What would cause an entire ship’s crew to be found dead, lying face up, mouths open and facing the sky?
It was 1947, just after World War Two in the waters of Indonesia, when a chilling SOS call was widely received by several ships in the area, as well as nearby Dutch and British Morse code listening stations. The message was quote, SOS Orang Medan. All officers, including Captain Dead Line in chart room and on Bridge, probably whole crew dead. Sos SOS I die.
The nearest ship and first to respond to the distress call was the American merchant vessel named the Silver Star of Grace Lines in New York who found the doom ship drifting dead in the water. The boarding party was immediately horrified to discover the orangu Madan’s entire crew was, quote, sprawled on their backs, their frozen faces upturned to the sun with mouths gaping open and eyes staring. The dead bodies resembled horrible caricatures. A fire in the cargo hold forced them to evacuate to the safety of the Silver Star, and there was an explosion so violent that it lifted the orangu Medan out of the water before she quickly sank.
Even stranger, no one had ever heard of the Orangutan Or knows where it was registered, or what she was shipping, where or who was on board on that terrible fateful day?
Some assume it was a Smuggler’s vessel. Others theorize they may have been shipping illegal wartime chemicals on behalf of governments. Others imagine the gaping upturned faces looking to the sky as if in fear, but in fear of what and what would cause an entire ship to lift out of the water. Not to mention every crew member dead in the same position.