Vice City's 'Ghost Ships' aren't ghosts at all — but the real explanation is even weirder.
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Vice City's 'Ghost Ships' aren't ghosts at all — but the real explanation is even weirder.

The so-called 'Ghost Ships' in GTA: Vice City are actually just 2D flat textures named Boats_1 through Boats_8 that fade in and out on the horizon to simulate distant shipping traffic. They're not solid objects, not reachable by any vehicle, and don't match any boats actually in the game. The creepy 'flying ship' sightings? Just a rare glitch where they spawn above sea level.

Verdict:Busted

Source: Ghost Ships (GTA Vice City) — CC BY-SA

The full story

Map of all the ghost ship sighting spots — just flat textures faking distant traffic, nowhere near solid.
1

Map of all the ghost ship sighting spots — just flat textures faking distant traffic, nowhere near solid.

That rare glitch spawn above sea level — the whole 'flying ghost ship' myth in one screenshot.
2

That rare glitch spawn above sea level — the whole 'flying ghost ship' myth in one screenshot.

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