In December 1872, the Mary Celeste was found completely empty on the Atlantic Ocean. Not a single crew member was aboard, although all of their belongings and personal effects remained in place. Many years later, the mystery of the disappearance of the ship’s crew remains a mystery.
The Mary Celeste was built in Canada in 1861 and was used to transport cargo between the United States and Europe. In November 1872, the ship was chartered by Captain Benjamin Briggs, who set sail with his wife and two children. They planned to carry cargo from New York City to Genoa.
However, after two weeks of sailing, the ship was found stranded in an emergency anchorage in the Azores. When the salvage ship’s crew approached the Mary Celeste, they found that no one was aboard. All of the crew’s belongings and personal belongings remained in place, and there were no signs of struggle or violence on the ship.
Since the discovery of the empty ship, many theories have been proposed as to what may have happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste. Some scholars have speculated that the crew may have abandoned the ship because of danger that may have arisen from unknown causes. Others thought the crew might have been killed by pirates or attacked by sea animals.
However, after a detailed investigation by the U.S. and British Maritime Commission, it was found that there were no signs of struggle or violence on the ship. In addition, all cargo on board was intact.
There is also a theory that the crew of the Mary Celeste may have abandoned the ship due to lack of food and water. However, this does not explain why they did not take their personal belongings and money that remained on board.
It is interesting to note that Captain Briggs was an experienced sailor and had a reputation as a reliable captain. In addition, the Mary Celeste was in good condition and showed no signs of technical problems.
Today, the mystery of the Mary Celeste’s disappearance remains a mystery. Although many theories have been proposed, there is no evidence to confirm one of them.