I hope everyone has a blessed week. Jesus Christ loves you and died on the cross so you could join Him in paradise when you're raised from the dead like He was by believing on Him to forgive your sins and through that you shall be saved. 🙏
So, first the ship has engine trouble, then it starts taking on water, then the radio isn't working, then the power dies completely, and finally, the inflatable life raft develops a leak? This was either the worst-maintained vessel they could have gotten, or someone wanted these men dead.
From what I found online "the vessel had recently been returned to service after five weeks in dry dock for maintenance". So someone didn't do a good job AT ALL
I would have strong words with that boat owner. I'm surprised he wasn't sued for negligence. There wasn't a thing on that boat that was safe except the life vests.
Wait.... wasn't that his family's boat? A family of fisherman one followed fishing that other could do it but didn't pursue a career in it... at what part would you... sue yourself? Your mum? Just out of curiosity, since you like to drive accountability.
I was watching this video at the laundromat and an older man , tapped me on my shoulder and said "i watch his videos all the time. I really enjoy him". Just thought thay was super cool! ❤
I'd been watching his videos for like a year when I watched one that said he (Mr. Ballen)was born in Quincy MA. I'm from South Boston but I live in Quincy. I actually checked and it turns out I walk my dog past the house he grew up in like every day. Just weird.
I love how you keep your channel old school…original graphics, intro, everything. Don’t ever change!! Just wish it was still 3 to 4 times a week! Happy Dad’s Day Mr B. And congrats on 9M!
This is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard. Dude left the group, anticipating that he wouldn't survive. And then he was saved and the others have never been found. So, the one who basically tried to sacrifice himself is living the rest of his life with survivor's guilt.
@@MrBallen absolutely brutal. Hopefully he jas found peace. It also doesn't help that one of the people who is missing and presumed deceased is his brother.
@karlepaul6632 let's remember that if you're ever lost and not found you don't want the details told. Seriously, what other ending is there? The story doesn't mean as much without a lot of the details. And we can't just create a different ending. Good grief.
I am a fisherman and I do spend a lot of my life out on sea. It's important for every fishing vessel to pass a coast guard inspection and to have maintenance done annually.
I agree.The owner of that vessel should have been sued as well as had criminal charges brought against him for knowingly renting out a vessel so poorly maintained and faulty safety equipment.
Yes, the owner of the boat does hold responsibility for the condition of his boat, especially if he is loaning or renting it out.... But , the guys who rented the boat hold some responsibility as well. It's a tragedy all the way around...
@@bloodymary12100If I had to make such a decision -“to sue or not to sue”- I’d have to obtain, come into possession of or see all the evidence of whether or not the boat owner being completely aware of said mechanical defects was true or not. If he was then I’d sue him for everything he had down to the shirt off his back. Now, if he was not aware and it was just some freak accident then I’d drop it.
@@bloodymary12100 the problem is that back in 1990, the laws were different and nobody cared. In the beginning of the year for every year, a fishing vessel must pass a coast guard inspection here in California.
@@adecadeofpoetry4831 i highly doubt that the fishing vessel was took off the dock for maintenance every January for every year. But I don't have any proof. But if the boat was properly maintained than maybe they would be alive today. Bad weather conditions weren't a factor mentioned in this story.
I can attest that staying in cold open water for long is VERY challenging. I took a course for kayaking a few years back so I could freely do it whenever I wanted and know I´d be prepared. One of the tasks at this course was "fall out of your kayak and use your partners to get back into yours". Simple enough, but there was a strong current so my partner couldn´t hold his kayak still enough for me to reach it, so I kept swimming towards him for what felt like forever but was probably a couple minutes. The instructor was beside us the entire time and he eventually called it off for the day, told my partner to row back holding onto my kayak, and I hang onto the back of the instructor as he got me to shore. My arms barely worked and walking on the rocks back to the shed felt impossible. Even though I had a life vest and a wt suit on, every part of my body was exhausted and I was freezing. I got a new level of respect for water and the ocean that day.
I used to go swimming in lake Michigan. It was unbearable until you went completely numb and turned blue. By then you had hypothermia and it took a long time for your core temp to stabilize. Luckily I was about ten and had a mother to tell me to get out. That three mile swim would have been horrible
I was thinking about Lake Michigan or even any of the Great Lakes. It takes them the entire summer to “warm up” and even then they aren’t ever truly warm. The further you are away from the shore the colder they are. It’s probably the “warmest” in late August in the Chicago / Indiana area by the shores as long as there isn’t some type of e-coli or something like it alert. If you stay in the water to long you can still get hypothermia. 😢
Sounded like the freighter that Nathan saw off in the distance was actually a pirate vessel that had been circling the area possibly looking for drugs or unsuspecting victims. They probably picked up the three men while out looking for something else, and thought they could easily extort their families for money under the guise of “rescuing them” so they probably asked for names and phone numbers of friends/family as well as the name of the sunken vessel and its owner, to be used later on after the rescue effort had died down. They likely extracted this information and then threw them over board somewhere else, having no intention of ever returning them. Or, another theory could be that a vessel did appear which had no business being out there, it could have circled the survivors and picked them up, then once on the boat they got whatever information they could from them but the shipwrecked crew might still have succumbed to their injuries shortly afterwards be it from exposure, hypothermia, extreme dehydration, etc., they probably took whatever personal items they had on them and gave them a burial at sea. Since the phone calls didn’t demand money, it is possible that they felt guilty and were trying to explain the situation in their native language with what limited English they knew at the time (they may have meant they were trying to return their personal effects when they said we’re bringing him home). They could have changed their minds when they realized they could be held responsible for the other crews death at sea and not bringing back their bodies. 😅 Just speculating though. I hope he was telling the truth though.
If they were pirates and murderer the men, why would they call the families and boat owner? Like you said, they didn't demand any money. What would their goal be in calling the families?
It was a lie. Not even Phelps could swim 3 miles in a life vest against the current. Emergency life boats don’t have battles so wherever the life boat floated was going with the current. It’s impossible to keep an emergency life boat in place especially sense it has already floated this far. No one wanted to look into the story and make the brother the bad guy. But parents especially living separate house know how one truly feels about the other. All the know is the show they put on in from of their parents.
@@sethwiley7839 just adding. Don’t want to call him out on speculation. But the fact that he looked up to his younger brother is also interesting to me but I can hypothetically picture it
Mr Ballen, the other day, you did an ad for BetterHelp and talked about your struggles with alcoholism. I just happened to be watching that episode with my dad who is a retired Marine and alcoholic. He's the nicest man you could ever meet, he just has his demons. I bring this up because he's been really working on his sobriety, and we watched this episode together today, and he's one week sober. So, I really hope you have a wonderful Father's Day, I know we had a wonderful (and sober) Father's Day. Thanks for all you do and best of luck with your sobriety journey, we're right there with you. Much love from North Carolina.
I've been on the Ballen train since the beginning. I am so happy to see you have the success you have had and continue to have. You're one heck of a storyteller.
9 mil!! One of the most deserving channels, that is actually adding value to TH-cam. I know it's not just Mr. Ballen, himself, at this point. It takes a whole team to run a channel this big. You are all deserving of this huge milestone. Great work!
Congratulations on your 9M subscribers MrBallen. I know many people wish you could post more videos weekly but I totally understand. You are much more busier now and have so much on your plate plus you are a family man and you need to spend time with your family. Those moments are priceless. So once a week is the balance you need. Thank you for what you do already also the story is a sad sad one. Love from Nigeria 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
It’s honestly been surreal to have had the opportunity to see both your channel and the like button’s ptsd grow. Congratulations on nine million subscribers, John!
11 hour swim? That man was something else!. I was so hyped for them to return but why didn't let someone translate the phone calls? I really wonder what they said.
Exactly! If the calls went on for weeks and weeks, why wasn’t at least one of the calls recorded and translated?? 1990 wasn’t so long ago that the technology for police to record and trace calls hadn’t been invented yet. 🤔
I was thinking that too. Record the calls and have them translated. Sadly, it seems the calls were a cruel hoax perpetrated by some very sick person/s.
100% it was a sick prank. It's not like, nobody speak English in Central or South America. Why didn't the authorities from that country contact American authorities? Some people are just sick and extremely evil. Nothing worst then have someone you love disappeared, I hope the families have found some peace of mind. 🥺
*Who else was here when he was under 50,000 subs? I knew this young man was headed for greatness, and now I'm smiling like a proud dad watching a son that made it big. Congratulations on the 9M!*
I know! I can't remember how many subs he had when I started watching but it was definitely under 1m. It's amazing to me how quickly his channel has grown, and wild that I've been watching him for so long!
