The Mary Celeste 1861
The Amazon (original name) was built in 1861 in Nova Scotia. She was 103 foot, brigantine. She was nearly 3 tons. On her first trip out, the captain suddenly died. This seemed to be the precursor of bad luck upon the ship. While sailing in the English Channel, the Amazon struck another ship and sank it. It seemed that tragedy would follow the ship like a curse. Over the years, the ship changed hands several times.
The ship was sold to an American by the name of Captain Benjamin Briggs. He decided to rename the ship, but superstition among the seafaring feared the worst for the Amazon. They said it was bad luck to change the name because that was like trying to change its identity, therefore cursing the ship. Briggs changed the name regardless of silly superstitions.
It was named "The Mary Celeste." Did the captain hope to bring good luck back to the ship? No one is certain, but it seems that maybe the sailor's notions were correct after all. Bad luck struck the Mary Celeste on November 7, 1872 when Captain Briggs, his wife Sarah, two year old daughter Sophia, and a crew of seven set sail for New York Harbor, bound for Genoa, Italy.
The Mary Celeste carried a cargo with 1700 barrels of industrial alcohol and other goods. November was known for its bad weather and this particular November seemed to be worse than most recalled in many years.
For the first couple of weeks, all was well, but on December 4, 1872, another passing brigantine named the Dei Gratia, heading for the Strait of Gibraltar, spotted the Mary Celeste. The crew watched her closely through a spyglass and became curious when they noticed there was not a soul was on board the ship. Captain David Morehouse, sent out two men to check out the ship.
It was discovered that she was indeed empty of captain and crew, however, the ships log and everything else remained. The men sailed the ship the rest of the way into the Strait of Gibraltar in hopes of claiming the salvage rights. But suspicions quickly mounted among the authorities. A sword of Captain Briggs was discovered on the ship, and appeared to have blood on it.
Stories began to spread, of pirates, murder, and even a waterspout. Another theory was thought to be that the fumes of one of the cannisters of alcohol leaked, causing those on board to leave the ship in a lifeboat temporarily, then return. But a possible gale drove the Mary Celeste away and the crew died from the elements, without adequate supplies. Whatever the case, the captain and crew were lost forever.
The Mary Celeste was believed to be manned by the ghost of Captain Briggs or some other unearthly specter, for 378 miles. One interesting story that is told is from that of a first mates wife. She had a nightmare on November 25, of her husband being murdered at sea. When the Ship was found, his seaman chest was found.
Inside was a letter he had started to write to his wife on November 24; it was never finished. Was there a mutiny at sea? Murder? Could this dream have been precognitive? Did his wife see the future of the doomed ship? Only the souls of the Mary Celeste can answer that question, from somewhere beneath the sea.
Copyright ©Sylvia Zimmer 2008
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