Mary+Celeste+-+The+Ghost+Ship

‍ ‍She was a 282-gross ton ship built in 1861 at Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia. One of the greatest sea mysteries of all time, the //Mary Celeste//'s story starts out quietly and inconspicuously...

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 * November 5th, 1872 - New York City's East River:**

As planned, the //Mary Celeste// docked and took aboard a cargo of 1,700 barrels of alcohol intended for delivery and set sail for Genoa, Italy. Sailing the ship were a crew of seven, the the captain Benjamin Briggs, the captain's wife, and their two-year-old daughter. Briggs had captained five ships before and had spent most of his life at sea. His crew were men he had sailed with many times, men who were experienced seamen and trustworthy.


 * December 4th, 1872 - the Atlantic Ocean:**

Enter the //Dei Gratia,// a ship owned by Captain David Reed Morehouse. He was an old friend of Briggs's, and the two and their wives had had dinner together on the eve of the //Mary Celeste's// departure on November 5th. Morehouse's ship, //Dei Gratia,// was also set to travel a similar course toward the Mediterranean. However, a month into their journey and approximately 600 miles west of Portugal, his crew noticed the //Mary Celeste// several miles ahead of them, drifting aimlessly, despite the fact that she had set out a week before the //Dei Gratia// and should have been well ahead of them. Through a spyglass, the crew could see that nobody was on deck. When they finally approached and boarded the ship, they realized it wasn't just that nobody was on deck - the entire ship was empty.


 * The ship was found in the following condition:**
 * all ship papers were missing except for the captain's logbook
 * there was no sign of struggle or violence
 * the ship's clock was not working, the compass was distroyed, and the sextant and marine chronometer were missing.
 * the lifeboat was missing
 * the ship still carried a six-month supply of uncontaminated food and fresh water
 * the crew's personal belongings were untouched

(The poor sailors never saw it coming.) [] Theories were and have been proposed, but the true reason has never come to light. The ship was eventually sold, and sold again, until she crumbled into such disrepair that she was left to sink into the seas. Her story has since been popularized by movies, television shows, and books, but still her story remains as dark and shadowy as the ocean bottom on which she now resides.
 * So what happened?** Was it mutiny? An explosion? A seaquake? Aliens?

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