Yeah I've been here since around our slightly before 50k i think. Find his short content on tiktok, and when he started on youtube I was really excited
I share your thoughts. How unbelievably sad to have their hopes up then dashed! Wow... So sorry. I hope the family and friends were able to find peace. Bless Nathan for being such a wonderful person. ❤️
@@shaq1nemusic Yeah....I doubt Nathan's story. All we have is his word and it's a pretty Hollywood sort of thing. I suspect the whole kidnapping in Latin America story (which no phone traces or other evidence apparently supported) was a hoax designed to get authorities looking abroad and prevent any suspicion from falling on himself.
@@shaq1nemusic This happened back in 1990. The Internet was barely even a thing yet, let alone having all the cell phones and what not we have today with it. Simply having a translator wasn't exactly possible yet.
@@swindle9695umm translators have literally been around for all of history. I grew up in the 80s and 90s. It wasn't the stone ages lol. ETA: You do know that a "translator" is just a person who speaks both languages translating a message from one language to the other, right? It's not a computer program or app. Please tell me you are 10 years old or something and that's why you don't properly understand this.
After a couple of phone calls, the family should have either gotten a recorder or hired a translator to stay at the house. Regarding the callers, either they had every intention to bring them home _(evidenced by the constantly calling the families and outright saying "I'm bringing him home)_ and for some reason just changed their minds at the last second. Or they were some truly sick pranksters who got off on making a family suffer.
1) phone call number trace 2) spanish interpreter 3) Boat owner liability for renting out damaged boat 4) 1990, phone recording machines ...... how could they not be found?
Yep. At the very least if someone was phoning me over the course of weeks and it could be about my missing loved one I'd try to learn as much Spanish as possible so i could try and communicate.
@@Sucessful-grownup-imposter I thought this too so got into detective mode; googled sister's name, Oneda Drawdy. She's there online, maiden name NeeSmith as per Nathan's. There's a family obituary for her son which confirms her name and location. Then I tried 'missing fisherman Nathan Neesmith 1990' and the story's all there. I can only assume the callers were scammers who also knew the code to hide your number; there were lots of codes around then, and you could use one to hide your number so that people could not trace you. Very sad story. Nathan's loving action paid off, at least for him.
The tragic serendipity regarding Nathan in this story is gut wrenching. On one hand the universe rewarded his willingness to be sacrificed yet the other has left him with survivors guilt and so many questions that will never be answered. Colossally heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing Jonathan, hope Fathers Day was a good one with your family. 🙏🏼
What if he did it ? The whole story is based off of him and what he said he made himself the hero. He was driving the boat when it started not working. He’s the one that left them and “watched them get picked up“ instead of getting an adrenaline rush that he was going to get rescued, but casually fell asleep
I just recently lost my mom a few weeks ago. I'm watching this for the first time on my own. This was our thing, our bonding time. Both of my parents are gone, homeless and trying to keep my head straight. I haven't watched anything ever since she left this world.
So sorry for your loss... I've also lost both of my parents and my mom was one of my best "friends." Hang in there, keep pushing. You've got this and I promise, it gets easier.
My theory(A bit of a stretch):The Freight Ship Nathan saw could've indeed been there illegaly, as it was actually a vessel used for transporting victims of sex trafficking, and Joe and the fishermen, who thought they had been rescued, had actually been captured to do who knows what, with Nathan just narrowly escaping
I'm thinking similarly but the first thing that popped into my mind were those horror stories about the Chinese Fishing vessels that basically run on indentured servitude. The second thought was that there is still to this day something of a piracy problem and back then they didn't have particularly good civilian defensive options on boats. It's entirely possible they got picked up by people who were definitely less than reputable but who knows what flavor of scumbag it was.
or... nathan made the whole thing up, i mean seriously, doesn't it seems history was kinda unlucky every step of the way? boat trouble, boat sinking, raft leak, make-shift raft not enough and try sacrifice himself turns out he was lucky? all this just his story no one knew the truth...unfortunately for one fact he returned alone.
I know there’s a small chance you’d read this, but I just wanna greet you a happy father’s day, Mr. Ballen! Thank you for the stories you’ve shared to us all over the years 🙌🏻 Congratulations with the 9 Million subs. We’re happy to see the community grow more and more. To more power! 🙌🏻
Any time I have ever tried to explain open ocean swimming to someone.. I tell them it's like when you're dreaming and you're trying to run as fast as you can but it feels like you're moving in slow motion lmao
I don't think people realize that there are a lot of fish/life in the ocean. Floating in the ocean is like floating in outerspace. The stars touch the water and you're thousands of feet above solid earth. Floating
First Father’s Day with my son since he’s been born. 7 long years of child support and I finally get to see him. But what a kick ass day and now I get to lay down and watch a mr ballen video to end this perfect day? Can’t get any better happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there! The ones who try to be a part or their kids life
It's been 13 years of fighting with my ex and I'm still pushing forward hoping one day I get a father's day phone call or a visit. Thanks for sharing your experience it gives me hope. Happy Father's day
@@therealelgwapoI hope for the sake of you and your child reuniting you can stop fighting with your ex and find some way to be civil so you get your wish.
My 26yo friend who had lungs cancer just pass away 8 days ago, we both use to watch you, now your video just reminded me of him, keep up the good work John..!! Edit : tnx for the enormous support , god bless you all..!
Actually he started smoking at middle school beleive it or not, he's my childhood friend.. and one day he just comes up with a news that he has 4th stage cancer,, everything went horrible for us after that , we lost, I lost him!!
It sounds like scammers got their contact info from the newspaper & phone book & tried to exploit their vulnerability & desperation in a tragic situation. It happens every day. So sad.
See that still doesn''t make sense. The sisters number maybe but the boat owners home number? Even if a news paper had posted the company name in an a article how would they trace it to the owners personal line? Why do the effort of tracing that down and instead just call the business? Why would the boat owner even care enough about the men to pay a ransom? Why would anyone think he cared enough to prank? Why keep calling when they can not even understand you? If I was going to scam someone I would speak slowly and carefully. Hey we have your brother if you want him back bring 10k to this location. Its kind of hard for them to pay a ransom if they don't understand you. Also why call one last time and say your bringing one of them home?
@@SnappyDudevery true and good points to bring up. Something could have happened on the way home. Since authorities were stationed up and down the coast which seems stupid bc who's going to bring someone they've been holding with authorities every damn where?
@@SnappyDude I understand what you’re saying. It’s fairly easy to get a person’s contact info, especially back then before privacy laws. All you need is a name & location, which the newspaper probably printed, & you could find it in the phonebook. You can still do it online today for a fee. I got a call from a foreigner trying to scam $. It sounded like he was on a payphone & I could barely understand him. They’re very poor & desperate, & will do whatever it takes to get $. They prey on vulnerable & lonely people, especially the elderly or those in distress. It happens to millions every year. That last call may have been a final attempt to get $, & they found someone who spoke English due to the language barrier. But when they heard about the cops on the beach, they backed off. Just a hunch.
9 million and counting, so exciting to watch you rise to fame, its well deserved, i make sure everyone i know, knows who you are. Sending love and congratulations from Australia
@@sharongrigg5336 That would be a risky and stupid way to do it. It is undisputed that he was adrift in the middle of the ocean for days. He couldn't make that part up. smh
@@azuraroycroft2419 I guess mine were one of the very first 414 missing vids or just a random missing vid that wasn't related with that number.Yeah. So many years have been passed gradually since then.I guess it was back in 2018 or very early 2019(I do makes it sound like as if I were saying that it was 1998 or 1999 here..LOL..Waow,the time does pass too quickly for my own good..lol..) ... 😅😬👍
This is so sad and bizarre. I wish the sister or the boat owner would have had a recorder so the next time the caller called, they could record it and then have someone translate it. If it was a prank, that is so cruel!
What kills me is, 90's... that was a POTS system. POTS phones... on a long distance phone call, if you picked up, even for a half of a heart beat, the phone companies ALL automatically recorded BOTH numbers, and charged a connection fee and a first 15 minute fee on top of the connection fee. Similarly, if a connection was made on a local call, even for a half of a heart beat, those connections were recorded. I LOVED the movies where they would say, "Keep them on the line, we're running a trace" and 3 minutes later the caller would hang up and they would say that they did not have enough time to trace the call... BS.... the phone company had that information BEFORE the police even knew that this was the call they were waiting on.... with that in mind.... did anybody ever prod the phone companies about the origin of these calls??? I GUARANTEE you that the phone companies could give a HUGE clue as to the origins of these calls.
