Legends about ghost ships excite the nerves of lovers of the sea and everything mysterious. They are shrouded in mystery, one can only guess what actually happened many hundreds of kilometers from the coast? The history of "Mary Celeste" begins in 1872 and is rightfully considered one of the most mysterious. The brigantine was found completely empty: no crew members, no passengers. What happened to the people?
Multiple changes of ship owners
The ship was built in 1860. One of the ship's co-owners was Robert McLennan, who became the ship's captain. But as soon as the first flight took place, he fell ill and quickly died. He was succeeded by John Parker and then by William Thompson. The ship was soon damaged by a storm and the owners abandoned it. The sailors on the ship claimed that it was "bad." Problems during launching, a series of captains - all this worried them.
Richard Haynes bought the ship, made himself captain, and put himself back into action. The vessel has made several trade voyages. However, it soon went to creditors to pay off debts, and in 1872 Benjamin Briggs, an experienced 37-year-old man, who sailed more than a dozen times in his life, was respected and trusted by sailors and the public in 1872.
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The disappearance of the crew
In November, the brigantine, loaded with more than 170 barrels of alcohol, sailed to the shores of Italy. On the ship were the captain, his wife, daughter and a crew of 7 people, mostly Germans.
Sea water got into the hold through the seams, but not a critical amount. The hatch covers were torn off, but this cannot be called damage. The ship was intact and it seemed that the crew and passengers were about to appear. However, the sextant and chronometer, which are usually taken during evacuation, were not on board. One of the two boats was missing. The compass has broken, possibly while trying to remove. The steering wheel remained in place.
It cannot be said that the ship was caught in a storm: the state of affairs remained intact, with bad weather and rolling they would have fallen. The papers were gone, only the logbook remained in place. According to his notes, the ship was on course. Only the last one was made unknown. It was not the handwriting of the captain or the first mate. The German sailors did not speak English. Wife? But what happened to her husband then?
Chronology of events in 1872:
- November 7 - The Maria Celeste departed the port of New York for Genoa.
- November 24 - the last entry in the captain's log was made by an unknown hand.
- November 25 - writing on a slate board.
- December 4 - Deja Grazia sighted the ship.
Discovery of the empty ship "Maria Celeste"
The empty brigantine was discovered by the captain of the ship "Deya Grazia" David Morehouse. They were friends with Briggs, became captains in the same year and often saw each other. As soon as he stepped on the deck, Morehouse discovered a frightening picture: the steering wheel is spinning, pieces of sail hang, and there is more than one person around.
The steering wheel, which the sailors remove, leaving the ship, remained in place. Lunch for the crew and freshly brewed tea were waiting in the galley. There were no answers to the questions that arose, and Morehouse delivered the ship to the nearest port. The investigation uncovered many new mysteries.
A sword with traces of blood was found in the captain's cabin, there were also stains on the railing. But soon the examination established that this was a technical device. Why were the sails torn, the hatches ripped off? Why did the money and jewelry remain in place? They could not explain what happened, the investigation came to a standstill, and none of those present on the ship was ever seen again.
Versions of what happened
1) There was a riot on the ship. The sailors drank too much (the empty barrel of alcohol proves this) and rebelled. They killed the captain and his family, then escaped in a lifeboat. So they sailed to the nearest islands or were picked up by a passing ship.
2) Moorish pirates attacked. They were especially active in the 1870s off the Moroccan coast. They killed people, but did not have time to take the jewelry and money because of the appearance of "Dei Grazia".
3) Epidemic. The people on board were struck by an unknown disease. The captain with his family and his first mate sailed away in a boat. The sailors, having discovered the loss, drank alcohol and fell overboard.
4) According to the assumption of Briggs' cousin, Oliver Cobb, alcohol vapors came out of poorly closed barrels and, upon contact with air, made an exhaust. It was based on real cases that happened to ships in other decades. The crew and passengers were frightened by the explosion and left the Maria Celeste in a hurry. When they realized that there was no danger, the rising wind carried the ship away from them. The boat could not reach either him or the islands. The reason could be a hurricane or a shortage of provisions not designed for 10 people.
5) The sailor Dod Orsborne put forward a hypothesis already in the XX century. He believed that the ship had stumbled upon a sandy island. A pile of sand, carried into the ocean by an underground river under the Sahara, turned into a huge block that collided with a ship. He got stuck in it, and the crew had to transfer to a boat. But the boat sank, and the sand went to the bottom, and the ship was freed.
The secret remains a secret. Questions with many answers not found:
- why the last entry in the journal was not made by the captain or mate, but by an unknown person;
- who broke the sails;
- Why was the barrel of alcohol empty?
One way or another, the mystery of the ship still excites the minds and attracts the attention of the curious.
