Mysterious Places and
Unusual Phenomena

by Captains Fern & Maddie

THE MYSTERY of the MARY CELESTE

We think a ghost ship is a wonderful spine tingling mystery. One such ship, the Mary Celeste, is both real and imagined. The ship was actually christened The Amazon and launched in 1861. A series of mishaps and several sales later the ship was rechristened The Mary Celeste. On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste sailed under the command of Captain Benjamin Briggs bound for Europe with a cargo of wines and liquors. He was accompanied by his wife, his young daughter and a crew of seven. A few months later the ship was found off Gibraltar. A quick inspection showed everything to be in order though the chronometer and ship's papers were missing. The captain, his family and crew were also missing with no hints aboard as to their fate. The ship's log had an entry for November 25th but that was the last one. Here is where fact and fiction merge to give us a wonderfully eerie story. One of the legends claims that when the ship was found there was food still on the table waiting to be eaten, maybe even a hot cup of coffee. Another legend claims there was blood on the railing and a slash cut into the wood from an ax or hatchet. The blood was later found to be wine, but the slash was never explained. Nine of the casks of alcohol were empty leading to the theory that the crew got drunk and did away with the captain then each other. What is the true story? Did the crew abandon ship and die at sea? Were there pirates? How about an earthquake? We would rather keep the mystery! How about you? QUESTIONS 1. What was the original name of the Mary Celeste? 2. When the ship was found, what seemed strange? 3. What is one theory as to why it was abandoned? 4. What do you think happened? Mew on the Message Board here or Forum below If forum or board should not work, send an EMAIL January 12, 2005