Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs — the phantom burning ship of New Brunswick

The Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs is one of Canada's oldest and most widely witnessed maritime ghost stories. Since at least the 18th century, residents along the shores of the Bay of Chaleurs in New Brunswick have reported seeing a spectral ship on fire sailing the waters of the bay. The most commonly told origin story connects the phantom to a group of 40 Portuguese settlers whose ship was set ablaze by pirates in the 16th century, killing all aboard. The burning ship appears at irregular intervals, sometimes not for years, then multiple times in a single season. Witnesses describe a fully rigged sailing vessel engulfed in flames that moves across the bay without regard for wind or current. As observers watch, the ship burns fiercely but is never consumed, eventually fading from view. Hundreds of people have reported seeing the phantom ship over the centuries, including fishermen, residents of coastal communities, and visitors. Some sightings have been witnessed by dozens of people simultaneously. Scientists have suggested the phenomenon may be caused by atmospheric conditions that create mirages, or by bioluminescent algae that occasionally illuminate the bay's waters. However, no explanation has fully accounted for the ship's detailed appearance and its centuries of consistent reports.