The mystery of the Mary Celeste has intrigued historians and researchers for many years. The Mary Celeste, considered the original “ghost ship” was found abandoned off the coast of Portugal in 1872 following a voyage from New York with Genoa, Italy as the final destination. The ship was found with its hatches and portholes open, but with none of the crew or passengers on board. There was no sign of damage or violence, but the people aboard her were never seen or heard of ever again.
There are a range of possible explanations for the mystery of the Mary Celeste. One is that there was a mutiny aboard the ship and the crew killed the strict captain, Benjamin Briggs, and his family before throwing them overboard and then leaving the ship in one of the lifeboats. Given that the ship was carrying a cargo of 1701 barrels of alcohol, nine of which were found empty, this does seem plausible. Another theory is that the ship and crew that “found” the Mary Celeste near Portugal may have actually been the ones responsible. Having taken a small amount of valuables from the ship, they may have killed the crew and passengers to remove the evidence. They then took the Mary Celeste to Gibralter to collect the reward for finding a missing ship. There are in fact records that a British navy officer suspected the crew of foul play and he tried to have them punished in a court of law.
