Chronicles of History

A Maritime Mystery

The Mary Celeste – a ship that’s launched numerous ghost stories and more than a few conspiracy theories. It’s December 4, 1872, and the Dei Gratia, a British brig, is cruising through the Atlantic. In the distance, the crew spots a ship drifting aimlessly, with no sign of any movement on board. Being the exemplary samaritans that they are, they sail over to check it out. But wait – there’s nobody aboard! No captain, crew, or even a stowaway cat. Just a perfectly seaworthy vessel bobbing along in untouched serenity. Welcome to the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

Our to-be ghost ship set sail from New York on November 7, 1872, directed by Captain Benjamin Briggs. Briggs was an experienced seaman, known by reputation to be both competent and level-headed. He brought his wife Sarah and daughter Sophia along for the trip – because what can go wrong when you’re traveling with several barrels of liquor, right? Along with the Briggs family, seven seasoned crew members were aboard for the ship’s voyage to Genoa, Italy, carrying a valuable cargo of around 1700 barrels of alcohol. Now, before you start thinking this was the ultimate party cruise, the alcohol was for industrial purposes, not for any fantastic seafaring shindigs. (Sorry to disappoint.) The weather was calm, the ship was in good condition, and all seemed to be going to plan. Unfortunately, after leaving port, the Mary Celeste sailed right into the history books, for all the wrong reasons.

Fast forward to December of the same year. The crew of the Dei Gratia find themselves investigating the drifting vessel about 400 miles east of the Azores. When they’d boarded the craft, they found something straight out of a sailor’s nightmare: The Mary Celeste completely deserted. The ship itself? Completely fine. No signs of damage, no indications of struggle, nothing. The cargo of alcohol stood almost entirely intact – though nine barrels were mysteriously empty. Six months’ worth of food and water was also present, and yet, every living being on the ship had vanished. Even the lifeboat was gone, suggesting the crew had left voluntarily, but why? Adding to the mystery, the last logbook entry suggested perfectly adequate conditions, with no noteworthy problems. It was as if every member had suddenly decided to take a little excursion, never to return. Perhaps they just needed some fresh air?

With no clear explanation, the world was left to speculate. And speculate they did. A tide of theories emerged: some plausible, others just downright wacky. One of the more reasonable theories was that the crew panicked over the possibility of an explosion. With so much alcohol onboard, even the slightest fume could have caused the crew to worry for their lives. Maybe they left the ship in the lifeboat, thinking they could ride out a potential catastrophe, only to find themselves lost at sea. Some researchers have also suggested a rare occurrence known as a ‘waterspout’, a sea tornado. It could’ve caused enough movement to convince the crew the ship was sinking, resulting in their subsequent evacuation. However, how one looks outside at a tornado and decides it’s safer off than on the boat is beyond me. Of course, let’s not forget the pirate theory. But let’s face it, pirates that only take the crew and leave all that alcohol aren’t exactly the stuff of legends. I suppose they could’ve been new to the pirate game and didn’t get the memo on what they were to do.

Anyhow, after a futile inquiry, the Mary Celeste was released back into service, but never really managed to shake off its ghostly status. The vessel changed hands several times over the years but its fortune didn’t improve. In 1885, the ship met an end in a deliberate collision off the coast of Haiti as part of an insurance fraud scheme. Yep, after all that mystery, Mary Celeste finished the maritime counterpart of a totaled car in a flawed insurance scam. From ghost ship to a failed con job – talk about a fall from grace.

Despite the many theories, nobody knows for sure what happened. It’s become the subject of countless books, documentaries, and even a few Hollywood films. But in the end, we may just have to admit we’ll never know.