Star of India

The world's oldest active sailing ship, built in 1863. Part of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, this iron-hulled vessel has sailed the globe and is now permanently docked in San Diego Harbor.

The Star of India, built in 1863 as the Euterpe, is the world's oldest active sailing ship and a floating museum at San Diego's Maritime Museum. During her 160-year history, this iron-hulled vessel has circled the globe 21 times, carrying emigrants, coal, and timber. But it is the spirits of those who served aboard—and died—that have made her one of California's most haunted ships.

The most famous ghost is fourteen-year-old John Campbell, a stowaway who snuck aboard in Glasgow in 1884 during repairs after a collision. Rather than throwing the young Scotsman overboard, the captain allowed Campbell to earn his keep, and the eager boy became quite the seaman. He spent his off-time playing games with the other children aboard, earning money and making friends.

Just months into the voyage, young John slipped from the top of the mast and fell a hundred feet to the deck below. His legs were mangled, his body broken and bloody. He died three days later and was buried at sea. But John Campbell never truly left the ship he loved.

"Sometimes you'll feel a tap on your shoulder," explains Ruby Stith, a living history instructor. "He liked to play games. That's how he made money on board because he was a stowaway." Visitors report something brushing against them near where John fell, and many have felt an unseen presence touch their backs. When the ship installed a brand new alarm system, it went off for fourteen consecutive nights—until a staff member finally said, "John, you better get used to it. It's not going away." The alarm stopped the next night.

A second tragic death haunts the chain room. A Chinese sailor was caught in the massive anchor chains as they were being raised, his cries for help drowned out by the thunderous noise. He was crushed before anyone realized what had happened. Eerie cold spots now permeate the chain room where he met his fate.

Throughout the ship, outlines appear on beds where no one is sleeping. Pots and pans move on their own in the galley, and the smell of freshly baked bread wafts from the empty kitchen. Ghost Adventures investigated the Star of India and experienced nearly all the reported phenomena. The 160-year-old ship still sails occasionally, carrying her spectral crew into the San Diego harbor.