Is Tampa Bay Haunted?
By Rob Phillips March 31, 2012
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Tampa Bay has always had a unique placement in the annals of America’s waterways and estuaries. “The Bay”, as it is locally known is not home to any great port, nor does its maritime commerce produce the types of numbers that Miami or even Jacksonville can regularly boast about. In fact, when the Bay was discovered in the early 16th century, it was mainly provided a passing review since it yielded no monetary riches and ultimately no permanent settlements existed in the area until 1824. Those early explorers christened the Bay with the name Baya de Spirito Santo (Bay of the Holy Spirit) which seemed to foreshadow the severe degradation of the local native-American culture due to European disease that was until then, unknown to the indigenous population. Provided this total collapse of the native population, a strange event occurred in the area; the Bay and its surrounding areas sat void of any inhabitants for more than 200 years. This strange and foreboding introduction of this body of water onto those early cartographer’s maps seems to continue today with some strange and fantastic events that continue to linger in the legend and lore of the Tampa Bay.
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| Source:Florida Department of Transportation |
There is a stretch of the Tampa Bay waterway system stretching from the Egmont Key Lighthouse area at the mouth of the Bay to the 4.1 mile Sunshine Skyway Bridge which is know as the Tampa Bay Dead Zone by local commercial seamen. From their reports, numerous failures of electrical and mechanical equipment seem to be prone in this area and coupled with the strong current and sometime unpredictable weather conditions of the area, this can spell disaster.
The USCG Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot Coast Guard buoy tender which was departing Tampa Bay after a complete overhaul on the night of January 28th, 1980. In a bizarre set of navigational errors, the Blackthorn and the in-bound tanker Capricorn collided near the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge which resulted in the deaths of 23 Coast Guard crew members. The Blackthorn was subsequently taken 20 miles offshore and scuttled after the investigation and is now a local sport diving spot. While the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was the background setting for this nautical tragedy, its existence would be front and center on the morning of May 9th, 1980.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge was originally erected in 1954 to span the Tampa Bay waterway from Manatee County to Pinellas County thereby linking I-275 and providing a faster route to the metropolitan Tampa Bay area. This proved to be a successful roadway that was and continues to be utilized by thousands of motorists every day. Unfortunately, the popularity and convenience of the bridge was the catalyst for the biggest disaster the Bay Area had ever been associated with.
In 1980 during the early morning hours on that windy and rainy May morning, the merchant vessel M/V Summit Venture lost forward visibility and struck a main support column of the bridge. The impact and subsequent collapse of the main span sent 10 southbound automobiles and a Greyhound bus 150 feet into the churning Tampa Bay waters below. 35 people lost their lives that morning.? The ensuing recovery operation was a macabre underwater recovery effort that haunted even the most seasoned rescue divers.
Photo's above and below courtesy of http://www.floridastateparks.org/history/parkhistory.cfm?parkid=180
For a recount of this tragic event read this St. Petersburg Times article.
In 1987 a new, state of the art Sunshine Skyway Bridge (now referred to as The Governor Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge) was opened. This time, the designers made it taller and erected impact barriers called “dolphins” to prevent any similar disasters from ever occurring again. The bridge’s cables were even painted a cheery yellow seemingly to rid the area of any memories of that dark morning in 1980. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge was now an international architectural piece that summoned visitors from around the world to view its majestic presence as it shimmered in the Florida sun. The visitors to the bridge continue today. Unfortunately, not all of its visitors have the best intentions in mind.
When driving over the highest portion of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, there are a series of red nondescript signs that when passing at 65 mph one would not normally notice much less concern themselves with. Upon closer inspection, these signs have a message that is indeed not intended for the average motorist hurling along going about their daily business. These signs urge its distressed readers to stop, reconsider their dreadful intentions and kindly pick up the crisis hotline telephone below. Since the new bridge was completed in 1987, approximately 150 people have leapt to their deaths off of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. In fact, the Skyway is #4 in the world for bridge suicides behind The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, The George Washington Memorial Bridge in Seattle and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. The regularity of jumpers off of the bridge necessitates a full time State Trooper at each end of the bridge ready to respond as needed. Humans are not the only poor souls who have made the leap. In 1998 a Rottweiler named Shasta was carried over with her suicidal owner with the intentions of both ceasing to exist. The dog was later found by a boater, injured but still alive, the dog’s owner was not so lucky.
In the shadow of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the old causeway remains today as a favorite fishing pier for local anglers. Various species including mackerel, tarpon, sheep head and sea trout are sought out by locals and tourists alike for a delightful day of fishing. What most of these pier-bound anglers don’t realize is that contained within these waters is a legend of a huge Great Hammerhead Shark who’s non-politically correct name summons images of broken lines and thrashed boat hulls to local anglers; Old Hitler.
The origins of the Old Hitler legend are foggy and are actually perpetuated up and down the West Coast of Florida. Some say that the Germans in WWII released a chemically altered beast from a U-Boat to terrorize the coastal areas during the war. Others state that the fish was caught when very young and a swastika was carved into its dorsal fin.
Fish stories aside, numerous anglers have been known to hook a several hundred pound Tarpon, only to have it cut clean in two by huge Tampa Bay sharks securing an easy meal. Regardless the origins of the legend, the Tampa Bay waters are home to some of the biggest specimens of the species. In fact, in the vicinity of Egmont Key at the mouth of the Bay is one of the most active shark breeding grounds during the summer months. This shark “social area” coupled with the plentiful food sources found in the Bay certainly propels the contact between humans and shark to a higher level. The largest Great Hammerhead ever caught dubbed "Spiro" was 17 feet 1 inch and weighed 1,386 pounds. This monster was caught using a chain, rope, and an inflatable inner tube with a 14 pound Manta Ray as bait off the Rod & Reel Pier on Anna Maria Island by Frank Cavendish and Ralph French in 1973. To this day, that remains the largest fish caught in the Bay. At that time, many old fishermen thought that finally, Old Hitler had met his match, but actually large sharks of several different species continue to prowl the Tampa Bay waters in search of food, sometimes that food just happens to be a prize game fish an unsuspecting fisherman has hooked. The legend of Old Hitler may be just that, a legend, but perhaps he is out there to this day continuing to break lines and stir up stories.
Tampa Bay is a beautiful area that is a true treasure to the West Coast of Florida and to the state itself. Plentiful fishing, beautiful beaches and temperate waters make this a getaway location for millions of visitors every year. Numerous publications and chamber of commerce literature utilize these very highlights to lure more and more vacationers to the area in search of that “perfect holiday”.?
Understandably so, they seem to never mention the darker side of Tampa Bay. In the interest of tourism, this is probably a wise move?
Could it be the infamous Hitler in this video?
Here's another video taken in Boca Grande Pass showing a 100 lb Tarpon attacked by a Hammerhead. It has been said that Hitler travels back and forth from Boca Grande Pass to Tampa Bay.
About the Author
Rob Phillips is a native of Tampa and has been fishing the waters from Charlotte Harbor to Tampa Bay since he was 6 years old.
