Mary Celeste

File:Amazon later named Mary Celeste unknown author.jpg

A painting of the Amazon (later renamed Mary Celeste) by an unknown artist. Year unknown.

The Mary Celeste was an abandoned ship found off the coast of Portugal in 1872. Why she had been abandoned remains unknown to this day.

The ship and her desertion

The Mary Celeste was a 103-foot, 282-ton brigantine. Originally built as the Amazon in Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia in 1861, the ship seemingly had bad luck and, due to numerous misadventures, had changed hands several times. She became the Mary Celeste in 1869.

On November 7 1872, under the command of Captain Benjamin Briggs, the ship picked up a cargo of industrial alcohol (probably methanol, and thus unfit for drinking) shipped by Meissner Ackermann & Coin in New York City and set sail for Genoa, Italy. In addition to the crew of seven, she carried the captain and two passengers: the Captain's wife, Sarah E. Briggs (née Cobb), and two-year-old daughter, Sophia Matilda, making 10 people in all.

On December 4 1872 (some reports give December 5, due to a lack of standard time zones in the 1800s), the Mary Celeste was sighted by the Dei Gratia, commanded by Captain David R. Morehouse, who knew Captain Briggs. The Dei Gratia had left New York harbor only seven days after the Mary Celeste. Dei Gratia's crew observed her for two hours and concluded that she was drifting, though she was flying no distress signals. Oliver Deveau, the Chief Mate of the Dei Gratia, led a party in a small boat to board the Mary Celeste. He reported finding only one operable pump, with a lot of water between decks and three and a half feet of water in the hold. He reported that "the whole ship was a thoroughly wet mess". The ship seemed otherwise to be in good condition, but no one was aboard.

The forehatch and the lazarette were both open, the clock was not functioning and the compass was destroyed. 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. There were mysterious bloodstains along 3 railings, and unexplainable scratches along one railing. Perhaps most mysterious of all, a sword was hidden under the Captain's bed, some say bloodied, though the official inquiry stated that the red stains were rust.

The cargo of 1700 barrels of alcohol was intact, though when it was eventually unloaded in Genoa, nine barrels were noted as being empty. A six-month supply of food and water was aboard. All of the ship's papers except the captain's logbook were missing. The last log entry was dated November 24 and placed her 100 miles west of the Azores. The last entry on the ship's slate showed her as having reached the island of St Mary in the Azores on November 25th.

The crew of the Dei Gratia split in two to sail the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar where, during a hearing, the judge praised the crew of the Dei Gratia for their courage and skill. However, the admiralty court officer Frederick Solly Flood turned the hearings from a simple salvage claim into almost a trial of the men of the Dei Gratia, whom Flood suspected of foul play. In the end, the court did award prize money to the crew, but the sum was much less than it should have been, as "punishment" for alleged wrongdoing which the court could not prove.

The recovered ship was used for 12 years by a variety of owners before being loaded up with boots and cat food by her last captain who attempted to sink her, apparently to claim insurance money. The plan did not work as the ship refused to sink having been run up on the Rochelois Reef in Haiti. The remains of the ship were discovered on August 9, 2001, by an expedition headed by author Clive Cussler (representing the National Underwater and Marine Agency) and Canadian film producer John Davis (president of ECO-NOVA Productions of Canada).

The fate of the crew and passengers

None of the Mary Celeste's crew or passengers were ever found. Their fate may never be known, and rumors abound. Blame has been laid on everything from mutiny to the Bermuda Triangle, to pirates.

• Mutiny seems to have some support among enthusiasts of the incident, but is dismissed by most. Both the captain and the crew had strong backgrounds, and there is little to indicate mutiny.
• The ship never entered into the Bermuda Triangle.
• Pirates would not have left a seaworthy ship and its cargo adrift on the open seas.

The disappearance of the crew and passengers remains a mystery to this day. No evidence of violence was found.

In early 1873 it was reported that two lifeboats landed in Spain, one containing a body and an American flag, the other containing five bodies. It has been alleged, but not confirmed, that the possibility these could have been the remains of the crew of the Mary Celeste was never investigated.