I remember watching this on "Unsolved Mysteries". The story always stuck with me, especially the "I'm bringing him home" part. Sucks that we still don't know what happened to them.
Recording equipment existed in the 90s...how in the bloody hell did they not immediately buy something to record and translate those phone calls?!!???!?
@@rainluna9765 I'd get a recording device after the phone calls continued, and then hire a translator to do the translation. Just because today's technology didn't exist yet, doesn't mean it couldn't be done.
@@rainluna9765in the early ‘90s we would record our favorite songs straight from the radio to have on a cassette, I’m sure the home phone had a speaker option and they could’ve/should’ve done the same with the calls.
I usually don't listen to podcasts but the Mr Ballen and Mr Ballen Medical Mysteries are so good I've spent an entire day listening to them on separate days!
This is just heartbreaking on so many levels..... and obviously continues to break the hearts of the ill-fated loved ones regularly. These people are in a daily living nightmare! I am so sorry. Much love and ((hugs)) to all. 😔💔
1. Happy Father's day 2. I remember when you hit 1M subs and my first thought was "I wouldn't be shocked if it took him less than another year to hit 5M" but look at you now. Congrats John, you deserve every single sub you get and more. 🖤🖤
This sub has one of the most sane ppl on planet ... no twisting and calling anybody names civilized with either constructive criticism, appreciation or experiences. Mr B 9 million of such folks including me is the best you can get and may it keep growing in leaps. CONGRATULATIONS!!
Cooking lunch for my kids while listening to @MrBallen... this is a good Father's Day. Happy Fay to all the active, present, and loving Father's out there! You the real MVPs!
Wow, 9 MILLION subs, just let that number sink in. I've been listening for six years or so and can't think of a more deserving individual to achieve that milestone and level of success. Congrats Mr. Ballen and Happy belated Father's Day!!
This is one of the saddest stories I've heard, especially because no one knows for sure what happened to the men 😭 I do believe Nathan did see that freighter ship. Perhaps it was pirates, a drug ship, human trafficking, or other type of criminal activity. I think the 3 men were taken as hostages to a Spanish speaking country.
@@MForest90 All 4 of them could have stumbled across a ship with pirates and Nathan could have made a deal with those pirates for a chance to live. Just conspiracys tho
Happy Father's Day! Every time I watch your videos, I'm reminded of the day my youngest son walked into the living room & heard me watching 1 of your videos. He said, "Is that Mr Ballen?" I lost my baby boy in 2021,& I'll take all the memories I can get. I'm happy he and I enjoyed your videos. Thank you.
Just wanted to show a little appreciation to MrBallen my wife and I listen to the episodes every night before we fall asleep, really enjoy the story telling and all the hard gestures so keep up the good work.
I have a daughter, and a father. My 3 year old cannot give me a gift except her love, and my father is busy dealing with my dying mother, so father's day, a day his own mom died on is not celebrated. If you wanna be rude as hell, go ahead if it makes you feel any kind of better about your own situation in life. I find happiness in the small things, like my favorite story teller taking my mind off the crushing reality I live in. Thank you, be kind to one another and fudge yourself if you wanna be mean still lol
9 MILLION!!!! What a way to celebrate Father’s Day! I have enjoyed your stories for years now. So happy to see all your hard work is still bringing new viewers. Well deserved!
Happy Father's Day Mr.Ballen. I was on a sinking boat once and this story brought a lot of that back. We were about 1/2 mile from shore on a lake. Same circumstances, power was greatly diminished, open the engine compartment and smoke poured out, rush to start bailing and putting on life jackets. The engine had totally died but were drifting in the right direction. It was a recreational lake and a couple of other boats were able to help tow us to a boat ramp. But the fear if losing your boat from under tou is one of the most scary experiences I ever had. Thank you Mr. Ballen for helping me to relive that.
Congrats on 9 million subscribers! I remember reading about this story back in the early 90s and thinking how statistically implausible the series of events in the story were, particularly the open water swimming and heightened record keeping of freighter traffic in those waters at that time. The other part is that Nathan puts himself in a hero's light making it even more suspicious and unsettling. I think there is a lot more to the story that the others on that trip took with them in their demise.
Finally a voice of reason! I'm browsing the comments and it's amazing and sad how gullible people are. Only one comment out of around 50 pointed out that we know of all these improbable events from the sole survivor...
I'm not saying it's impossible that he did something, but why exactly do you feel like he killed 3 people, including his brother, in the middle of the ocean?
@@winstonknowitall4181 - People survive some crazy things. There are so many stories of survival that seem to defy all odds, but they happened. Determination can make people hang on a lot longer than seems possible.
I cant think of anyone more worthy for his 9m subscribers. You're such a natural storyteller man. Love binge watching your incredible content especially before bedways. Keep on keeping on
@@Feelingsmasher2000 They've no fuckin right to be mad at him. He was one himself. It's not as if he exposed anything that would jeopardise them. It's just pure jealousy
Hey dude, just wanted to say I love your choice in picking unique stories to tell. I suffer from depression and anxiety and these stories help me get through the day, keep up the good work.
HOLY CRAP John!! 9 million!! ? Did you ever think you'd be this popular!? I been listening since 2021....and man...I am Sooo hooked! Happy Father's day also! Much love ❤️
I’m right here with ya. The first one without my dad didn’t really sink in, but this one… this one hit harder this year. I hope you’re doing okay. I wish you the best in your grief.
I am truly so so sorry for you. I had a Horrific father (cannot say 'dad') he was a terrible person. In a way I feel you are lucky to miss your dads, and in a way I feel fortunate to never miss mine. Hope Fathers Day gets easier for you all with time....
Congratulations on 9 million people who look forward to.hearing your voice once a week, John! Happy fathers day as well, I bet you tell the best bedtime stories to those chaps of yours! I hope they realize how truly blessed they are to have such an awesome and hard working father! Have a wonderful day!
I’ve heard this story before, from a different TH-cam channel and the original Unsolved Mysteries episode that you used some clips from, but your retelling of the story and some of the new details I didn’t hear before kept me engaged and attentive the whole time. You’re the best in the business MrBallen!
Congratulations brother! Been here from the jump and you deserve it more than anyone. Never once have I watched a video of yours that hasn’t captivated my attention.
I was a freshman in high school when i first found about this channel. I graduated last week. Has it really been that long? Congrats on 9M!🎉 Edit: You guys are being so kind thank you so muchh!!
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there 💙 My one take from the story is, how is it that they never tried to have someone who speaks Spanish available to intercept one of the calls?
It is more common than you think, ending up on a sinking boat. Happened twice to me, but I am from an island. When the sailboat went under the creaking sound was eerie! Not panicking is what saves you!
I’m so proud of you. I’ve been following for years and am just over joyed with how much your fan base has grown, and rightfully so. You rock Mr Lord of the dark and mysterious.
I usually do not comment on social media, due to anxiety, but I really felt the need to say how much I appreciate finding your channel Mr.Ballen. In high school, I was very depressed/anxious and watching your videos gave me a newfound sense of comfort; as if I had a friend. I’ve watched all of your videos since discovering you, and I’ve enjoyed witnessing the growth of your channel and your abilities. Congratulations on the 9M subscribers! I’ve known since watching the original Bell’s Canyon video that you would become one of TH-cam’s biggest content creators. One love, stay blessed and positive brother ❤
Mr B. Allen, You are hands down the most inspiring TH-cam channel I have ever come across and your story is absolutely incredible. Thank you for all you have done and do each day and with each video you post. Just the smiles you create with your informative stories alone is a great gift to the earth. Much Love
Mrballen has came a long way. Ive been watching him for several years and never have found videos on youtube as scary and interesting as his. Happy father’s day❤
A mayday that no one ever heard, a leaking life boat, men floating on debris that no one ever found, the biggest most imposing guy on the ship leaves the others, successfully makes a swim that would be difficult for highly trained in-shape soldiers to make, he lays down instead of trying to signal a ship that it turns out no one else can confirm existed in the first place, he is the only survivor, and he is the only one telling the story of what happened. The way this story is told, Nathan seems like a selfless hero, but given the circumstances, none of this seems suspicious to anyone else?
i believe Nathan's story... that he infact saw a ship that uses coal for power probably for drugs transaction in the ocean... they rescued his brother and the other 2 coworkers then his brother knew that they are kidnaped so he told them it's just them on the fishing party so they left without "rescuing" Nathan... which explains the Spanish speaking calls since they only have these 2 phone numbers - probably were trying to negotiate for price to bring them back - and when they got someone to speak English now frustrated they were going to bring them back the coast guards scared them away so they probably killed them..
