If fables of travelers lost at sea or tales of ships left deserted and abandoned on the vast ocean seemed like nothing more than fairytales told around the campfire, think again. The SS Ourang Medan was a real-life ghost ship, whose horrific tale sounds like something straight out of a Stephen King novel. In June of 1947, two American ships picked up a distress call that held the following message:

SOS from Ourang Medan…we float. All officers including the Captain, dead in chartroom and on the bridge. Probably whole of crew dead…I’m dying

During the rescue attempt, crew from the rescue vessel claim none were alive on board and the ship was littered with corpses found with eyes wide open, and no signs of injury anywhere on the bodies. Apparently, a fire broke out in the cargo hold of the Ourang Medan, and the rescue party evacuated the ship, letting it sink into the sea.