The Flying Dutchman has been haunting the minds of those who enjoy a good maritime legend for centuries. The ghost ship no doubt haunts W. Navarre‘s mind, inspiring this cool LEGO creation. This build is for the Iron Builder challenge, specifically the use of giant green minifig hands. The use of them here is subtle and cool. Can you spot them? They’re the cannons! Their bright green color is perfect for a ghostly vessel doomed to roam the seas for all time. Speaking of subtleties, I really like the hints at otherworldliness on the ship. Those details don’t overwhelm the structure of the ship itself, allowing it to pass as an old sailing vessel–until you’re up close and personal. The ghostly touch I like the most is the curved flame piece at the top of the central mast. It’s the perfect part for that tattered, ethereal flag look.

Putting up some stiff competition, though, the lantern on the back of the ship is also pretty cool. The use of the green jewel gives it that glowing effect. Of course, the ghostly details aren’t the only things cool about the ship. There’s also the sails. The use of round and conical bricks speak to the sails being stowed. The front sail is down, and has a lovely tattered look thanks to the plates with teeth at the bottom. The shape of the ship flows nicely from stem to stern with great use of slopes and layering. Round tiles make for excellent hatches on the gun ports. Black transparent pieces capture the still, dark waters around the Flying Dutchman. These waters reflect the doomed vessel, a pale imitation of the ship’s beauty. Like the beauty found in the anchor design–a genius use of a minifig sword and pirate hook.

You may wonder why there’s no Davy Jones on board… That firesome captain’s relationship with this ghost ship is an invention of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Truth be told, they are separate maritime legends. These days the ship doesn’t often have a captain, but that doesn’t mean it never had one. The first written story for the legend introduced fictional Captain Hendrick Van der Decken as the doomed ship’s captain. However, some stories place the origin of the legend with Captain Bernard Fokke, who has his own legend. It’s said he was aided by the Devil for the speed he traveled from the Dutch Republic to Java for the Dutch East India Company. Who knows for sure? Just another legend among the waves of the seas.