I didn't even think of that. I was wondering why they never brought him back after saying they would, seeing the coast guards probably scared them and they turned back after killing him. Sad way to think about it, they were so, so close to getting their loved one back all for him to die so close to being free.
Wait though... why would pirates or drug runners be compassionate enough to try to bring them back and then just kill them?? Why wouldn't they just release them into whatever country they were in? And when you said the coast guard '"scared them away"... you mean when they tried to bring them back?
Was looking through the comments to see if anyone else had the same thoughts on the matter, really suss to me, that the authorities lined the coast to look for a ship they had been adamant did not exist. Clearly it was a drug boat, they would know too much after being taken to the destination/origin of the ship and then when they tried to get ransoms, they're met with stunned silence.
Why would someone with a freight ship full of drugs use a ship that's sending a smoke signal to their exact location that can be seen from miles away? Not exactly incognito
This story begs the question of whether those calls were pranks or simply calls with some other sinister intent behind them. Especially that later call telling the sister, "I'm bringing him home," it would seem exceptionally cruel to falsely renew the hopes of a family that is already struggling over whether to keep anticipating their son/brother's return or to find closure.
CONGRATS ON 9 MIL! i struggle with depression and your videos get me out of bed in the morning, you deserve 100 million subs with how good your content is!
Today's Like Button suggestion is from McDouglass on Discord!
Join the Discord and share your best ideas with me to be featured!
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I hope everyone has a blessed week. Jesus Christ loves you and died on the cross so you could join Him in paradise when you're raised from the dead like He was by believing on Him to forgive your sins and through that you shall be saved. 🙏
That poor like button 😔
Really it’s the best discord server ever!! 🎉
happy Father’s Day, Mr. Ballen
Happy Fathers Day J.B.
So, first the ship has engine trouble, then it starts taking on water, then the radio isn't working, then the power dies completely, and finally, the inflatable life raft develops a leak? This was either the worst-maintained vessel they could have gotten, or someone wanted these men dead.
From what I found online "the vessel had recently been returned to service after five weeks in dry dock for maintenance". So someone didn't do a good job AT ALL
Exactly what I was thinking. It sounded very much like sabotage to me.
The biggest mistake you can make on the water is assuming nothing will go wrong and being unprepared for problems.
Or that was just made up
The power is dependent on the wires and the battery not being under water.
I would have strong words with that boat owner. I'm surprised he wasn't sued for negligence. There wasn't a thing on that boat that was safe except the life vests.
It was the boat owner keeping up possibilities. When did the movie come out?
Go back to Rosetta stone @@andreachericone813
Wait.... wasn't that his family's boat? A family of fisherman one followed fishing that other could do it but didn't pursue a career in it... at what part would you... sue yourself? Your mum? Just out of curiosity, since you like to drive accountability.
@@Loralanthalasthey rented the boat. The man wasn’t family.
lol yeah this was the 80s. Shit was different back then.
Nathan is a hero - no matter the outcome. To be willing to sacrifice oneself must be top notch heroism. What a man. Bless him. ❤️
And in such a scary way too, just swimming off into the open ocean. It was a very amazing and heroic thing he did.
IF... his story is true!
@@abbatroubleif is right
That’s NATHAN’z story honestly.., it’s just like the Bible… no one knows the TRUTH… anddddd it’s SIMILAR fashions in stories
@@NikkiC777 IF … his story was true.
I was watching this video at the laundromat and an older man , tapped me on my shoulder and said "i watch his videos all the time. I really enjoy him". Just thought thay was super cool! ❤
Mr. Ballin dries out all the facts!
I'd been watching his videos for like a year when I watched one that said he (Mr. Ballen)was born in Quincy MA. I'm from South Boston but I live in Quincy. I actually checked and it turns out I walk my dog past the house he grew up in like every day. Just weird.
Would've been cooler if the guy said, "I'm Nathan, I'm that guy".
@@TheStonerKoalalol right, like some shit you’d see in a movie
Mr ballen be uniting the world! #ballenforpresident
I love how you keep your channel old school…original graphics, intro, everything. Don’t ever change!! Just wish it was still 3 to 4 times a week! Happy Dad’s Day Mr B. And congrats on 9M!
Check out his medical mystery’s channel if you haven’t yet, plenty of videos there
YEEEESSSSS!!! I totally agree with this comment🗣PLEASE COME BACK AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK
Yes. Could you make it to 3 times a week? 😢
Do you remember when there were hidden Easter eggs in the background ans he would pin your comment if you were the first to comment what it was?
Yes, I love when it was twice or thrice a week.
This is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard. Dude left the group, anticipating that he wouldn't survive. And then he was saved and the others have never been found.
So, the one who basically tried to sacrifice himself is living the rest of his life with survivor's guilt.
Brutal right?
@@MrBallen absolutely brutal. Hopefully he jas found peace. It also doesn't help that one of the people who is missing and presumed deceased is his brother.
Lot of buildup to a nothing type of ending though
@@karlepaul6632 It's "strange, dark, and mysterious" not "conventional, contrived, and shoehorned" tho.
@karlepaul6632 let's remember that if you're ever lost and not found you don't want the details told. Seriously, what other ending is there?
The story doesn't mean as much without a lot of the details. And we can't just create a different ending. Good grief.
I am a fisherman and I do spend a lot of my life out on sea. It's important for every fishing vessel to pass a coast guard inspection and to have maintenance done annually.
I agree.The owner of that vessel should have been sued as well as had criminal charges brought against him for knowingly renting out a vessel so poorly maintained and faulty safety equipment.
Yes, the owner of the boat does hold responsibility for the condition of his boat, especially if he is loaning or renting it out....
But , the guys who rented the boat hold some responsibility as well. It's a tragedy all the way around...
@@bloodymary12100If I had to make such a decision -“to sue or not to sue”- I’d have to obtain, come into possession of or see all the evidence of whether or not the boat owner being completely aware of said mechanical defects was true or not. If he was then I’d sue him for everything he had down to the shirt off his back. Now, if he was not aware and it was just some freak accident then I’d drop it.
@@bloodymary12100 the problem is that back in 1990, the laws were different and nobody cared. In the beginning of the year for every year, a fishing vessel must pass a coast guard inspection here in California.
@@adecadeofpoetry4831 i highly doubt that the fishing vessel was took off the dock for maintenance every January for every year. But I don't have any proof. But if the boat was properly maintained than maybe they would be alive today. Bad weather conditions weren't a factor mentioned in this story.
I can attest that staying in cold open water for long is VERY challenging. I took a course for kayaking a few years back so I could freely do it whenever I wanted and know I´d be prepared. One of the tasks at this course was "fall out of your kayak and use your partners to get back into yours". Simple enough, but there was a strong current so my partner couldn´t hold his kayak still enough for me to reach it, so I kept swimming towards him for what felt like forever but was probably a couple minutes. The instructor was beside us the entire time and he eventually called it off for the day, told my partner to row back holding onto my kayak, and I hang onto the back of the instructor as he got me to shore. My arms barely worked and walking on the rocks back to the shed felt impossible. Even though I had a life vest and a wt suit on, every part of my body was exhausted and I was freezing. I got a new level of respect for water and the ocean that day.
I used to go swimming in lake Michigan. It was unbearable until you went completely numb and turned blue. By then you had hypothermia and it took a long time for your core temp to stabilize. Luckily I was about ten and had a mother to tell me to get out. That three mile swim would have been horrible
I was thinking about Lake Michigan or even any of the Great Lakes. It takes them the entire summer to “warm up” and even then they aren’t ever truly warm. The further you are away from the shore the colder they are. It’s probably the “warmest” in late August in the Chicago / Indiana area by the shores as long as there isn’t some type of e-coli or something like it alert. If you stay in the water to long you can still get hypothermia. 😢
My first Father’s Day after losing my father. He and I loved listening to your videos. Much love and happy Father’s Day Mr Ballen 🙏🏼
my mom passed away when i was 15
years old and my dad 10 years ago
Mine too. You’re not alone, today is really hard.
both of yours ?
im sorry for your loss 🙁 may you receive much love and blessings
@@sunnystormy4973 god Loves you!
