On 26 December 1900, the relief ship arrived at the lighthouse on the Flannan Islands, off the coast of Scotland. No one answers. A guard arrives and discovers that James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald McArthur are missing. The lighthouse is empty, but the lamp had been prepared to be lit.
The Northern Lighthouse Board keeps the investigation reports. They describe significant damage to the west landing and equipment moved by the sea. The explanation used at the time was that the men were swept away by a strong wave while they were outside. Their disappearance did not have a witness to reconstruct exactly the sequence.
Archives do not support omens added in popular versions. The real enigma is enough: three workers have disappeared, without traces telling all their last gestures.
What we know
A wave is the explanation of the investigation, not a directly observed event. No dramatic newspaper clippings invented.
To go to the source
References accessed October 11, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
Signaler une erreur ou apporter une précision
