The Mary Celeste
A merchant ship was found drifting in the Atlantic with no crew aboard, a mystery that has never been solved.
The Mary Celeste
On December 4, 1872, the British brigantine Dei Gratia discovered the American merchant ship Mary Celeste drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was seaworthy, its cargo intact, but the ten people aboard had vanished.
The Discovery
The Dei Gratia spotted the Mary Celeste under limited sail, moving erratically. A boarding party found the ship deserted. No signs of struggle. Personal effects remained. The cargo of alcohol was secured. Only the ship’s papers and the lifeboat were missing.
The Mystery
The last log entry was dated November 25, placing the ship 400 miles from where it was found. What happened in nine days remains unknown. The most accepted theory suggests fumes from the alcohol cargo led to temporary evacuation, and the ship drifted away faster than the lifeboat could follow.
The Mary Celeste became the archetypal ghost ship. Despite extensive investigation and endless speculation, the fate of her crew remains unknown.