Happy Father’s Day Mr.Ballen
I don't even know if my dad's alive and I don't care. 😊
@@deanraney1049that's the spirit 🎉❤❤
@@deanraney1049🥰🥰🥰
@@deanraney1049lol 😂
Happy fathers day to you as well
Note to self:
never go deepsea diving, never go caving, and never go into the Himalayas
Or into the wilderness
Or fly on a Boeing!
But Bell's Canyon is totally ok! 👍
@@Die-Angst At least the city has food, water, and shelter
Just don’t leave your house.
Unless there is a serial killer living in the crawlspace
Sounded like the freighter that Nathan saw off in the distance was actually a pirate vessel that had been circling the area possibly looking for drugs or unsuspecting victims. They probably picked up the three men while out looking for something else, and thought they could easily extort their families for money under the guise of “rescuing them” so they probably asked for names and phone numbers of friends/family as well as the name of the sunken vessel and its owner, to be used later on after the rescue effort had died down. They likely extracted this information and then threw them over board somewhere else, having no intention of ever returning them. Or, another theory could be that a vessel did appear which had no business being out there, it could have circled the survivors and picked them up, then once on the boat they got whatever information they could from them but the shipwrecked crew might still have succumbed to their injuries shortly afterwards be it from exposure, hypothermia, extreme dehydration, etc., they probably took whatever personal items they had on them and gave them a burial at sea. Since the phone calls didn’t demand money, it is possible that they felt guilty and were trying to explain the situation in their native language with what limited English they knew at the time (they may have meant they were trying to return their personal effects when they said we’re bringing him home). They could have changed their minds when they realized they could be held responsible for the other crews death at sea and not bringing back their bodies. 😅 Just speculating though. I hope he was telling the truth though.
That's a LOT of speculation 😂 You pretty much just wrote a fan fiction
@@seffievondionysus3198 True LoL
My thoughts as well
I must admit I did think about pirates..
If they were pirates and murderer the men, why would they call the families and boat owner? Like you said, they didn't demand any money. What would their goal be in calling the families?
After a dozen phone calls, the family should have hired a bilingual temp worker to do one job: answer the phone.
Yup
Some people are just "naturally" dumb. Theres nothing that can be done in such a situation.
@@frightfactoryYT Or just hold a handheld recorder to the phones speaker.
@@MForest90that was my first thought
how about trying to track down the origin of the phone number. Even back then it was possible....
Nathan's sacrifice is truly emblematic of true love and compassion. We should always remember and honor such selfless acts.
Unless ,... he is the perp.? Plot twist?
My thoughts exactly,@@Vmaxfodder
@@Vmaxfodderdamn that would be a plot twist😮, we need a live streamed lie detector on that man. Mrballen make it happen!
It was a lie. Not even Phelps could swim 3 miles in a life vest against the current. Emergency life boats don’t have battles so wherever the life boat floated was going with the current. It’s impossible to keep an emergency life boat in place especially sense it has already floated this far. No one wanted to look into the story and make the brother the bad guy. But parents especially living separate house know how one truly feels about the other. All the know is the show they put on in from of their parents.
@@sethwiley7839 just adding. Don’t want to call him out on speculation. But the fact that he looked up to his younger brother is also interesting to me but I can hypothetically picture it
Mr Ballen, the other day, you did an ad for BetterHelp and talked about your struggles with alcoholism. I just happened to be watching that episode with my dad who is a retired Marine and alcoholic. He's the nicest man you could ever meet, he just has his demons. I bring this up because he's been really working on his sobriety, and we watched this episode together today, and he's one week sober. So, I really hope you have a wonderful Father's Day, I know we had a wonderful (and sober) Father's Day. Thanks for all you do and best of luck with your sobriety journey, we're right there with you. Much love from North Carolina.
that's an amazing story and I pray for you and your father for the strength to change.
Go Dad, you can do it!
Much love and all the best...congrats to your dad on taking that journey to sobriety!
What wonderful news! Prayers for his continued recovery!
That’s amazing!! My dad just hit eight years sober, it’s such a hard journey but so worth it! I wish you and yours the best of luck!!
I've been on the Ballen train since the beginning. I am so happy to see you have the success you have had and continue to have. You're one heck of a storyteller.
Agreed 🤝
Same 👍🏼
9 mil!! One of the most deserving channels, that is actually adding value to TH-cam. I know it's not just Mr. Ballen, himself, at this point. It takes a whole team to run a channel this big. You are all deserving of this huge milestone. Great work!
Thank you!!!
Yes indeed
Great work.
That's exciting stuff. He worked so hard and what the team is building is outstanding! 👏 Such a blessing
Congratulations on your 9M subscribers MrBallen. I know many people wish you could post more videos weekly but I totally understand. You are much more busier now and have so much on your plate plus you are a family man and you need to spend time with your family. Those moments are priceless. So once a week is the balance you need. Thank you for what you do already also the story is a sad sad one. Love from Nigeria 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
CONGRATULATIONS Mr B.Allen on 9M and counting! Thank you for your service and HaPpY FatHeR’s DaY!
It’s honestly been surreal to have had the opportunity to see both your channel and the like button’s ptsd grow. Congratulations on nine million subscribers, John!
Why surreal? Just curious.
That poor like button!
@@J0HNJ0RDAN right lol. It's a channel on TH-cam. What's surreal about it
He was destined to get here. Stop being so surprised
@@njad3 a little rude
11 hour swim? That man was something else!. I was so hyped for them to return but why didn't let someone translate the phone calls? I really wonder what they said.
Exactly! If the calls went on for weeks and weeks, why wasn’t at least one of the calls recorded and translated?? 1990 wasn’t so long ago that the technology for police to record and trace calls hadn’t been invented yet. 🤔
I was thinking that too. Record the calls and have them translated. Sadly, it seems the calls were a cruel hoax perpetrated by some very sick person/s.
@@kina18 That's what I thought too. Just some cruel hoax.
100% it was a sick prank. It's not like, nobody speak English in Central or South America. Why didn't the authorities from that country contact American authorities? Some people are just sick and extremely evil. Nothing worst then have someone you love disappeared, I hope the families have found some peace of mind. 🥺
Yeah, and why didn't police trace the call or check the number
I love how MrBallen adds his own personal experiences to add further context. Top tier storytelling.
I love that too. It adds veracity and context.
*Who else was here when he was under 50,000 subs? I knew this young man was headed for greatness, and now I'm smiling like a proud dad watching a son that made it big. Congratulations on the 9M!*
yeah dawg its unbelievable lmao
I found the channel around 300k subs . And I remember thinking "how does he not have a million subs "
I know! I can't remember how many subs he had when I started watching but it was definitely under 1m. It's amazing to me how quickly his channel has grown, and wild that I've been watching him for so long!
Yeah I've been here since around our slightly before 50k i think. Find his short content on tiktok, and when he started on youtube I was really excited
Me me meeeeeee
How terrible for the families getting the calls. Raising hopes then dashing them over and over. God be with them
I share your thoughts. How unbelievably sad to have their hopes up then dashed! Wow... So sorry. I hope the family and friends were able to find peace. Bless Nathan for being such a wonderful person. ❤️
They never tried to translate or record the calls, deserved.
@@moioyoyo848 I wondered about that myself.
@@moioyoyo848 I thought the same. Weird...
Amen.
That story was so sad. Nathan was so selfless. I hope all the families find peace
Why didn’t they get a Spanish translator
@@shaq1nemusic Yeah....I doubt Nathan's story. All we have is his word and it's a pretty Hollywood sort of thing. I suspect the whole kidnapping in Latin America story (which no phone traces or other evidence apparently supported) was a hoax designed to get authorities looking abroad and prevent any suspicion from falling on himself.
@@shaq1nemusic This happened back in 1990. The Internet was barely even a thing yet, let alone having all the cell phones and what not we have today with it. Simply having a translator wasn't exactly possible yet.
@@swindle9695Lol yes it was. Do you think people were neanderthals in the 90’s lol tf.
@@swindle9695umm translators have literally been around for all of history. I grew up in the 80s and 90s. It wasn't the stone ages lol.
ETA: You do know that a "translator" is just a person who speaks both languages translating a message from one language to the other, right? It's not a computer program or app. Please tell me you are 10 years old or something and that's why you don't properly understand this.
After a couple of phone calls, the family should have either gotten a recorder or hired a translator to stay at the house.
Regarding the callers, either they had every intention to bring them home _(evidenced by the constantly calling the families and outright saying "I'm bringing him home)_ and for some reason just changed their minds at the last second. Or they were some truly sick pranksters who got off on making a family suffer.
My thoughts, too, on the calls.
