The Mysterious Case of the Mary Celeste

Introduction

On the morning of November 5, 1872, captain Benjamin Briggs took the brigantine Mary Celeste out to sea from the port of New York, laden with a cargo of 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol. One month later, she was found completely deserted, with the crew never being seen again.

Derelict

The brigantine Dei Gratia captained by captain David Morehouse was the vessel that discovered the derelict. Moving erratically, with ruined sails and no crew to respond to his ships signals, captain Morehouse sent his crew to investigate. They found the rigging damaged, ropes loosely dangling, and sails missing. The main hatch was securely in place, but the fore and lazarette hatches blown open. The ships lightboat was missing, and the only evidence that they could find as to what happened was three feet of water and a sounding device to measure the depth that had been abandoned on deck.

The Trial

At the time, vessels that brought in derelict vessels were allowed salvage rights, and were given a portion of the value of the ship and her cargo. The Dei Gratia's crew was divided, and both ships were brought into Gibraltar. At trial, the admiralty court investigated the conditions of the ship to determine the salvage bounty. Suspecting foul play, but having no evidence for this, captain Morehouse was awarded a value of 1/5th the value of the Mary Celeste's cargo, and was sent on his way.

The Theories

Theory 1: Murder

The main theory for what happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste is simply that the crew was murdered, and the ship abandoned. Proponents of this theory argue that the crew of the Dei Gratia murdered the crew of the Mary Celeste so that they could bring the ship in for salvage. They argue that blood found on the captains sword and parts of the deck were a result of the skirmish.

The problem with this theory is that no blood or any evidence of murder was found at the scene; there was no real motive for the crime, and no evidence that the crew of the Dei Gratia had any part in what happened to the Mary Celeste. If it was attacked by pirates, then the pirates would have had to abandon the valuable cargo.

Theory 2: Emergency Onboard

The second main theory is that the cargo underwent a small explosion, scaring the crew into manning the lifeboats and abandoning ship. Denatured alcohol tends to release explosive gasses, and if a crew member were to light a match below deck when these gasses were present, it would have caused a small explosion. This would explain the damage to the hatches and the absence of the lifeboat, as well as the sounding rod.

The problem with this theory is that the crew of the Mary Celeste were experienced, and would have known that the cargo was potentially volatile. The ships logs made note of minor explosions, as well as odd noises from the cargo, indicating they knew of the hazards of transporting volatile goods. Furthermore, being an experienced captain, captain Briggs should have known that the vessel was not sinking, as the amount of water below deck was not unusual for ships at the time.

Theory 3: Waterspouts

The third theory is that some natural phenomena, such as waterspouts caused the abandoning of the ship. If a waterspout had struck the ship before she was abandoned, it could have caused a malfunction of the bilge pumps, resulting in a misleadingly high water level, hence the abandoned sounding rod. It would also explain the ragged sails and general state of the ship.

Theory 4: The Supernatural

The final theory is the most compelling to me: what if the crew of the Mary Celeste fell victim to some supernatural force? Could the crew of the Mary Celeste have been abducted by extraterrestrials? Could the crew have fallen victim to some form of insanity? Stories of strange sounds and rumblings from the hold echo questions that we may never know the answers to.

Conclusion

We may never know the true story of the Mary Celeste, we can only speculate. The image of a spectral ship with ragged sails floating adrift, with no crew in sight is a terrifying tale that demonstrates the mysterious nature of the Earth's oceans. What really happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste can never be known.

Thank you for reading all the way through! I tried my best to compile the story and theories as best as I could, so I hope you enjoyed reading!