The Incredible and Chilling Story of the Mary Celeste
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- Written by Gary Renshaw
The Mary Celeste merchant brigantine was originally named Amazon. In 1868 the ship was purchased and renamed the Mary Celeste. Before the purchase and rename of the Amazon, the ship was known to others as a cursed ship after enduring the death of a captain, and the sinking of another ship from impact.
It was also run aground in a storm which promptly led to the abandoning of the Amazon ship. The shipwreck of the Amazon was bought a couple of times and eventually was sold off to a group led by James Winchester and Benjamin Spooner Briggs. These two men fixed the ship, added necessary additions and changed the ship’s name from Amazon to Mary Celeste.
Captain Briggs and the Crew
Captain Briggs was born in Massachusetts in 1835. His father was a sea captain and of his 5 sons nearly all went to sea, with 2 becoming sea captains. Benjamin married his cousin Sarah Cobb and enjoyed a Mediterranean honeymoon. Benjamin Briggs who was soon held in high standing in his profession grew weary of seafaring and decided , in 1872, to invest his savings in the share of a ship, Mary Celeste. He decided to take command of her for the first voyage. Firstly he oversaw an extensive refit in New York with the intent to travel to Genoa in Italy.
With his extensive sailing experience he knew to choose his crew for the voyage with care. The First mate Albert G Richardson had sailed with him previously. The second mate Andrew Gilling was born in New York. The four general seamen were all German. The brothers Volkert and Boz Lorenzen, Arian Martens, and Gottlieb Goudschaal were from the Frisian Islands.
Preparing to Sail
On October 20, 1872, Briggs arrived at Pier 50 on the East River in New York City to supervise the loading of the ship’s cargo of 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol. This alcohol is an ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage its consumption by the crew.
His wife and baby came on board on Sunday and Briggs wrote to his mother saying the vessel was ‘in beautiful trim and I hope we shall have a fine passage.’ Following some bad weather the ship finally set sail on 7 November, 1872.
While Mary Celeste prepared to sail, the Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia lay nearby in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was awaiting a cargo of petroleum that was headed to Genoa, travelling via Gibraltar. Captain David Morehouse and first mate were highly experienced seamen.
Captain Briggs and Morehouse were likely close friends as they shared common interests. It is thought they dined together the night prior to setting sail. The Dei Gratia set sail on 15 November eighth days after Mary Celeste and followed the same general route.
The Maiden Voyage
The Mary Celeste’s travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the destination of Genoa, Italy. The ship experienced intense weather for two weeks before it was expected to reach the Azores. The Mary Celeste was expected to reach the Azores Islands a couple days before according to the ship’s chronometer however, the ship had yet to see land.
After seeing nothing for weeks, Captain Benjamin S. Briggs wrote in the logbook on November 25th that they had finally seen land. The logbook declared that they were approximately six miles from Santa Maria Island which is part of the Azores islands.
Abandoned Ship
Nine days later, on the 4th December the Dei Gratia ship captained by David Morehouse noticed that a ship with only three sails set was drifting away from the Azores Islands. Captain David Morehouse realised the ship in the distance was the Mary Celeste and began to be concerned. The first and second mates were sent by the captain to check on Mary Celeste and the crew members.
When they climbed on board they found the ship deserted. The sails were poorly set and in a bad condition. The rigging was damaged and the ropes hanging over the side. The fore and lazarette hatches were open and the ship’s main lifeboat was missing. The binnacle housing the ship’s compass was moved and the glass cover broken. There was about 1.1.m of water in the hold and the device for measuring the depth of this water was abandoned on deck.
They found the ship’s daily log in the mate’s cabin, and its final entry was dated at 8 a.m. on November 25, nine days earlier. It recorded Mary Celeste‘s position then as just off Santa Maria Island in the Azore. The cabin interiors were wet and personal papers from Briggs were scattered in his cabin. Missing were his navigational instruments and the ship’s papers.
Galley equipment was neatly stowed away; there was no food prepared or under preparation, but there were ample provisions in the stores. There were no obvious signs of fire or violence.
After investigation, these men realised that there was no sign of the captain, crew members or family on the Mary Celeste however, the most unusual finding was that nothing was out of place on the ship. The ship was sailable and contained the logbook, food, water, alcohol, clothes, Sophia’s toys, and an imprint on the bed from Sophia all without any sign of distress.
Under maritime law, anyone salvaging a ship could expect a substantial share of the combined value of the rescued vessel and cargo. Morehouses decided to split the crew between the two ships and proceed to Gibraltar. It was slow going and both ships were in port by December 12, 1872.
The Investigation
The Gibraltar hearings began on December 17, 1872 and lasted until March 1873. Edward Joseph Baumgartner was the Registrar of the Admiralty court and Frederick Solly Flood was the Attorney General for Gibraltar. The judge was James Cochrane and the lawyer representing Dei Gratia,was Henry Peter Pisani. Solly Flood ordered an inspection of the Mary Celeste which was carried out by shipping inspector John Austin and diver Ricardo Portunato.
Solly Flood was certain there had been a crime aboard the Mary Celeste. He was looking for criminality to explain what had happened. A sabre slash was discovered on the deck as well as what Solly Flood claimed were traces of blood, although this turned out to be untrue
A variety of scenarios were investigated, such as sabotage to collect insurance and even a natural disaster. Nevertheless, the court case ended without any clear determination of what had happened.
What happened to the Mary Celeste
Theories over the years have ranged from mutiny and pirate attack to assault by giant octopus or sea monster, while the more scientifically minded proposed an explosion caused by fumes from the 1,700 barrels of crude alcohol in the ship’s hole. For five theories of what happened to Mary Celeste this article is both fascinating and fanciful but worth a read.
For a perspective from the time period it’s good to look at how the incident was being reported. The Boston Post of February 1873 argues that the crew have been murdered by pirates. This conclusion is reached because of the amount of blood found on board, the fact that there appeared to be articles destroyed and missing, and the suggestions that pirates were active in the area.
Key Takeaways
- The Mary Celeste was found abandoned in 1872, with personal belongings and cargo intact, leading to enduring mystery.
- Initially named Amazon, it was deemed cursed due to prior incidents before being renamed and setting sail under Benjamin Briggs.
- Last logged near the Azores, theories on its fate range from piracy to natural disasters, but no conclusive evidence has been found.
- The case remains one of the maritime world's most famous mysteries, inspiring various theories and investigations.
Blumberg (2007) writing in Abandoned Ship : The Mary Celeste, is one of the more recent writers to attempt to explore this mystery. The article is a really good read. In summary it is thought that the Mary Celeste was actually further west than the captain knew, because of a faulty chronometer. He had been expecting to see land 3 days earlier. The captain may have not been fully aware of just how much water was in the hole. So with rising water, intense weather, not seeing land when he expected too, maybe he called for the ship to be abandoned. Perhaps we will never know exactly what occurred. It certainly remains an enduring mystery.
Additional Resources
There are a number of youtube videos on this mystery. Here’s two that are worth a look.
Ghost Ship: The Mystery Of The Mary Celeste | DOCUMENTARY is a well produced and interesting account of Mary Celeste.
Real Life Ghost Story – Mystery of The Mary Celeste Ghost Ship is an animation and moves along quickly and is quite entertaining for those after a snapshot of the story.
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