Found an interesting site that lists a few common Sea Myths that could play out here. http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/Nautical_Myths.html
Particularly:
Another interesting one I thought was:
Particularly:
Sounds a lot like what we just saw happen to the pirates. Although that was quite a bit more direct, as they've literally taken control of that ship.Sea Spright (also Sprite): A ghost of the sea. The word usually refers to disembodied spirit, a ghost; a supernatural being, goblin or fairy. They haunt ships that have troubled pasts, such as mutinies or perhaps a ship that had a cruel master who was murdered or was beleived to be in league with the Devil. Some people consider former slaves ships to be haunted because of their past cargo. Some sprights haunt spots where ships had sunk, basically creating "haunted waters”. Occasionally a spright will bring warning of impending doom or warn sailors to stay out of the waters but most tend to be vengeful and or troublesome. The word spright dates back to the 1500s and is an alliteration of the word "spirit".
Another interesting one I thought was:
I can see this or something similar being used to possibly repel the ghost ship, or the creatures in the sea. But, I admit it's pretty farfetched.St. Elmo's Fire: St. Elmo's Fire is named after the Italian Saint Erasmus (Elmo in English). St. Erasmus is the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors. St. Elmo's Fire is a weather phenominon that occurs when a large amount of atmospehric electricity is present, usually before or after a thunder storm. It is usually seen as a good omen by men at sea, a sign that the very finger tips of God has come down from Heaven to protect the ship from danger.
St. Elmo's Fire appears as blue flame or sphere at the top of a ship's mast or masts, often for minutes at a time. It does not produce heat or cause things to burn. Sometimes the sphere will break up and dance along the yardarms and upper lines of the ship. On ships with more than one masts the flame may appear at the top of each mast or dance about like a blue flame licking the top of of all the sails.
Leave it to Ben Franklin to explain this naturally occurring condition in his work concerning electricity in the air and lightning. Basically as electricity builds up in the atmosphere before or storm or disippates after a storm it is attracted to the top of the masts which act as grounded lightning rods. The elctricity causes the tips to brightly glow in a blue or whitish blue light.
Despite Mr. Franklin's wisdom, the light is still seen today as a sign of good luck or fortune, escpecially when it appears near then en of a tempest. At that time, it is seen as a sign that St. Elmo has watched over the ship through the storm and answered the prayers of her crew.