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Shadows on the Sea The Maritime Mysteries of Britain aka Ghost Ships

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 7:44

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Interview with Neil Arnold

For more high strange interviews visit www.churchofmabusradio.com

1. What drove and inspired you to write your book Shadows on the Sea The Maritime Mysteries of Britain?

1) Previously to SHADOWS ON THE SEA…I’d written a book called SHADOWS IN THE SKY: THE HAUNTED AIRWAYS OF BRITAIN, which covered all manner of flying monsters, pilot encounters with UFOs, haunted airfields, etc, and so a book regarding Britain’s coastal areas seemed ideal as a follow up. However, the reason I like to write books is because too many authors, especially within the paranormal realm, seem to regurgitate a lot of material, so I tried to aim for a mix of new and old, with shedding new light on older cases.

2. Would you share a story with us regarding Phantom Ships?

2) There are so many peculiar stories of phantom ships, some are considered British classics such as the case of the Lady Lovibund, said to appear off the Kent coast every fifty or so years. Sadly, it seems as if the ship – which became wrecked on treacherous sands – was never in existence but it makes for a great anniversary ghost tale, but one of my favourite set of maritime tales concerns phantom ships said to take to the air! One such encounter was said to have taken place in 1734 in Wales and was witnessed by a farmer who saw a ship emerge from the sky. There is also a sinister tale from Dorset concerning spectral ship being steered by the Devil himself! The ship was said to have exploded into a ball of fire.

3. Could you share a tale with us from your chapter called Ghosts Ahoy! Some Haunted Boats?

3) It was no surprise to uncover many stories pertaining to haunted boats, and vessels that had to be exorcised in order to rid them of their reputed ghosts. One of my favourites concerns a HMS Asp said to have been haunted by a ghostly woman in white who was often seen aboard pointing skyward. Rumours suggested that the lady had been murdered on board and eventually when the ship docked at Pembroke, the spectre drifted to land and halted over a gravestone and then vanished. I don’t personally buy the story as it sounds all too similar to so many phantom hitchhiker yarns, but it’s still a good story. Mind you, not all of these encounters can be blamed on ghouls – there is one specific tale concerning an unnamed vessel that was aid to be haunted by an unknown and unseen presence, but those on deck believed that the spectre left an unholy stench – but this was eventually explained when the captain found a dead rat on board!

4. What is the definition of USOs and would you please share an encounter with us?

4) USOs are said to be Unidentified Submarine/Submerged Objects – peculiar lights and shapes that are seen underwater, often by ships crews. Whether such forms are in facts UFOs we’ll never know but there appear to be some instances where such lights have zipped from the sky and into the sky, whilst on other occasions strange aerial lights have been seen to descend into the black waters of locations such as the North Sea. Some of these lights have altered direction so we can rule out meteorites in some cases.

5. What is a fascinating story from Ghosts on the Coast and Other Mysteries you would like to share with us?

5) Ever since I was a child I’ve been fascinated by fictional stories of ghosts on beaches and cliff-tops – probably due to the windswept and remote nature of the locations. I was also a huge fan of the M.R. James ghost stories, particularly ‘Whistle & I’ll Come To You,’ and ‘A Warning to the Curious’ which involve coastal locations. The chapter ‘Ghosts on the coast…’ covers all manner of maritime mysteries ranging from phantom fishermen, ghosts on cliffs, phantom fishermen – which reminds me of the classic horror movie THE FOG. There are also tales of spectral smugglers, who I believe, in some cases, were responsible for making up certain ghost stories to ward people away from areas where their contraband was stashed. So many of the stories in this chapter are creepy, including the atmospheric-looking Reculver Towers on the Kent coast where the remains of babies were found during an archaeological dig – people still claim to hear the screams of the infants wafting on the sea breeze. There are also ominous tales of hellhounds (phantom black dogs) said to roam the Norfolk/Suffolk coast, although one particular fiendish canid – known as the Roy Dog – of Dorset folklore, was once said to have a lair at Portland, overlooking the sea, and the beast would feast on locals! Another story that has been with me since childhood concerns Beachy Head, at Eastbourne, an atmospheric area known for its high suicide rate (lovers are known to jump from the cliff edge) and the numerous ghosts said to lure you to your death.

6. What sort of beasties are entertained in your chapter Denizens of the Deep?

6) ‘Denizens of the Deep’ was written to explore numerous coastal tales of sea serpents, mermaids, giant fish etc alleged to have been spotted around the British coast-line. The most famous of these is probably Morgawr, the Cornish sea-giant, but I’ve also looked at tales of lesser known alleged serpents from Wales, Ireland and Kent, as well as possible finds of sea serpent carcasses. The mermaid ‘sightings’ seem far less plausible, but like dragons such manifestations have embedded themselves into local folklore for centuries.

7. Could you share with us what drove you to get into paranormal topics when it comes to writing?

7) I’ve written about and investigated the paranormal since the age of about eight. This was due to my father and grandfather telling me numerous ghost stories as a child. I would often read classic paranormal books back in the early 1980s but found that too many authors repeated themselves or didn’t actually do any field research, so I wanted to look at older stories and shed new light on them or in some cases try to find out why there would be a ghost haunting a particular sight – maybe there had been a murder etc. Too many people are able to get books published nowadays but a lot of people merely sit in an armchair and take other information assuming it to be true. Everyone loves a good ghost story whether we believe in them or not, and as a child I so desperately wanted their to be sea monsters etc, I’m not really a big believer in any of these things, but more interested in how the mind works, and why we possibly see things which aren’t actually there.

8. When it comes to your next book is there any info you would like to share and what about past books you have written? Also if you have a link you would like to share please do. Thank you.

8) So far I’ve written about 17 books on the paranormal, cryptozoological-related subjects – my first book MONSTER! THE A-Z OF ZOOFORM PHENOMENA is the one I’m most proud of, it’s a huge 400 page encyclopaedia of monsters that many would never had heard of, they are ‘zooforms,’ seemingly supernatural, demonic, ghostly creatures reported throughout the world, in different types of culture. I’ve also written two huge books regarding unusual and out of place animals in the UK, being MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: LONDON and MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: KENT, covering stories of out of place big cats, escaped animals etc, and I’ve written more than ten local ghost books too. Again, these were written to find and accumulate a wealth of ghost stories that no-one else had previously read about. I’m currently writing a book called SHAOWS ON THE HORIZON concerning haunted marshes, fields and woods, and have recently had published KENT URBAN LEGENDS which should appeal to people worldwide as it covers legends and stories passed round as fact, and yet which are often completely untrue yet creepy all the same. All my books are available on Amazon and some of my websites are www.kentbigcats.blogspot.com and www.beastsoflondon.blogspot.com

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