1) phone call number trace 2) spanish interpreter 3) Boat owner liability for renting out damaged boat 4) 1990, phone recording machines ...... how could they not be found?
Read my mind on so many levels, the story just seems like BS to me for all the reasons you mentioned
Wasn’t *69 huge back then?!
Yep. At the very least if someone was phoning me over the course of weeks and it could be about my missing loved one I'd try to learn as much Spanish as possible so i could try and communicate.
@@Sucessful-grownup-imposter I thought this too so got into detective mode; googled sister's name, Oneda Drawdy. She's there online, maiden name NeeSmith as per Nathan's. There's a family obituary for her son which confirms her name and location. Then I tried 'missing fisherman Nathan Neesmith 1990' and the story's all there.
I can only assume the callers were scammers who also knew the code to hide your number; there were lots of codes around then, and you could use one to hide your number so that people could not trace you. Very sad story. Nathan's loving action paid off, at least for him.
@@debbies5524did *69 work with international numbers???
The tragic serendipity regarding Nathan in this story is gut wrenching. On one hand the universe rewarded his willingness to be sacrificed yet the other has left him with survivors guilt and so many questions that will never be answered. Colossally heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing Jonathan, hope Fathers Day was a good one with your family. 🙏🏼
Thank you for your stories💙
Yeah it’s heartwarming yet so sad
you don't know that, maybe he killed them all. It's his story, isn't it
What if he did it ? The whole story is based off of him and what he said he made himself the hero. He was driving the boat when it started not working. He’s the one that left them and “watched them get picked up“ instead of getting an adrenaline rush that he was going to get rescued, but casually fell asleep
@@univocalwing849 omg sooo true
I just recently lost my mom a few weeks ago. I'm watching this for the first time on my own. This was our thing, our bonding time. Both of my parents are gone, homeless and trying to keep my head straight. I haven't watched anything ever since she left this world.
Wow
So sorry for your loss... I've also lost both of my parents and my mom was one of my best "friends." Hang in there, keep pushing. You've got this and I promise, it gets easier.
God bless you ❤❤❤
GOD BLESS YOU GOD KNOWS
I'm so sorry for your loss, its hurts so much I know. Stay strong ❤
My theory(A bit of a stretch):The Freight Ship Nathan saw could've indeed been there illegaly, as it was actually a vessel used for transporting victims of sex trafficking, and Joe and the fishermen, who thought they had been rescued, had actually been captured to do who knows what, with Nathan just narrowly escaping
I'm thinking similarly but the first thing that popped into my mind were those horror stories about the Chinese Fishing vessels that basically run on indentured servitude. The second thought was that there is still to this day something of a piracy problem and back then they didn't have particularly good civilian defensive options on boats. It's entirely possible they got picked up by people who were definitely less than reputable but who knows what flavor of scumbag it was.
That's definitely a conspiracy I pray isn't true!
or... nathan made the whole thing up, i mean seriously, doesn't it seems history was kinda unlucky every step of the way? boat trouble, boat sinking, raft leak, make-shift raft not enough and try sacrifice himself turns out he was lucky? all this just his story no one knew the truth...unfortunately for one fact he returned alone.
Sounds plausible, exactly what I thought
@@shamlg3349 right!?! Because he swam over there, dehydrated and exhausted, near death, yet he lived three more days before being rescued?
The best dad vibe story teller out here, happy father's day mr b
Thank you!
Gonna catch this wave to say the same.
Happy Father’s Day Mr. B!
You’re unquestionably an amazing father. 😊💯
I know there’s a small chance you’d read this, but I just wanna greet you a happy father’s day, Mr. Ballen! Thank you for the stories you’ve shared to us all over the years 🙌🏻 Congratulations with the 9 Million subs. We’re happy to see the community grow more and more. To more power! 🙌🏻
Cheers!
Any time I have ever tried to explain open ocean swimming to someone.. I tell them it's like when you're dreaming and you're trying to run as fast as you can but it feels like you're moving in slow motion lmao
It is absolutely terrifying to me. I've never done this but can imagine grueling it is.
I have always said it's like the water wants to pull you down... like you're much less buoyant.
That's actually the perfect explanation. That's exactly what it feels like, lol.
I don't think people realize that there are a lot of fish/life in the ocean. Floating in the ocean is like floating in outerspace. The stars touch the water and you're thousands of feet above solid earth. Floating
(Sticks head out hatch and stares accusingly at the ocean)
John B Allen is awesome! Thank you for your service.
First Father’s Day with my son since he’s been born. 7 long years of child support and I finally get to see him. But what a kick ass day and now I get to lay down and watch a mr ballen video to end this perfect day? Can’t get any better happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there! The ones who try to be a part or their kids life
Happy for you to see your child finally. ❤ So very wrong of the ppl who stopped this from happening. ❤️🩹
It's been 13 years of fighting with my ex and I'm still pushing forward hoping one day I get a father's day phone call or a visit. Thanks for sharing your experience it gives me hope. Happy Father's day
@@therealelgwapoI hope for the sake of you and your child reuniting you can stop fighting with your ex and find some way to be civil so you get your wish.
My 26yo friend who had lungs cancer just pass away 8 days ago, we both use to watch you, now your video just reminded me of him, keep up the good work John..!!
Edit : tnx for the enormous support , god bless you all..!
I'm so sorry for your loss. Stay strong!
I'm so sorry for your loss💙
Actually he started smoking at middle school beleive it or not, he's my childhood friend.. and one day he just comes up with a news that he has 4th stage cancer,, everything went horrible for us after that , we lost, I lost him!!
💚
That's so young... Sorry about your friend.
It sounds like scammers got their contact info from the newspaper & phone book & tried to exploit their vulnerability & desperation in a tragic situation. It happens every day. So sad.
That's what I thought
See that still doesn''t make sense. The sisters number maybe but the boat owners home number? Even if a news paper had posted the company name in an a article how would they trace it to the owners personal line? Why do the effort of tracing that down and instead just call the business? Why would the boat owner even care enough about the men to pay a ransom? Why would anyone think he cared enough to prank? Why keep calling when they can not even understand you? If I was going to scam someone I would speak slowly and carefully. Hey we have your brother if you want him back bring 10k to this location. Its kind of hard for them to pay a ransom if they don't understand you. Also why call one last time and say your bringing one of them home?
Very possible
@@SnappyDudevery true and good points to bring up. Something could have happened on the way home. Since authorities were stationed up and down the coast which seems stupid bc who's going to bring someone they've been holding with authorities every damn where?
@@SnappyDude I understand what you’re saying. It’s fairly easy to get a person’s contact info, especially back then before privacy laws. All you need is a name & location, which the newspaper probably printed, & you could find it in the phonebook. You can still do it online today for a fee.
I got a call from a foreigner trying to scam $. It sounded like he was on a payphone & I could barely understand him. They’re very poor & desperate, & will do whatever it takes to get $. They prey on vulnerable & lonely people, especially the elderly or those in distress. It happens to millions every year. That last call may have been a final attempt to get $, & they found someone who spoke English due to the language barrier. But when they heard about the cops on the beach, they backed off. Just a hunch.
9 million and counting, so exciting to watch you rise to fame, its well deserved, i make sure everyone i know, knows who you are. Sending love and congratulations from Australia
Talk about brotherly love - Nathan was very brave and honourable.
Or he un alived them all and dumped them in the ocean
Why would he do that? @@missladyanonymity
To make out he's a hero..he selfishly tried to sacrifice himself for the others..
@@sharongrigg5336This is what I was thinking. Maybe I watch too much true crime...
@@sharongrigg5336 That would be a risky and stupid way to do it. It is undisputed that he was adrift in the middle of the ocean for days. He couldn't make that part up. smh
Crazy how one day like most of us here I found this channel on accident and years later he is the best story teller on YT.
Ya I remember my first episode: a guy from a village went outside and everyone had mysteriously dropped dead... Binged after that lol
@@azuraroycroft2419 I guess mine were one of the very first 414 missing vids or just a random missing vid that wasn't related with that number.Yeah. So many years have been passed gradually since then.I guess it was back in 2018 or very early 2019(I do makes it sound like as if I were saying that it was 1998 or 1999 here..LOL..Waow,the time does pass too quickly for my own good..lol..) ... 😅😬👍
This is so sad and bizarre. I wish the sister or the boat owner would have had a recorder so the next time the caller called, they could record it and then have someone translate it. If it was a prank, that is so cruel!
Highly likely it's a sick prank
I agreee. I mean, they get these calls for weeks and do not have a note pad next to the phone for when they call the next time...
