On December 4, 1872, the merchant brigantine Mary Celeste was discovered drifting in the Atlantic Ocean by the crew of the Dei Gratia.
The vessel was still afloat and largely seaworthy. Cargo remained aboard, provisions were present, and there was no obvious sign of a violent struggle.
But the entire crew was gone.
Their disappearance remains one of the most enduring maritime mysteries in history.
The ship leaves New York Harbor bound for Genoa, Italy, carrying a cargo of industrial alcohol.
The Mary Celeste encounters difficult weather during its Atlantic crossing.
The crew of the Dei Gratia spots the Mary Celeste drifting approximately 400 nautical miles east of the Azores.
No crew members are found aboard. The ship's lifeboat is missing.
Captain Benjamin Briggs, his family, and the remaining crew are never definitively accounted for.
Ten people were aboard the Mary Celeste when it departed New York.
Master of the Mary Celeste and an experienced maritime captain.
Captain Briggs' wife, travelling aboard the vessel with their young daughter.
The young daughter of Captain Briggs.
Seven additional crew members were aboard the ship. None were ever found.
The Mary Celeste remained afloat and capable of sailing when discovered.
Much of the cargo remained aboard. Some barrels of alcohol were later found to be leaking.
The ship's only lifeboat was missing, suggesting that the occupants may have abandoned the vessel.
Important navigational equipment and ship's papers were missing or displaced.
Leaking alcohol may have produced vapour inside the vessel. A sudden explosion or fear of one could have caused the crew to abandon ship temporarily.
Rough seas or a sudden weather event may have convinced the crew that the vessel was in immediate danger.
An inaccurate perception of flooding may have caused the crew to leave the ship while expecting to return.
Piracy has frequently been suggested, although the lack of obvious evidence makes the theory difficult to support.