Text:

Informant: “In 5th grade, everyone went to the Star of India which is this big ship for our maritime unit in 5th grade. Basically, the ship is docked in the harbor, I don’t think it actually sails anymore. While we were there, the guys that were running the whole thing were telling us ghost stories and there was one where a really young kid fell from one of the masts and so around that area, he haunts that place. We would go out in shifts throughout the night and just do random stuff, like make some food or the other people would go look at the stars. It was said that if you were out there at 2 A.M., you could hear the mast creak and that was supposed to be him haunting the ship.”

Context:

The Star of India is a historic ship located in the Maritime Museum of San Diego, CA. It’s open to the public to tour. The informant learned about the legend while attending their 5th grade field trip. It’s said that a few passenger’s died while on the ship and now allegedly haunt it. The story gets told to employees and passed on to visitors.

Analysis:

The Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship. It was built in 1863 and embarked on numerous voyages. In 1927, it was purchased by people in San Diego where it has since been restored and remains in the city. By definition, this haunted ship is considered a legend because the story is based on a location in the real world. Employees are taught to share the legend with each other and visitors, keeping the stories alive. It also has a supernatural element being that it involved multiple ghosts.