But can't police get the phone records and trace the call? Sometimes that's possible right? I don't know so sorry if I'm wrong but yeah
Just what I was thinking
What kills me is, 90's... that was a POTS system. POTS phones... on a long distance phone call, if you picked up, even for a half of a heart beat, the phone companies ALL automatically recorded BOTH numbers, and charged a connection fee and a first 15 minute fee on top of the connection fee. Similarly, if a connection was made on a local call, even for a half of a heart beat, those connections were recorded. I LOVED the movies where they would say, "Keep them on the line, we're running a trace" and 3 minutes later the caller would hang up and they would say that they did not have enough time to trace the call... BS.... the phone company had that information BEFORE the police even knew that this was the call they were waiting on.... with that in mind.... did anybody ever prod the phone companies about the origin of these calls??? I GUARANTEE you that the phone companies could give a HUGE clue as to the origins of these calls.
I remember watching this on "Unsolved Mysteries". The story always stuck with me, especially the "I'm bringing him home" part. Sucks that we still don't know what happened to them.
9 million people listen to you John. How wonderful, I'm happy for you and your family. You are a jewel. Happy Father's Day. Hugs.
Recording equipment existed in the 90s...how in the bloody hell did they not immediately buy something to record and translate those phone calls?!!???!?
Or get the phone number and track where they were calling from right- this is crazy??
That was in the early 90's and most households didn't own translating devices or recording of phonecalls.
@@rainluna9765 I'd get a recording device after the phone calls continued, and then hire a translator to do the translation. Just because today's technology didn't exist yet, doesn't mean it couldn't be done.
@@rainluna9765in the early ‘90s we would record our favorite songs straight from the radio to have on a cassette, I’m sure the home phone had a speaker option and they could’ve/should’ve done the same with the calls.
@@SuperBlackKris Some people might've had a recorder attached, but these were expensive devices.
Father's Day is September here in Australia.Nathan I wish everyone a big brother like you.This story is heartwrenching.
I usually don't listen to podcasts but the Mr Ballen and Mr Ballen Medical Mysteries are so good I've spent an entire day listening to them on separate days!
Another great story. Thanks for not cutting an ad into this one as it really had no "good" place to do it. Congrats on the 9M, you earned it.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads handling their business and sacrificing
Happy Fathers Day! 🙏💪🏽
CONGRATS ON 9 MILLION SUBS!!! 🎉🎉
Thank you!!!
Happy fathers day🎉😊@@MrBallen
Let's get him to 10 ASAP
congratulations!! You worked so hard to get here!!🙌🏼❤️
@@MrBallenI ordered your book😎😎
This is just heartbreaking on so many levels..... and obviously continues to break the hearts of the ill-fated loved ones regularly. These people are in a daily living nightmare!
I am so sorry. Much love and ((hugs)) to all. 😔💔
1. Happy Father's day
2. I remember when you hit 1M subs and my first thought was "I wouldn't be shocked if it took him less than another year to hit 5M" but look at you now. Congrats John, you deserve every single sub you get and more. 🖤🖤
This sub has one of the most sane ppl on planet ... no twisting and calling anybody names civilized with either constructive criticism, appreciation or experiences.
Mr B 9 million of such folks including me is the best you can get and may it keep growing in leaps.
CONGRATULATIONS!!
this "sub"? submarine?
Shut it, cindyboy
OK then... sure, telling a good story and not calling someone a name while doing it is exactly how they gauge sanity.
Bit sensitive for a rock aren't you, harden up Sue
Lol you've drawn all the crazies out with this one, they don't like when there isn't anger and meanness in the world 😂
Cooking lunch for my kids while listening to @MrBallen... this is a good Father's Day.
Happy Fay to all the active, present, and loving Father's out there! You the real MVPs!
And all those who are standing in the gap for the fatherless! Men like Mr Ballen, help fill that void and are much appreciated. 😊
Congratulations on the 9million. Very well deserved.
Yes!
Hey I have a theory
That wasn't a normal ship it might have looked normal from that distance
But
It could have been pirates
Wow, 9 MILLION subs, just let that number sink in. I've been listening for six years or so and can't think of a more deserving individual to achieve that milestone and level of success. Congrats Mr. Ballen and Happy belated Father's Day!!
This is one of the saddest stories I've heard, especially because no one knows for sure what happened to the men 😭 I do believe Nathan did see that freighter ship. Perhaps it was pirates, a drug ship, human trafficking, or other type of criminal activity. I think the 3 men were taken as hostages to a Spanish speaking country.
That unfortunately looks to be the case.
I believe Nathan had something to do with it.
@salaluvsu1 Like how/what exactly....?
@@salaluvsu1 What? Even if he wanted them dead, what about the phone calls? He hired someone?
@@MForest90 All 4 of them could have stumbled across a ship with pirates and Nathan could have made a deal with those pirates for a chance to live. Just conspiracys tho
Happy Father's Day! Every time I watch your videos, I'm reminded of the day my youngest son walked into the living room & heard me watching 1 of your videos. He said, "Is that Mr Ballen?"
I lost my baby boy in 2021,& I'll take all the memories I can get.
I'm happy he and I enjoyed your videos. Thank you.
I'm so sorry. I lost my daughter in 2011, so I understand exactly what you're going through. Hugs!
So sorry for both of your losses. I am sure your babies remain right by your side.
🙏🏼✝️
@@Irish_Georgia_Girl thank you. Hugs to you as well. Horrible journey we're on.
Just wanted to show a little appreciation to MrBallen my wife and I listen to the episodes every night before we fall asleep, really enjoy the story telling and all the hard gestures so keep up the good work.
This is EXACTLY what i meeded on Father's Day. The only gift ill receive and it is perfect.
@druidic4353 you do know that was rude and unnecessary right?
Piss off@druidic4353
I have a daughter, and a father. My 3 year old cannot give me a gift except her love, and my father is busy dealing with my dying mother, so father's day, a day his own mom died on is not celebrated.
If you wanna be rude as hell, go ahead if it makes you feel any kind of better about your own situation in life.
I find happiness in the small things, like my favorite story teller taking my mind off the crushing reality I live in.
Thank you, be kind to one another and fudge yourself if you wanna be mean still lol
Happy Fathers Day❤ Ignore the trolls😊 It’s not easy to be a parent, dad or mom. You deserve a day to celebrate you. Take care❤
meeded
9 MILLION!!!! What a way to celebrate Father’s Day! I have enjoyed your stories for years now. So happy to see all your hard work is still bringing new viewers. Well deserved!
Happy Father's Day Mr.Ballen. I was on a sinking boat once and this story brought a lot of that back. We were about 1/2 mile from shore on a lake. Same circumstances, power was greatly diminished, open the engine compartment and smoke poured out, rush to start bailing and putting on life jackets. The engine had totally died but were drifting in the right direction. It was a recreational lake and a couple of other boats were able to help tow us to a boat ramp. But the fear if losing your boat from under tou is one of the most scary experiences I ever had. Thank you Mr. Ballen for helping me to relive that.
Congrats on 9 million subscribers! I remember reading about this story back in the early 90s and thinking how statistically implausible the series of events in the story were, particularly the open water swimming and heightened record keeping of freighter traffic in those waters at that time. The other part is that Nathan puts himself in a hero's light making it even more suspicious and unsettling. I think there is a lot more to the story that the others on that trip took with them in their demise.
Finally a voice of reason! I'm browsing the comments and it's amazing and sad how gullible people are. Only one comment out of around 50 pointed out that we know of all these improbable events from the sole survivor...
I'm not saying it's impossible that he did something, but why exactly do you feel like he killed 3 people, including his brother, in the middle of the ocean?
@@winstonknowitall4181 - People survive some crazy things. There are so many stories of survival that seem to defy all odds, but they happened. Determination can make people hang on a lot longer than seems possible.
@@TooLegit2Quit84 Of course. Now go read about Occam's razor.
I cant think of anyone more worthy for his 9m subscribers. You're such a natural storyteller man. Love binge watching your incredible content especially before bedways. Keep on keeping on
But but but the navy seals are mad at him.
@@Feelingsmasher2000 They've no fuckin right to be mad at him. He was one himself. It's not as if he exposed anything that would jeopardise them. It's just pure jealousy
@@chrissilvester5663 I know bro, my comment was sarcasm.
@Rumpelstiltskin-yv4ep Sarcasm? How was your comment sarcastic? Seriously..Smh.. Maybe you could explain?
@@rutamurphy6656 My comment messed you up that bad huh?
