Mary Celeste

The case of the Mary Celeste is a mystery in maritime history.

On December 4th, 1872, the ship was discovered 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 a boat called 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.

The crew and passengers were never seen again, though sailors would claim for 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.

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