Speculation on the Mary Celeste

Dozens of theories have been proposed to explain the mystery of the vanished crew and passengers, ranging from the mundane and plausible, to the fantastic.

The most plausible theories are based on the barrels of alcohol. Briggs had never hauled such a dangerous cargo and did not trust it. Nine barrels leaking would cause a build up of vapor in the hold. Historian Conrad Byer believed that Captain Briggs ordered the hold to be opened. There was a violent rush of fumes and then steam. Captain Briggs believed the ship was about to explode and ordered everyone into the lifeboat. In his haste, he failed to properly secure the lifeboat to the ship with a strong towline. The wind picked up and blew the ship away from them. The occupants of the lifeboat either drowned or drifted out to sea to die of hunger, thirst and exposure.

A refinement of this theory was proposed in 2005 by German historian Eigel Wieser. At his suggestion scientists at University College London created a scale construction of the ship's hold to test the theory of ignition of the vapor from the volatile cargo of alcohol. Using butane as the fuel and paper cubes as the barrels, the hold was sealed and the vapor ignited. The force of the explosion blew the hold doors open and shook the scale model, which was about the size of a coffin. However both ethanol and methanol burn at a relatively low temperature. A minimal spark is needed, for example from two metal objects rubbing together. None of the paper cubes were damaged, nor even left with scorch marks. This theory may explain the remaining cargo found intact and the fracture on the ships rail, possibly by one of the hold doors. This burning of the alcohol vapor in the hold would have been awesome and perhaps enough to scare the crew into lowering the boat, but the flames would not have been hot enough to have left burn marks. A frayed rope trailing in the water behind the boat is suggested to be evidence that the crew remained attached to the ship hoping that the emergency would pass. The ship was abandoned when under full sail and a storm was recorded shortly after. It is possible that the rope to the lifeboat parted because of the force from the ship under full sail. A small boat in a storm would not have fared as well as the Mary Celeste.

Other theories have suggested there was a mutiny among the crew who murdered Briggs and his family then escaped in the lifeboat. However, Briggs, a New England Puritan, was known as a very religious, just and fair man. He was not the kind of Captain to provoke his crew to mutiny. First Mate Albert Richardson had served in the American Civil War before going away to sea, and the rest of the crew also had excellent reputations.

Another theory is that the ship encountered a waterspout, a tornado-like storm with a funnel cloud that occurs at sea. In such a case, it is suggested, the water surrounding the boat may, in being sucked upwards, have given the impression that the Mary Celeste was sinking. A further theory is that an seaquake panicked the crew into abandoning ship. However, mariners generally agree that abandoning ship is an extreme measure.

Other, more outlandish speculation is common, with commentators positing the involvement of UFOs or paranormal activity (such as a connection with the Bermuda Triangle), though the ship was far from the latter location.

A possible problem is this, the ship could find an unmarked island or a cay the ship stuck in shallow water, so the crews and passengers can get on the island or a cay, they may have forgotten to put the sails down. The tide comes up and the wind was blowing causing the ship to drift out to sea then later found. The passenders and crews could died out on the unmarked island and whereever this island is may never been found or been found and marked but thier remin is wash to sea or bury into the sand.

Abel Fosdyk papers

Lastly, better than 40 years after the Mary Celeste was found, papers and documents belonging to a deceased, well educated man named Abel Fosdyk indicated that he had been a secret passenger on the ship. The papers were found by Howard Linford, a friend of Fosdyk, after Fosdyk's death and were published in 1913 in the Strand Magazine.

Fosdyk's writings indicated that he had to leave the United States quickly due to some misfortunes, and being a friend to Captain Briggs, he convinced the captain to allow him onboard. While at sea, Captain Briggs had a carpenter build a high special deck for his young daughter and wife, one that would allow them an ample view while at sea. By his writing, the location of the special deck would have coincided with the spot where those who found the Mary Celeste noticed odd slits in her permanent deck.

