Few maritime mysteries capture the imagination quite like the tale of the Mary Celeste. This sturdy brigantine became the ultimate ghost ship when she was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. Her story is a haunting puzzle, a mystery ship saga that has baffled historians, sailors, and armchair detectives for over 150 years. What happened to her crew? Why was a perfectly seaworthy vessel abandoned? Let’s dive into the perplexing Mary Celeste disappearance and explore the theories that continue to swirl around this enduring enigma.
The Fateful Voyage Begins
Our story starts on November 7, 1872, when the Mary Celeste, captained by the experienced and respected Benjamin Spooner Briggs, set sail from Staten Island, New York. Her destination was Genoa, Italy, and she was carrying a cargo of 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol. Onboard was Captain Briggs, his wife Sarah, their two-year-old daughter Sophia, and a crew of seven capable seamen. The Mary Celeste crew were largely German, reputable, and handpicked by Briggs. By all accounts, it was a well-found ship with a competent master and crew, embarking on a routine transatlantic voyage.
The ship itself was a 282-ton brigantine, originally named Amazon when launched in Nova Scotia in 1861. She’d had a somewhat unlucky history, including a collision and running aground, before being salvaged, repaired, and renamed Mary Celeste under new American ownership in 1868. Despite her earlier misfortunes, she was considered seaworthy for this particular journey.
The Eerie Discovery
Fast forward nearly a month. On December 4, 1872 (some accounts say December 5th), the British brigantine Dei Gratia, captained by David Morehouse, was sailing about 400 miles east of the Azores. Captain Morehouse and Captain Briggs were acquaintances and had even dined together in New York before their respective departures.
The crew of the Dei Gratia spotted a vessel sailing erratically, her sails slightly damaged but largely set, yawing in the wind as if no one was at the helm. As they drew closer, they identified her as the Mary Celeste. They hailed her repeatedly but received no response. A boarding party, led by First Mate Oliver Deveau, rowed across. What they found (or rather, didn’t find) would cement the Mary Celeste as the most famous ghost ship in maritime history.
A Ship Adrift: The Condition of the Mary Celeste
The boarding party from the Dei Gratia found the Mary Celeste to be an unsettlingly silent and empty vessel. Here’s a summary of what they observed:
- No Crew: Captain Briggs, his family, and all seven crew members were gone. There was no sign of struggle or violence.
- Seaworthy Condition: The ship was generally in good order, though wet from sea spray and with about three and a half feet of water in the hold – not an alarming amount for a wooden ship of her era. Her pumps were operational.
- Sails: Some sails were set, while others were furled or had been blown away.
- Cargo Intact: The 1,701 barrels of industrial alcohol were largely undisturbed, though nine barrels were found empty. These nine were made of red oak, more porous than the white oak used for the others.
- Provisions: Ample food and fresh water for six months were onboard.
- Personal Belongings: The crew’s belongings, including clothes, oilskins, and pipes, were still in their quarters. Captain Briggs’ cabin contained his wife’s melodeon (a type of organ), sewing machine, and their daughter’s toys. Valuables were untouched.
- Ship’s Papers: The ship’s register was missing. The captain’s logbook was found in the mate’s cabin, with the last entry dated 9 days prior, on November 25th, noting her position near the Azores island of Santa Maria.
- Navigation Equipment: The sextant and chronometer were missing, suggesting a planned, albeit hasty, departure from the ship.
- Lifeboat: One of the ship’s two small boats (a yawl or jolly boat) appeared to be missing, with evidence suggesting it had been launched rather than torn away by a storm.
- Mysterious Marks: Some reports mentioned what looked like bloodstains on the captain’s sword (found under his bunk) and on the deck rails, but these were later contested or attributed to rust. There were also reports of axe marks on the rail.
The overall impression was of a ship abandoned in a hurry, but not in panic due to an immediate, catastrophic event like a fire or sinking. The Mary Celeste disappearance of her crew was utterly baffling.
The Gibraltar Inquiry and Initial Suspicions
The Dei Gratia crew, after some debate, decided to salvage the Mary Celeste. They split their crew, and two men sailed the ghost ship over 800 miles to Gibraltar, arriving on December 13, 1872.
Here, a lengthy Board of Inquiry was convened by the Attorney General of Gibraltar, Frederick Solly-Flood. Flood, known for his tenacity (and some say, his tendency to jump to conclusions), was immediately suspicious of foul play. He couldn’t believe a seaworthy ship would be abandoned. Theories he entertained included:
- Mutiny by the Mary Celeste crew: Perhaps they had murdered the Briggs family and the officers, then fled in the lifeboat. However, there was no evidence of struggle.
- Murder by the Dei Gratia crew: Could Captain Morehouse and his men have killed everyone on the Mary Celeste to claim salvage rights? This was unlikely given the good character of Morehouse and his crew, and the lack of motive strong enough for such a heinous crime.
- Piracy: While piracy still existed, it was rare in that part of the Atlantic, and pirates would surely have looted the ship’s valuables and cargo.
The inquiry lasted for months but found no definitive evidence of foul play. The salvage court eventually awarded the Dei Gratia crew £1,700, significantly less than they might have expected, partly due to Flood’s lingering suspicions.
