What are ghost ships, was a corpse-filled vessel spotted near Japan and how many sightings have there been?
They are the stuff of legends but real ghost ships have been sighted around the world
THEY are the stuff of legends, eerie ships that float across the seas, manned by corpses.
But what are ghost ships? Are they real and where have they been found? We examine the folktale and sort fact from fiction...
What are ghost ships?
Ghost ships are also known as phantom ships - a phrase to describe a vessel with no living crew on board.
The vessels can often be completely empty or contain the bodies of crew members.
While some are the stuff of spooky legends, deserted ships have been found around the world.
Was a corpse-filled vessel spotted near Japan?
A tattered vessel was spotted off the coast of Japan, just one of dozens that have floated to shore in recent years.
One of the most recent ships found is believed to have come from North Korea, with a remains of the nation's flag on board, as well as the decomposing bodies of crew members believed to have been dead for months.
While it is unclear where the vessel came from, theories have emerged that the unlucky men were desperate defectors who had decided to take their chances in flimsy boats on the open ocean to escape Kim Jong-un’s oppressive regime.
Other theories include that the men were simply fishermen.
At least 14 boats carrying more than 30 decomposing corpses have turned up off the coast of Japan since the end of 2016.
How many ghost ship sightings have there been?
There have been dozens of ghost ships spotted floating around the sea - here are some of the most famous deserted ships.
The Flying Dutchman
Legend says that the Flying Dutchman is commanded by a captain condemned to sail the seven seas for eternity.
The myth, believed to have come about around the 17th century, says that the ship's crew often try to send messages to land - but a sighting of the ship heralds doom.
However, sightings of the ship could have simply been caused by a Fata Morgana.
The ship has most recently been adapted into the Pirates of Caribbean movies, featuring Johnny Depp.
The Sayo
In February 2016, the Sayo was found adrift in the Pacific Sea.
The captain, Manfred Fritz Bajorat of Germany was found inside the 40-ft yacht, his body perfectly preserved.
The yacht was only found when a crew member on board a round-the-world race spotted it and swan out to the vessel - making the grim discovery.
The MV Lyubov Orlova
This hulking mass was adrift in the North Atlantic for a year after being cut loose off Canada.
The ship had nothing on board - except for packs of vicious, disease-ridden rodents preying on each other to survive.
The Lyubov Orlova — named after a Russian actress — had been built to carry 110 passengers to far-flung destinations including the polar regions. But in 2010 she was impounded in Newfoundland in a debts row and deserted by her unpaid crew.
While being towed to be scrapped, the ship broke loose and was released.
Lady Lovibond
Ghost story and pirate fans alike will be intrigued by the tale of the Lady Lovibond, an ill-fated ship which was sunk in the 1700s.
Legend has it that the ship’s captain, Simon Peel, had just gotten married, and decided to take his ship out on a cruise to celebrate.
Heading to Portugal, the ship's first mate, in love with the captain's wife, smashed the ship into the Goodwind Sands, killing all those on board.
The legend now goes that ever since that ill-fated day, the Lady Lovibond can be seen sailing the coastline around Kent every 50 years.
SS Baychimo
This steam-powered cargo ship was part of the British Hudson Bay Company in the 1920s but was lost in 1931.
Originally called the Ångermanelfven, the ship started life in Sweden and spent its early working life plying the trade route to Hamburg.
But in late 1931 she became trapped in the ice off the coast of Alaska and the crew had to be airlifted to safety - with the ship never found again.
The Stellar Daisy
The Stellar Daisy was sailing from Brazil to China when it sent out a distress signal in 2017.
Two people were found in a life raft and rescued but other lifeboats and rafts found in the area were empty - despite there originally being 22 crew members on board.