Fosdyk's writings go on to tell an odd story of a fluke, accidental deaths, and misfortune. According to the writings, set down in the manner of a diary, one day Captain Briggs engaged in a lighthearted dispute with a crew member about how well a man could swim with his clothes on. Captain Briggs suddenly jumped overboard, and jokingly began swimming around to prove his point. The crew were laughing and several others from the 7 member crew jumped into the waters with him while Captain Brigg's wife and child, Fosdyk, and a couple more members of the crew stepped up onto the specially built deck for a better view of the fun. Suddenly, one swimming crew member screamed in agony. Looking around, they saw that he was being attacked by a shark, and he quickly disappeared under the water. The remaining members of the crew also ran up onto the specially built deck to better see what was happening, and it promptly collapsed tossing them all into the sea and leaving no one onboard the Mary Celeste.

What followed, by Fosdyk's account, was a splashing confusion, with sharks attacking all those in the water, with the exception of Fosdyk, who by accident had landed atop of the shattered piece of deck. The Mary Celeste floated away from their location and by the time the shark attack was over, Fosdyk was the only survivor, and he was unable to reach the ship. He floated for several days, starving for water and suffering from exposure, finally washing ashore on the coast of Africa. Fearful of retribution due to the outlandish details of his story, he never revealed the incident to anyone. It only came to light after his death because Linford went public with it.

Although possible, there is no way to verify any of Fosdyk's claims. If indeed it was he who wrote them, it would be easy and convenient for someone to claim to have been a secret passenger, if for no other reason than to explain why no ships records would have indicated his presence. Also, although possible that the entire crew could have been so misfortunate as to allow them all to leave and/or fall from the ship, it is not probable. The crew were mostly seasoned men, many of whom had served in the navy or on board ships for most of their lives. Fosdyk indicates that the Mary Celeste was a ship weighing 600 tons, when in fact it weighed less than a third of that. His writings also indicate that the crew were English, when in fact they were mostly Dutch, a detail that would most likely not have been overlooked, seeing that he would have had a daily interaction with the entire crew, since there were only 7 crew members.

Fosdyk was not making any claims to achieve fame or fortune, and in fact never revealed anything to anyone about the incident prior to his death. It's left unknown as to what actually happened to the Mary Celeste.

The story in fiction

Derelict ships were not completely unknown (eg San Demetrio) but the sensationalisation by Solly Flood and then by Arthur Conan Doyle created the Mary Celeste myth. In 1884 Doyle published a story entitled J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement, part of The Captain of the Polestar. Doyle's story drew very heavily on the original incident but included a considerable amount of fiction and called the ship the Marie Céleste. Much of this story's fictional content, and the incorrect name, have come to dominate popular accounts of the incident, and were even published as fact by several newspapers. It was said that their tea was still warm and breakfast was cooking when the ship was discovered; these are fictional details from Doyle's story. In reality the last entry in the ship's log was eleven days before the discovery of the empty ship.

The story was fictionalized in a now rare 1935 British film called "The Mystery of The Mary Celeste" (also known as "Phantom Ship") which starred Bela Lugosi.

In 1954, The Goon Show presented a typically Goonish explanation of the mystery entitled "The Mystery of the Marie Celeste-Solved!"

The Doctor Who episode, The Chase (1965) suggested that the arrival of time-travelling Daleks caused the crew of the ship to jump overboard.

In 1973, science fiction author Philip José Farmer penned a novel, The Other Log Of Phileas Fogg, in which he has two of Jules Verne’s most famous characters, Phileas Fogg and Captain Nemo square off against one another in a scene on board the Mary Celeste.

The 1970s British Sci-Fi Serial Sapphire and Steel suggested that Steel had been forced to send the original ship and crew out of time (and presumably to their deaths), because an accident, caused by the crew, would have caused the end of time. He left behind a replica of the ship, but forgot to replicate the bodies.

In fantasist Roger Zelazny's 1981 short-short story, a man escapes the Flying Dutchman by jumping overboard when another ship passes by. He is rescued and welcomed aboard the Marie Celeste.

In a short story by Psycho's author Robert Bloch the ship is briefly referred to, having been targeted by a far future sadistical killer who used advanced technology to 'snatch' victims from times past.

