Customer Reviews

The Spectral Tide: True Ghost Stories of the U.S. Navy

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Humans have yet to discover all the mysteries of the ocean depths -- and these are just the ones that can be explained by science. In "The Spectral Tide: True Ghost Stories of the U.S. Navy", Eric Mills, examines some of the paranormal experiences of sailors from the 200 hundred years of the US Navy's existence. He covers stories from the early 19th century through the bombing of the USS Cole.

Most of the remaining stories have never been heard outside the naval services, but some modern movies, such as "Pirates of the Caribbean", reference one of these earliest ghost stories. 'The Flying Dutchman', a 19th-century merchant ship that sank in 1815. Mills relates a few of the many documented sightings of this phantom ship over the next 128 years.

Mills collects the stories into topical areas such as aviation related; battleships; bases; or even specific ships (USS Hornet). The depth of research for these suspected haunter varies greatly. Mills does an excellent job of providing the background on the older ships, such as 'The Flying Dutchman', and the USS Constellation. For some of the shore-based stories, Mills highlights an event (e.g. mass casualty crash) or provide other information (e.g. civil war hospital) that would provide a probable explanation to tie the unexplained events to a past spirit. There are other stories, such as Lt Sutton who haunts the grounds of Annapolis, where Mills can specifically identify the likely apparation.

I have always been partial to ghost stories, and Mills can spin a yarn with the best of them. This is a great book for the reader looking for something off the beaten path.

This is from a complimentary review copy of the book.

The author sets the stage beautifully through his well-documented background information about the sites of paranormal activity.

The naval history aspects of the story are fascinating. The names of Hornet, North Carolina, Constellation and others are well known, but their actual stories are not. The author, a fine storyteller, brings them and their haunting residents to life. He is both articulate and precise in relating the findings of his obviously thorough research of the subject. There are many parts of the stories that cause a lump in the throat and a tear to the eye due in large part to the descriptive skills of the author.

This book gives one pause to think about paranormal phenomena. I heartily recommend it.

I couldn't put this book down. Very quick read that grabbed my attention and would not let go. A must read for anyone interested in history and/or the paranormal. I'll give this book for gifts.

This is a well-researched book that basically treads ground covered many times before. If you are a ghost buff, you probably already know most of what's here. But many of the sites -- mostly historic ships -- are open to the public, so you can visit and look for ghosts yourself, maybe on the sly: Lots of places don't cotton to folks poking around with Tri-Field meters, digital recorders and laser thermometers.

On the other hand, for folks interested in the U.S. Navy, reading this book is a no-brainer: Even if you know all about the ghosts, the information Mills includes about the ships is alone worth the cover price. It's well-written, not overly academic but not too simplistic, either. I've been studying naval history for 50 years, and I still enjoyed this book, so give it a try.

"The Spectral Tide; True Ghost Stories of the U.S. Navy" by Eric Mills is basically a compilation of various ghostly sightings and stories that have been circulating the ethereal tides upon naval vessels for many years. Many of these stories are familiar to most people; however, there were enough of the unfamiliar ones to make the reading more mysterious and interesting.

Sometimes, Mr. Mills sounds more like a "docent" on some ectoplasmic tour than a writer, but the subject of interest will none the less...keep you "carefully" turning the pages.

I do not recall any spectral stories regarding submarines and perhaps one or, two such stories would have polished off this collection, "in toto."

The author's best writing quality appears in the last paragraph entitled; "For Those in Peril on the Sea." In this final analysis Mr. Mills gives some thought as to the fact that regardless of the times, "Each generation adds its layer to the supernatural side of the naval story." He gives such examples of the U.S.S. Cole incident in the Yemen harbor on October 12, 2000, and even more recent incidents that are just now starting to... "appear."

It seems to me from the stories shared in this book,, that most hauntings on Naval vessels are of the "residual" type rather than the "intelligence" or "inter-active" type of haunting. This may be due to the rapid and violent way most of the sailors died, but the author describes several types none the less.


The book moves slowly, but there is a story or, two for everyone who might be interested in a good ghost story every now and then.

This book was not worth the $22.95 I paid for it or the 30 day wait while Amazon took their time shipping it. There was one or two good stories in it. I didn't care for it at all.