The Mystery of Mary Celeste is a mystery that has fascinated for 150 years. There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the ghost ship. There has been talk of supernatural phenomena, and even alien intervention and a giant squid attack. It is still unknown why the ship was found in perfect condition, but without a living soul on board.
The Secret of Mary Celeste. Why did the crew leave the ship?
The ship Mary Celeste had sailed from New York and was bound for Genoa. There were ten people on board, including Captain Benjamin Briggs’ wife of two years. The captain did not expect that his name would go down in the annals of history in the context of one of the greatest mysteries of the deep sea.
It was December 4, 1872. The crew of the British ship Di Gratia saw the familiar sight of the Mary Celeste. The helmsman was concerned that although the ship’s sails were raised, they appeared twisted and torn. Captain David Moorhouse was surprised because he learned that the Mary Celeste had sailed eight days earlier and should have reached Genoa. He decided to go up.
The boarding team made a shocking discovery. Dei Gratia’s senior officer Oliver Defoe was the first to board the drifting ship in the Atlantic Ocean. He looked carefully around the decks and racks, then reported There is not a living soul on board. The entire crew disappeared, including Captain Briggs’ wife and two-year-old daughter.
There was standing water below deck, but other than that everything looked perfect. Maps and a log were found, the last entry of which was on 25 November, personal belongings of the crew members were still in the cabins, food was prepared and waiting in the mess hall, food supplies would be sufficient for another six months. One of the lifeboats was lost.
The surprised crew of the Dei Gratia decided to split up and sail the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar. Once everyone arrived safely, the British Vice Admiralty Court opened an investigation into the abandonment of the Mary Celeste, and the mysterious case sparked a media frenzy around the world.
Dozens of conspiracy theories. Even giant squids and aliens have been suspected
Information about the ghost ship electrified the British media. Speculation immediately began about what had happened aboard the Mary Celeste. Did any of the crew go crazy, or could it have been the work of the pirates? Over the next 150 years, new theories were developed. According to some, the crew was supposed to have been a victim of a giant squid or abducted by aliens.
The Admiralty’s investigation lasted three months. The pirate attack theory was rejected because piracy was not common in this part of the world due to the presence of the British Navy, there were no signs of fighting, and no valuable cargo from the storehouse was lost. The hypothesis that drunken crew members killed the captain and his family and then abandoned the sloop using a life raft has also been rejected. The crew were experienced sailors of good standing, and denatured alcohol was kept in storage.
Another theory is that there was a mass insanity that affected everyone on board the ship and forced them to throw themselves overboard. This thesis was also rejected. Most likely, the Mary Celeste was struck by a hurricane, the terrified crew abandoned ship, and then the lifeboat sank. However, the most likely theory is that alcohol fumes escaped from leaky barrels. The captain may have thought that there might be an explosion and fire on board the ship. As a result, everyone on board had to board the lifeboat with the intention of returningWhich never happened because that boat sank.
Mary Celeste has been persecuted by bad fate since the beginning of her existence. Built in 1861 and weighing 282 tons, the sailing ship was originally named Amazon. Her first captain died during her maiden voyage. Robert McClellan contracted pneumonia and died only nine days after assuming command. Another captain, John Nutting Parker, collided with a fishing boat, and during his forced stay in the shipyard, a fire broke out in the sloop. Another captain lost his job when, at the start of his maiden voyage across the Atlantic, he collided with another ship in the English Channel near Dover.
The Amazon was sold, and from 1868 sailed as an American ship called the Mary Celeste.
What happened to 37-year-old Captain Benjamin Briggs, his family, and his crew? Despite the large number of theories that have arisen, it is unlikely that we will ever know the truth. We know what fate awaits Mary Celeste. After the dramatic events of 1872, subsequent sailors refused to serve on the ship, which changed hands 17 times over 11 years. In the end, the last captain of the Mary Celeste intentionally ran the ship aground off the coast of Haiti. There, on a remote coral reef in the Caribbean, a ghost ship came to an end.
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