Block Island’s Burning Ghost Ship Returns This Christmas

The holiday season is fast approaching and with it all the festive favorites; tree lightings, santa visits — and even ghost ships?

Yes, according to one of Rhode Island's creepiest legends, the apparition of a ship on fire appears off Block Island every year around the Christmas season.

Specifically, the ship is said to arrive the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's. If the story behind this ghost ship is true, this year will mark the 287th anniversary of the wreck that started it all.

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As is often the case with legends, this Rhode Island tale starts with a kernel of truth.

The Legend of Block Island's Ghost Ship

Block Island's ghost ship tale starts with the British merchant vessel, Princess Augusta. In December 1738, the Princess Augusta was transporting immigrants from the Palatinate region of Germany to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when it ran aground off Block Island.

READ MORE: Rhode Island's Watch Hill Point Has Tragic Shipwreck History

Reports say the Princess Augusta met with many storms during the trip and had contaminated water on board, which killed more than 200 of the 340 passengers, including Captain George Long.

Where It All Went Wrong

Whether the ship was damaged or the new captain not up to the task, the Princess Augusta was driven off course and on December 27, 1738, ran aground on the northern shore of Block Island and ultimately caught fire.

Sadly, the fire destroyed many of the Palatine passengers' possessions and the cargo that survived and washed ashore was extorted away from their rightful owners. The roughly 85 passengers who remained on Block Island were essentially left with nothing, though the Rhode Island governor did send officers to the island to try and set things right.

Though no reports on how these victims ultimately made out seem to be available, the doomed ship was not forgotten. A century after the disaster, the first appearance of a burning ship off Block Island was reported.

Palatine Light

In the mid-1800s Block Islanders spotted a burning ship off their northern shore. Rescue attempts were made, but the ship was unapproachable. The reports were that whenever you moved closer to it, the burning ship moved away.

Superstitious watchers instantly dubbed it 'The Palatine Light' after the immigrant passengers of the Princess Augusta wreck. That name has stuck for centuries.

READ MORE: The Ghostly Tale of Route 44's Redheaded Hitchhiker

For years the ghost ship was said to make its annual appearance on the Saturday closest to the December 27th anniversary of the shipwreck. This year that Saturday actually falls on December 27, perhaps increasing the chances of seeing this burning light on the water.

On shore visitors can still find the Palatine Graves on Block Island. In 1947, a historical marker for the mass grave of passengers from the shipwreck was placed near the Mohegan Bluffs.