The Mary Celeste Mystery Explained? Theories Abound!
Over the decades, countless theories have been proposed to explain the Mary Celeste disappearance of her crew. Let’s look at some of the most prominent:
- Foul Play by Pirates: Highly unlikely. The valuable cargo and personal belongings were untouched.
- Mutiny: Again, unlikely. Captain Briggs was known as a fair man, and the crew were experienced. No signs of violence were found.
- Attack by a Giant Squid or Sea Monster: A favorite of sensationalist writers (including a fictionalized account by a young Arthur Conan Doyle which, while popular, greatly distorted the facts and added to the myth), but there’s no evidence to support this.
- Waterspout or Rogue Wave: A sudden, violent weather event could have damaged the ship or swept people overboard, causing the survivors to abandon ship. However, the ship was found in relatively good condition.
- Food Poisoning (Ergotism): Some have suggested the crew might have ingested flour contaminated with ergot fungus, causing hallucinations and irrational behavior leading them to abandon ship. This is speculative.
- The Alcohol Cargo – The Leading Theory: This is currently the most widely accepted plausible explanation for the Mary Celeste mystery explained. The theory goes like this:
- Nine of the 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol were found empty. These were made of porous red oak, while the others were white oak.
- It’s possible that alcohol fumes from these barrels built up in the hold. Denatured alcohol is highly volatile.
- Captain Briggs, perhaps concerned about the risk of explosion (or a minor one already occurring), ordered the ship to be temporarily abandoned as a precaution. The last log entry was near the Azores island of Santa Maria, known for its calm seas.
- He might have had the crew open the hatches to ventilate the hold. The missing ship’s papers, sextant, and chronometer suggest an orderly, though perhaps urgent, retreat to the lifeboat, intending to return once the danger passed.
- They might have trailed a line to the Mary Celeste, but if the line parted or the weather worsened unexpectedly, their small boat could have been swamped or drifted away, leaving the Mary Celeste to sail on as a ghost ship. The axe marks on the rail could have been made to secure a tow line for the lifeboat. The water in the hold could have accumulated after abandonment if pumps weren’t manned.
Experiments conducted by scientist Dr. Andrea Sella in 2006 demonstrated that alcohol vapor from a leaking cargo could indeed create a pressure-wave explosion that wouldn’t necessarily cause significant fire damage but would be terrifying enough to prompt an evacuation.
The Unanswered Questions and Enduring Legacy
Even the alcohol fume theory doesn’t answer everything perfectly. Why was the last log entry nine days before discovery? Why were some items left behind if it was an orderly evacuation?
The Mary Celeste crew – Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah, daughter Sophia, and crewmen Albert Richardson, Andrew Gilling, Edward Head, Volkert Lorenzen, Arian Martens, Boy Lorenzen, and Gottlieb Goodschaad – were never seen or heard from again. Their fate remains one of the sea’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
The Mary Celeste herself continued to sail under various owners, seemingly plagued by misfortune, before being deliberately wrecked off the coast of Haiti in 1885 in an insurance fraud attempt.
The story of this mystery ship endures because it’s a perfect storm of the unknown: a seemingly sound ship, a missing crew, and just enough tantalizing clues to fuel endless speculation. It reminds us of the vastness and power of the ocean and the thin veneer of safety that even the sturdiest ship provides. The Mary Celeste will forever sail on in maritime lore as the ultimate ghost ship, her silence speaking volumes about the mysteries the sea still holds.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Mary Celeste
What exactly was the Mary Celeste?
The Mary Celeste was a 282-ton brigantine (a two-masted sailing ship). She was originally named Amazon and was built in Nova Scotia in 1861. She was carrying a cargo of denatured alcohol from New York to Genoa, Italy, when her crew disappeared in 1872.
What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste?
This is the central mystery! The entire Mary Celeste crew, including Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, his young daughter, and seven sailors, vanished without a trace. No bodies were ever found, and their ultimate fate remains unknown. They likely abandoned ship in a lifeboat, but why and what happened to them afterward is pure speculation.
What is the most accepted theory for the Mary Celeste disappearance?
The most plausible theory for the Mary Celeste mystery explained today revolves around her cargo of denatured alcohol. It’s believed that fumes from leaking barrels may have created fear of an imminent explosion (or a small, contained one might have occurred), prompting Captain Briggs to order a temporary evacuation into the ship’s lifeboat. They may have intended to return but were tragically separated from the Mary Celeste due to a parted towline or worsening weather.
Was the Mary Celeste really a cursed or unlucky ship?
Before her famous voyage, the ship (then named Amazon) did experience some misfortunes, including a collision and running aground. After the 1872 incident, she continued to sail but was reportedly involved in further minor incidents and eventually deliberately wrecked in an insurance scam. While some call her a “cursed” ghost ship, these events are likely a combination of coincidence and the inherent risks of seafaring in that era.
Did Arthur Conan Doyle solve the Mary Celeste mystery?
No. In 1884, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (before he became famous for Sherlock Holmes) wrote a fictional short story titled “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement.” While inspired by the Mary Celeste, his story involved a mutiny, murder, and a vengeful ex-slave, which were entirely fabricated for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, his popular story was taken as fact by some, adding layers of misinformation to the actual Mary Celeste case for many years.
