Mystery of the Mary Celeste: Why Did They Abandon Ship? (Video)
Unexplained Mysteries
On the 5th of December 1872, the crew of the Dei Gratia encountered a puzzling sight: an ailing vessel named the Mary Celeste. Departing from New York eight days prior, the Mary Celeste should have been in Genoa by now, unloading its cargo.
Captain David Morehouse, veering off course to extend aid, was met with an eerie silence when he hailed the ship. Sending a boarding party for investigation, they uncovered a scene of disarray. A pump, crucial for keeping the vessel afloat, was dismantled—an oddity that hinted at either maintenance or a mysterious incident.
The sounding rod, typically stored securely, lay on the deck, leaving questions lingering. Below deck, cabins were flooded, a skylight shattered, yet a rosewood harmonium belonging to Captain Briggs’ wife remained miraculously dry. Personal effects were undisturbed, but crucial ship documents and navigational instruments were conspicuously absent. The conundrum of the Mary Celeste prompts speculation on the motivations that might lead a crew to abandon ship in such a perplexing manner.
Top image: The Mary Celeste. Source: RedCoat10 / Public Domain.
By Robbie Mitchell
Robbie Mitchell is a graduate of History and Literature from The University of Manchester in England and a total history geek. Since a young age, he has been obsessed with history. The weirder the better. He spends his days working as a freelance writer researching the weird and wonderful and firmly believes that history should be both fun and accessible.