Nothing foreshadowed a disaster: a reliable ship, an experienced captain, a well-trained crew, a lively, proven route for years. And, nevertheless, the ship "Marlboro" was missing. But 23 years later, the ship again showed itself to people. In order to disappear - now, probably forever.
Nothing boded trouble
The sailing ship "Marlborough", built at the shipyard in Glasgow, has made several voyages from London to the city of Lyttelton (New Zealand), and everything went without incident. The old sea wolf Captain Anderson did not have enough stars from the sky, but the shipowners had a good reputation. And I selected the appropriate team. 30 sailors, obeying Anderson's commands, took off on the shrouds and were not afraid of even the most severe storm, knowing that the captain would be able to get them out of any trouble.
No, the Marlboro was not a fast clipper, running merrily over the waves. The journey from Britain to New Zealand took an average of 75 days. But the ship coped well with the task assigned to him. In London, the Marlborough took on board the poor who hoped to start a new life away from their homeland. At first, the sailboat carried wool back, and later, when a refrigeration unit was installed on it, it began to take a load of mutton.
In 1884, the captain of the Marlborough was no less experienced than its predecessor, Dick Heard. For six years he drove the ship along the previous route, never causing any complaints from shipowners. "Marlboro" worked like a clock - one way trip took no more than 75 days.
But in 1890, this well-oiled mechanism failed. The crew carefully prepared the vessel for the voyage, and took on board a cargo of wool and mutton. The only trouble - right before the flight, the ship's cabin boy Alex Carson fell ill. The young man was very upset that he could not set sail. He did not know that the disease saved him from death.
Captain Hurd, instead of a cabin boy, decided to take a passenger with him, so as not to break the tradition started by Anderson: there should be exactly 30 people on board. Sailors are known to be a very superstitious people.
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But this time, the magic of numbers did not save the ship. On January 21, 1890, the Marlborough departed Lyttelton on her last voyage.
Not a rumor, not a spirit
Two days later, the Marlboro was seen from an oncoming vessel heading for the shores of New Zealand. The teams exchanged news, and the ships rushed each towards their goal. 75 days passed, but the Marlboro did not appear in British waters. After waiting some more time in case of force majeure, the shipowners sent a high-speed clipper to Lyttelton. Maybe the ship for some reason returned to the shores of New Zealand? But no. “Before embarking on the voyage, the ship was thoroughly checked. No technical problems were found. The team was in high spirits,”was all the officials in Lyttelton could say.
Having sent several ships on an unsuccessful search for "Marlboro", the shipowners declared it missing, which was recorded in the ship's registers.
Soon, the official version of the death of the Marlboro was announced. Most likely, experts believed, he sank as a result of a collision with an iceberg in the area of Cape Horn. In February 1890 (it was then that the ship was supposed to reach the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the extreme point of which is the cape), the captains of the ships noted the extraordinary ice activity in these places.
The entire crew of the Marlboro was also declared dead. Young Alex Carson, who was saved from death in the waves by illness, became the hero of newspaper reports. However, soon, as it happens, the journalists forgot about him - new exciting topics appeared. Nothing is known about the fate of the young Carson.
Mysterious rendezvous
23 years have passed. The Marlboro has long been forgotten. The sailors of the merchant steamer "Johnson", which found themselves in the waters of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago - about the same place where, according to the calculations of experts, the "Marlboro" died - suddenly saw a sailing ship. The captain of the Johnson later recalled: “We were walking near Cape Horn. The ship was battered by heavy storms, so we tried not to leave the coast. But that day turned out to be very successful - quiet and calm.
True, the reddened Sun foreshadowed a storm in the coming hours. The team was engaged in routine repairs when a silhouette of a ship appeared not far from us. We were alarmed by the fact that instead of sails on the masts, some scraps were fluttering. I decided that the ship was in distress and tried to contact him, but no one answered our signals. Examining the ship with binoculars, I did not see any movement on the deck. Then I ordered to launch a lifeboat with a rescue team headed by a senior mate."
The sailors boarded the mysterious ship - fortunately, the almost complete calm easily allowed them to do this. And then they stumbled upon a skeleton in scraps of clothing. The planks on the deck were practically rotted - the team had to move, controlling every step, so as not to fall into the hold. On the bridge, next to the helm, another skeleton was found - probably the captain. In total, the sailors discovered the remains of twenty people.
Most of them were in the places provided for by the watch schedule, only six were in the wardroom. The log was practically decayed and completely covered with mold. With difficulty the rescuers made out the inscription “Marlboro. Glasgow.
The storm began. The sailors had to return to board the ship.
They could not tow the Marlboro: the weak and battered Johnson's car would not cope with such a load, and it was not close to the nearest port. Therefore, the sailors telegraphed the strange meeting ashore and set off on their route, leaving the Marlboro to the will of the waves. Nobody else ever met him. Most likely, the ghost ship died during the next storm.
Unanswered questions
Arriving at port, the Johnson's sailors confirmed their testimony under oath. But everything that happened looks too strange.
For example, why did the sailors find only 20 skeletons? It is known that 30 people left on board the Marlboro on the last voyage. Where did the cargo go? The holds were completely empty. It is clear that wool and even more so meat could rot in 23 years, but not completely! Perhaps the Marlboro was attacked by pirates.
Then, in principle, the disappearance of both people (they could have jumped overboard in an attempt to escape or not be captured) and cargo is understandable. But on deck, Johnson's sailors claimed, there was no sign of a struggle.
Besides, where could the Marlboro be for 23 years? After all, there were busy trade routes near Cape Horn: every month dozens or even hundreds of ships passed by the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. How could a Marlboro, thrown to the will of the waves, go unnoticed?
In addition, the area around Cape Horn is teeming with reefs and dangerous currents. An uncontrolled vessel had practically no chance of staying afloat for such a long time - it had to sink, having stumbled upon a reef or collided with an iceberg.
But somehow this did not happen. The sworn testimony of the "Johnson" sailors is recorded in the official documents of the British Admiralty and is believed to be true. Perhaps, contrary to common sense, someday someone will meet the Marlboro again near Cape Horn?