The brigantine, which was most mysteriously abandoned by the team and then found four hundred miles from Gibraltar on December 4, 1872. American brig called "Dei Grazia" is considered a classic example of a ghost ship.
Cursed ship
The brigantine, which was originally given the name "Amazon", was haunted all the time. They began immediately after the ship was built: it was not possible to launch it for three days, and on the very first voyage, a day after sailing, the captain fell seriously ill. The Amazon had to return to send Robert McLellan home, where he soon died.
Then the brigantine repeatedly changed owners, as the owners, having figured out what was what, tried to get rid of the "damned" ship. In 1869. the storm threw the damned "Amazon" on the deserted coast of Nova Scotia, which served as a new round in her "biography". After that, the ship went to the American owner, who renamed it for some reason "Mary Celeste" or otherwise - "Mary of Heaven".
November 5, 1872 "Mary of Heaven" set out on her next voyage, now under the command of a new captain - thirty-eight-year-old Benjamin Briggs. From Staten Island (port of New York) the ship went to Genoa, Italy, loaded with rectified alcohol sent by Meissner Ackermann & Coin. In addition to the captain and his small crew of seven, Benjamin's wife and two-year-old daughter were also on the ill-fated ship.
Promotional video:
The mysterious disappearance of the ship's crew
Four weeks later, the "Maria Celeste" was discovered by the ship "Dei Grazia", under the command of the brave captain David Reed Morehouse, who, as it later became known, knew Benjamin Briggs quite well. The brigantine was abandoned: not a single person - dead or alive - was ever found on board …
There was sea water between the decks and bulkheads of the vessel, rising 3.5 feet in the hold. In addition, the hatch covers were removed. The rest of the ship seemed almost intact. True, the Mary Celeste lacked a chronometer and sextant, which implied that the crew had been evacuated. The compass was broken - perhaps in a hurry they tried to remove it unsuccessfully. The clock stopped - the factory ran out in it. In the captain's cabin, moreover, two wads of money and a chest of jewelry remained intact. There were even children's toys scattered on the floor, there was unfinished sewing on Mrs Briggs's sewing machine …
Judging by the arrangement of things, the brigantine did not fall into the storm. So, the oil can lying on the sewing machine would surely have fallen off from strong rolling. The absence of a storm was also evidenced by other ships that were in the area at the time of the alleged catastrophe.
Nothing confirmed that the crew was going to leave the ship for a long time. The sailors did not even take their usual smoking pipes - they lay in the cockpit, in the designated place. The helm was not removed, as is always done when the crew leaves the ship.
Other mysteries of the ghost ship
"Maria Celeste", we note, set off on a voyage, having only one lifeboat on board (the second, as it turned out, was sent for repair at that time). Apparently, this boat was lowered into the water, and from the windward side.
The cargo seemed to be intact, although after its delivery, the owner declared that 9 of the 1701 barrels of alcohol were missing. A six-month supply of food remained untouched. All papers, except the logbook, were gone. And the last entry made in the magazine was dated November 24. It reported the coordinates of the ship at that moment. And one more thing: according to the traditional inscription made in the wardroom on an ordinary slate, at eight in the morning the next day the ship would have been six nautical miles south-south-west of the small island of Santa Maria (part of the Azores group).
Completely bewildered, the crew of the Dei Grazia towed the deserted ship to Gibraltar, from where rumors of the ghost ship spread with incredible speed.
… Captain Briggs, his wife and little daughter, as well as seven sailors from "Maria Celeste", no one else saw - they disappeared forever. The question of what really happened to these people remained unanswered. As usual, the story was overgrown with guesses and speculation, and the press added fuel to the fire. Thus, the Attorney General of Gibraltar, who launched his own investigation, allegedly found a bloody sword in the captain's cabin. There was blood on the rail. This circumstance spoke in favor of the version of the mutiny on board, but there was no other evidence of the committed violence. Moreover, as a result of a thorough chemical examination, "blood" turned out to be some kind of technical substance …
Over time, impostors appeared (but what about without them?), Which were all exposed. They claimed to be the surviving sailors from the Maria Celeste. Most of the adventurers for some reason preferred to pretend to be a ship's cook …
Author: Victoria Prime