John Happy Father’s Day to you and your audience! Appreciate you! Can’t wait for this story!!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Keep doing your best, we’re all proud of you.
Hey dude, just wanted to say I love your choice in picking unique stories to tell. I suffer from depression and anxiety and these stories help me get through the day, keep up the good work.
HOLY CRAP John!! 9 million!! ? Did you ever think you'd be this popular!? I been listening since 2021....and man...I am Sooo hooked! Happy Father's day also! Much love ❤️
My Sunday isn’t complete without a video from Mr.Ballen.
🙌🙌🙌
Mrballen>Sunday football
@@wedabestradi096fr
I'm sorry you feel that way. His fiction is rather dark.
@@jasonnation6615 does this count as fiction cuz they are true stories (i genuinly want to know because english isnt my first language)
9 million subs is a great way to start your fathers day congrats
9.07 subs? You deserve it. You're sincere and without all the horrible camp that plagues other story-tellers.
I miss ya dad. Wish you was here. This makes the second father's day without ya. Can't wait to see you again.
I miss my Dad too. January 12, 2020. Sometimes I miss him so much I can’t breathe.
I’m right here with ya. The first one without my dad didn’t really sink in, but this one… this one hit harder this year. I hope you’re doing okay. I wish you the best in your grief.
I am truly so so sorry for you. I had a Horrific father (cannot say 'dad') he was a terrible person. In a way I feel you are lucky to miss your dads, and in a way I feel fortunate to never miss mine. Hope Fathers Day gets easier for you all with time....
From one father to another, happy Father’s Day sir! Thank you always for your service as well!
Congratulations on 9 million people who look forward to.hearing your voice once a week, John!
Happy fathers day as well, I bet you tell the best bedtime stories to those chaps of yours!
I hope they realize how truly blessed they are to have such an awesome and hard working father!
Have a wonderful day!
I’ve heard this story before, from a different TH-cam channel and the original Unsolved Mysteries episode that you used some clips from, but your retelling of the story and some of the new details I didn’t hear before kept me engaged and attentive the whole time. You’re the best in the business MrBallen!
Congratulations brother! Been here from the jump and you deserve it more than anyone. Never once have I watched a video of yours that hasn’t captivated my attention.
Yes, they are all so good. His story telling his truly impeccable
I was a freshman in high school when i first found about this channel. I graduated last week. Has it really been that long? Congrats on 9M!🎉
Edit: You guys are being so kind thank you so muchh!!
Congratulations on graduating
Congrats. I was a sophomore in high school when this story took place. 😂
Congratulations! I pray you have a bright, wonderful future!
Congrats on graduating.
Congrats on your graduation!
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there 💙
My one take from the story is, how is it that they never tried to have someone who speaks Spanish available to intercept one of the calls?
It is more common than you think, ending up on a sinking boat. Happened twice to me, but I am from an island. When the sailboat went under the creaking sound was eerie! Not panicking is what saves you!
My dad died 10 years ago, I miss him Happy Father's day.
So sorry for your loss. I lost my dad too, when I was 14.
May they rest in peace and happy Father’s Day
May he rest in peace
I feel your pain. My dad died from a massive heart attack right in front of me. I had to do cpr on him to no avail.
@@knottyash9908 I'm so sorry. How old were you?. That's tragic.
Wooow Jonathan! 9 million! That is A NUMBER! 👍💕🥳🥳 Can't believe. I was "just watching you", a lot. And now we're 9 million! 🌪️🤯 Happy father's day! ❤
I’ve been watching since 500k subs. Surreal is an understatement . Good on you, Mr. Ballen! We love you!
I’m so proud of you. I’ve been following for years and am just over joyed with how much your fan base has grown, and rightfully so. You rock Mr Lord of the dark and mysterious.
9 Freakin’ Million!🎉 That’s a whole lot of people who love this guy.❤
Happy father's Day y'all ans Mr
ballen.
I lost my mother two months ago so my father is all I have.
All that's good in me is thanks to my father
I usually do not comment on social media, due to anxiety, but I really felt the need to say how much I appreciate finding your channel Mr.Ballen. In high school, I was very depressed/anxious and watching your videos gave me a newfound sense of comfort; as if I had a friend. I’ve watched all of your videos since discovering you, and I’ve enjoyed witnessing the growth of your channel and your abilities. Congratulations on the 9M subscribers! I’ve known since watching the original Bell’s Canyon video that you would become one of TH-cam’s biggest content creators. One love, stay blessed and positive brother ❤
What a beautiful comment ❤ I hope you're doing okay 😊
I watch his videos to help with anxiety as well. Just wanted to acknowledge the bravery in posting your words. Peace, friend!
Mr B. Allen,
You are hands down the most inspiring TH-cam channel I have ever come across and your story is absolutely incredible. Thank you for all you have done and do each day and with each video you post. Just the smiles you create with your informative stories alone is a great gift to the earth.
Much Love
There is nothing like one of your stories to make me feel so much better about my life.Thank you and happy father's day
Happy Father's day MrBallen 💙
Mrballen has came a long way. Ive been watching him for several years and never have found videos on youtube as scary and interesting as his.
Happy father’s day❤
"Has came" should immediately raise a red flag.
You've never found any other videos that are as scary as his?!!? He's good, but I can list plenty others just as good if not better.
Happy fathers day to all current and expecting fathers. You all mean the world to someone. Never forget this
Awww that was a very sweet thing to say! I hope you know you mean the world to someone as well! ❤️
A mayday that no one ever heard, a leaking life boat, men floating on debris that no one ever found, the biggest most imposing guy on the ship leaves the others, successfully makes a swim that would be difficult for highly trained in-shape soldiers to make, he lays down instead of trying to signal a ship that it turns out no one else can confirm existed in the first place, he is the only survivor, and he is the only one telling the story of what happened. The way this story is told, Nathan seems like a selfless hero, but given the circumstances, none of this seems suspicious to anyone else?
I agree.
Absolutely!
But what’s the motive?
i believe Nathan's story... that he infact saw a ship that uses coal for power probably for drugs transaction in the ocean... they rescued his brother and the other 2 coworkers then his brother knew that they are kidnaped so he told them it's just them on the fishing party so they left without "rescuing" Nathan... which explains the Spanish speaking calls since they only have these 2 phone numbers - probably were trying to negotiate for price to bring them back - and when they got someone to speak English now frustrated they were going to bring them back the coast guards scared them away so they probably killed them..
I didn't even think of that. I was wondering why they never brought him back after saying they would, seeing the coast guards probably scared them and they turned back after killing him. Sad way to think about it, they were so, so close to getting their loved one back all for him to die so close to being free.
VERY plausible explanation. 👍🏻
Wait though... why would pirates or drug runners be compassionate enough to try to bring them back and then just kill them?? Why wouldn't they just release them into whatever country they were in? And when you said the coast guard '"scared them away"... you mean when they tried to bring them back?
Was looking through the comments to see if anyone else had the same thoughts on the matter, really suss to me, that the authorities lined the coast to look for a ship they had been adamant did not exist. Clearly it was a drug boat, they would know too much after being taken to the destination/origin of the ship and then when they tried to get ransoms, they're met with stunned silence.
Why would someone with a freight ship full of drugs use a ship that's sending a smoke signal to their exact location that can be seen from miles away? Not exactly incognito
Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there
Wish I had one
Happy Father’s Day Mr Ballen!! And the the rest of the strange, dark & mysterious Dads
This story begs the question of whether those calls were pranks or simply calls with some other sinister intent behind them. Especially that later call telling the sister, "I'm bringing him home," it would seem exceptionally cruel to falsely renew the hopes of a family that is already struggling over whether to keep anticipating their son/brother's return or to find closure.
Thank you for your service, Mr. John Allen!
I LOVE WATCHING STRANGE DARK AND MYSTERIOUS VIDEOS TOLD IN STORY FORMAT!
Those poor family members and friends. What an incredibly horrible experience to go through.
Omg, this story freaked me out. My biggest fear is water, especially the ocean. I had to fight to get through this one. You are amazing 😳🙌
Congratulations on 9m Subs…. You are phenomenal. My kids & I love listening to u.
Love from South Africa 🇿🇦
love him also, from SA
Me too! Mr Ballen is n yster
CONGRATS ON 9 MIL! i struggle with depression and your videos get me out of bed in the morning, you deserve 100 million subs with how good your content is!
Congrats on 9million John! & happy Father’s Day
Thank you so much!!
I give him like 3 months tops and he'll pass 10 mil! And deservedly so!