach can see the sailors up in the rigging. In most cases the ship appears to be on fire, which is why so many people believe it is the ghost of the Young Teazer. Over the years, some people have even reported hearing the tortured cries of the men who have been trying to escape the burning ship for more than a century.
From Haunted Canada, copyright © 2003 by Pat Hancock. All rights reserved.
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