The 1983 sci-fi/horror book Phantoms includes details on many mass disappearances, including the Mary Celeste. In the book, the crew is speculated to have been attacked and subsequently taken away by a giant carnivorous amoeboid.

The 1990 horror film remake of Night of the Living Dead, a plaque outside the front door of the farmhouse reads "M. Celeste." Director Tom Savini stated on the DVD's commentary that this is a reference to the Mary Celeste. Further details include scenes of still smoldering cigarettes in ashtrays and food still cooking on the stoves, but the residents are missing.

An episode of the 1996 series The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest entitled 'In the Wake of the Mary Celeste' deals with the ship as well.

In the 2001 science fiction horror movie, She Creature, the Mary Celeste's later life was speculated upon; the story followed that a carnivorous mermaid killed and ate all bar one of the passengers and crew during a recrewed 1901 voyage of the ship.

In the 2002 film Ghost Ship, the Salvager captain refers to the Mary Celeste when the group finds the Antonia Graza abandoned. While it is not mentioned in the film it could be speculated by the audience that the Graza and Celeste shared the same fate, and that Jack collected the souls of the Celeste's crew for the "management".

The John Masefield novel The Bird of Dawning is based on a similar situation involving an abandoned tea clipper.

Old sailors sometimes claimed that they had been aboard the Mary Celeste. Little credence is given to these stories.

In the science fiction show Babylon 5, one of the ships that often visited the station was the Marie Celeste. Jinxo, the only person to have survived living on all five of the Babylon stations, eventually leaves Babylon 5 on board the Celeste.

In his song Life in dark water, british singer Al Stewart refers to the Mary Celeste.

In the film Guest House Paradiso, a guest refers to the hotel as the "Mary Celeste", implying that no one wants to stay there.

Timeline

• 1861 Amazon built
• 1869 Amazon renamed Mary Celeste
• 1872 Sets sail from New York City to Genoa, Italy on November 7th
• 1872 Ship found abandoned on December 4th
• 1885 Ship wrecked on reef captained by Parker on January 3rd

Ship's manifest

The crew and passengers are listed in the ships log as:

Crew

Name	Status	Nationality	Age
Benj. S. Briggs	Captain	American	37
Albert C Richardson	Mate	American	28
Andrew Gilling	2nd Mate	Danish	25
Edward W Head	Stewd & Cook	American	23
Volkert Lorenson	Seaman	Dutch	29
Arian Martens	Seaman	Dutch	35
Boy Lorenson	Seaman	Dutch	23
Gotlieb Gondeschall	Seaman	German	23

Passengers

Name	Status	Age
Sarah Elizabeth Briggs	Captain's Wife	30
Sophia Matilda Briggs	Daughter	2

• 
  Captain Benjamin Briggs
• 
  First mate Albert Richardson
• 
  Sarah Briggs
• 
  Sophia Briggs

References

• The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved, Lawrence David Kusche - ISBN 0-87975-971-2
• Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and her Missing Crew, Brian Hicks - ISBN 0-345-46391-9
• The "Mary Celeste", John Maxwell - ISBN 87-15-01118-6

Newspaper Articles

• New York Times; February 26, 1873; pg. 2; "A Brig's Officers Believed to Have Been Murdered at Sea."
• From the Boston Post, February 24, 1873. "It is now believed that the fine brig Mary Celeste, of about 236 tons, commanded by Capt. Benjamin Briggs, of Marion, Mass., was seized by pirates in the latter part of November, and that, after murdering the Captain, his wife..."

External links

• What Really Happened to the Mary Celeste
• http://www.maryceleste.net
• http://www.occultopedia.com/m/mary_celeste.htm
• Project Gutenberg - The Captain of the Polestar by Arthur Conan Doyle
• BBC News story about the discovery of the wreck
• NUMA site with photos and video of the wreck
• J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement by Arthur Conan Doyle Learn about Conan Doyle's short story based on the Mary Celeste.
• straightdope on the Mary Celeste'
• Film "The Phantom Ship" (1936) on the Internet Archive