The abandonment of the Mary Celeste is a mystery in maritime history.
The Mary Celeste was a 103-foot Brigantine of 282 tons, under one Captain Briggs. Both the Mary Celeste and the Die Gratia who later found her had picked up cargos in New York City early that previous month, the Mary Celeste having sailed for Genoa on November 7, the Die Gratia having sailed for Gibralter on the fifteenth.
On December 4th, 1872, the Mary Celeste was found abandoned, half way between Portugal and the Azores. The ship seemed to be in good condition, but there was not a single soul on board.
It is often falsely said that the ship disappeared in the fictional Bermuda Triangle, but the Mary Celeste was nowhere near the so-called "Bermuda Triangle" when the crew apparently deserted her; her last log entry was for November 24 and placed her 100 miles west of the Azores. She was discovered by the Dei Gratia under one Captain Moorehouse.
Significantly, the sextant and chronometer were missing, suggesting the ship had been deliberately abandoned. The only lifeboat appeared to have been intentionally launched, rather than torn away. Other accounts claim the lifeboat was still on the ship. The forehatch was found open.
The cargo of 1700 barrels of alcohol was intact. A six-month supply of food and water was aboard. Three and one-half feet of water were in the hold. All of the ship's papers except the captains logbook were missing.
Captain Briggs, all officers, crew and passengers were never seen again, though old sailors would claim for as much as fifty years after that they were aboard the Mary Celeste. No credence is given to these stories.
The fate of the crew will doubtless never be solved, and rumors abound. As these are pure speculation, we refer the reader to the references for these.
Mary Celeste is the proper spelling of the ship's name. The often seen Marie Celeste is from an Arthur Conan Doyle story called J. Habakuk Jepson's Statement , published in 1884. Doyle's story drew very heavily on the original incident, but included a considerable amount of fiction which has become mixed with fact in the public mind.The Mary Celeste and the Dei Gratia who discovered her
Discovery
No, it had nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle
Condition of the ship
Missing persons
A myth that needs cleared up
