What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste?

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In summary, the crew of the ship "Dei Gratia" recognized the ship "Mary Celeste" and boarded her thinking she was sinking. They found the ship in good condition and the last entry on the ships slate showed she had made the island of St. Mary in the Azores on November 25th.
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Ivan Seeking
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...On the Afternoon of December 5th 1872 half way between the Azores and the Portuguese coast the 'Dei Gratia' came up with a Brigantine which Captain Morehouse recognised as the 'Mary Celeste'. He knew Captain Briggs and had dined with him before he sailed. He was puzzled to see the ship yawing, coming into the wind and then falling off, she was out of control. He knew Captain Briggs to be a good seaman.

There were no distress signals, and after watching for two hours and hailing her and getting no reply they set off in a small boat and duly boarded her.

The vessel was found to be in good seaworthy condition and the general impression was that the crew had left in a great hurry. They had left behind their oil skin boots and pipes. Captain Morehouse's explanation was that they had left in panic thinking the vessel to be sinking. The chronometer and sextant were not found on board. The last entry on the ships slate showed she had made the island of St Mary in the Azores on November 25th. [continued]
http://www.maryceleste.net/
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
http://www.maryceleste.net/

Now that is truly fascinating. Barring error in testimony (seems unlikely), a rogue wave or a perceived thread (St. Elmo's Fire, etc...) could have frightened them.

I think a rogue wave makes the most sense. Nothing like a giant mass of water sweeping over your deck... The cargo would be secured, but not the people. Being made of sturdy materials (those ships were TOUGH, given proper maintenance) it could easily survive the impact. I can think of many effects that would seem to be an alcohol flame and cause people to literally dive overboard, especially at night.

"We do know that when the cargo was finally unloaded in Genoa nine barrels were found to be empty..."

They may have smelled alcohol fumes, and panicked... or they may have realized volatiles were leaking (possibly with small eruptions of flame from the fumes)... add enough static electricity or lightning, and they would be insane NOT to be afraid.

I also have to consider that alcohol's fumes burn, and a barrell or two very well could have emitted flames in a manner that could have seemed paranormal. Flickering bluish flames that don't seem to consume anything would terrify a seaman of that time, especially one who abstained from alcohol.

Finally, they may have recognized the leaking barrels, panicked with the coming storm, and abandoned ship in the ship's boat. That they took the sextant with them is almost the equivalent of running out of a burning building with your cell-phone. Abandoning ship sans sextant would have been as good as dying on the ship.

Theft is obviously ruled out, as only 9 barrells were empty, and no longshoreman would have mistaken a full barrell for a an empty one. That makes the assumption of a leak more viable. Another factor could be... the leaks took place over a long period, causing rising anxiety in the captain and crew. There is the possilbity as well, that such potent Alcohol fumes, if inhaled, could impair judgement as well.


EDIT: Oh hell... I just necro-ed this thread. I'm sorry, I linked to it through a sticky... feel free to delete this of course. Again, my apologies.
 
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As long as the material is still appropriate, necroposts are fine [in S&D]. :smile:
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
As long as the material is still appropriate, necroposts are fine [in S&D]. :smile:

Ah! Thank you Ivan Seeking. :)
 
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what.htm

Based on the evidence presented, it is likely that the crew of the Mary Celeste abandoned the ship in a state of panic, possibly due to a perceived threat to their safety. The fact that the ship was found in good condition and with personal items left behind suggests that the crew did not have time to gather their belongings before leaving the ship. The missing navigational tools also indicate that the crew may have left in a hurry, without proper preparation or planning. Further investigation into the weather and ocean conditions during the time of the abandonment may provide more insight into the cause of the crew's panic. This remains a mystery that has puzzled scientists and historians for over a century, and without any concrete evidence, it is difficult to determine the exact fate of the crew of the Mary Celeste.
 

1. What is the Mary Celeste Mystery?

The Mary Celeste Mystery refers to the unexplained disappearance of the crew of the merchant ship Mary Celeste in 1872. The ship was found abandoned and adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, with all its crew and lifeboats missing. To this day, the true cause of the crew's disappearance remains a mystery.

2. What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste?

It is unknown what exactly happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste. Some theories suggest that they may have encountered rough weather or sea monsters, while others speculate that they may have been attacked by pirates or mutinied. However, there is no solid evidence to support any of these theories.

3. Why is the Mary Celeste Mystery considered one of the greatest maritime mysteries?

The Mary Celeste Mystery is considered one of the greatest maritime mysteries because of the lack of concrete evidence and the number of theories that have been proposed to explain the disappearance of the crew. The unusual circumstances of the abandoned ship, along with the lack of a clear explanation, have captured the imagination of people for decades.

4. Has there been any new information or discoveries about the Mary Celeste Mystery?

Over the years, there have been several investigations and theories put forward to explain the Mary Celeste Mystery. However, no new conclusive evidence has been found. In 2019, a team of researchers used new technology to scan the ship's logs and concluded that a faulty chronometer may have led the crew to believe they were in a different location than they actually were, causing them to abandon the ship in panic.

5. Will we ever know the truth behind the Mary Celeste Mystery?

It is unlikely that we will ever know the full truth behind the Mary Celeste Mystery. With over 150 years since the incident, it is highly unlikely that any new evidence will be uncovered. However, the mystery continues to fascinate and intrigue people, and there may always be new theories and speculation surrounding the fate of the crew of the Mary Celeste.

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