Seattle’s Tall Ship Presents: Phantoms of the Sea – The Mary Celeste
Haunted ships have long fascinated sailors and civilians alike. As we continue our journey through the haunted waters of maritime history, we turn to one of the most perplexing mysteries ever to unfold on the open sea. Following the chilling tale of the Lady Lovibond, we now delve into the legend of the Mary Celeste—a ghost ship whose unanswered questions have haunted sailors and historians alike for over a century. As Halloween nears in Seattle, join us for another chapter of “Seattle’s Tall Ship Presents: Phantoms of the Sea,” where fact and legend merge in the story of a ship found adrift, with not a soul aboard.
the Mary Celeste
The Discovery of the Mary Celeste
On December 5, 1872, the British brigantine Dei Gratia spotted an unusual sight off the coast of Portugal. A ship, the Mary Celeste, was drifting aimlessly through the Atlantic, sails slightly torn and moving with the wind. The ship’s crew should have been visible on deck, but when the Dei Gratia’s captain, David Morehouse, and his men boarded the vessel, they found it eerily abandoned.
The scene aboard the Mary Celeste was baffling. The ship was still seaworthy, and the cargo below deck—1,701 barrels of industrial alcohol—remained largely intact, though later investigations revealed that nine barrels were mysteriously empty. The crew’s personal belongings were undisturbed, and the ship’s logbook was up to date, with the last entry recorded just ten days before, on November 25th, 1872. This log entry placed the Mary Celeste near the Azores, but the ship was now over 400 miles from that location.
The most alarming discovery was that the seemingly haunted ship’s only lifeboat was missing, and with it, all ten people who had been aboard—including Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah, and their two-year-old daughter Sophia. The disappearance was inexplicable. The Mary Celeste was found in good condition with ample supplies of food and water, enough to last the crew six months. There were no signs of a struggle, no obvious damage to the ship, and no clues as to what had driven the crew to abandon the vessel. The question remained: where had they gone, and why had they left in such a hurry?
Haunted Ship? Theories and Eyewitness Accounts
Since its discovery, the mystery of the Mary Celeste has sparked countless theories, ranging from the plausible to the supernatural. One of the most persistent theories suggests that the crew may have feared an explosion from the volatile alcohol vapors leaking from the cargo below deck. It’s believed that they may have fled in the lifeboat to distance themselves from a potential disaster. However, no scorch marks or damage were found to indicate an explosion, leaving this theory open to debate.
Piracy or mutiny was another theory explored by investigators, but the untouched valuables on board seemed to rule out foul play. Furthermore, Captain Briggs was widely known as a competent and respected seaman, making mutiny highly unlikely. Adding to the mystery, sailors on later voyages claimed to have seen ghostly figures aboard the Mary Celeste, reporting strange apparitions near where the ship was found adrift. In 1884, a sailor named William Flood recounted a chilling encounter while sailing near the Azores. He claimed to have seen what appeared to be a small lifeboat drifting nearby, its passengers indistinct and shrouded in mist. As his ship approached, the lifeboat disappeared without a trace. Flood swore the figures he had seen looked as though they were reaching out for help, but their voices were drowned by the wind.
In addition to eyewitness accounts, several captains who later commanded the Mary Celeste after her salvage reported feeling a deep sense of unease aboard the ship. Captain Gilman Parker, who eventually wrecked the ship off the coast of Haiti in 1885, later confided to a fellow sailor that he had experienced an overwhelming presence aboard the vessel, one that he couldn’t shake, as though the ship itself was haunted by the souls of its lost crew.
Could it be that the Mary Celeste’s crew was drawn into a supernatural event, one that remains hidden beneath the waves? Or were they victims of a more earthly tragedy, leaving their ship only to meet their fate at sea? Despite decades of investigation, no definitive answer has ever been found, leaving the story open to speculation.
A Mystery That Endures
What makes the Mary Celeste’s story so enduring is not just the unanswered questions, but the persistent sense of something unnatural surrounding the haunted ship. After it was salvaged and put back into service, the Mary Celeste sailed for several more years, but her reputation as a cursed vessel grew. Her new captains and crews often reported strange mishaps, unexplained accidents, and even deaths occurring on board.
One particularly eerie incident occurred in 1879 when a British ship captain, John Austen, encountered the Mary Celeste while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. He reported seeing the ship’s sails illuminated in an unnatural way, even though the sun had long since set. As his ship drew nearer, he and his crew watched in horror as the Mary Celeste appeared to vanish into thin air, leaving behind only a faint outline in the mist. Austen’s account was met with disbelief, but the incident added to the growing legend of the cursed ship.
The Mary Celeste was eventually wrecked off the coast of Haiti in 1885, but her legacy as a ghost ship lives on. Theories continue to emerge, with some suggesting that freak weather conditions or rogue waves could have caused the crew to abandon ship. Yet, the eeriness of the abandoned ship, fully stocked and seaworthy, suggests there is more to the story than can be explained by natural causes alone.
The Haunting Questions Left Behind
As we reflect on the mystery of the Mary Celeste, we’re left with more questions than answers. What could drive an entire crew to abandon a perfectly seaworthy ship? Were they fleeing something they couldn’t explain? And why does the legend of the Mary Celeste continue to haunt us today, over a century after the haunted ship was found adrift? Perhaps, like the sea itself, the Mary Celeste holds secrets that may never fully surface.
For those eager to explore the mysteries of the sea firsthand, consider joining Seattle’s Tall Ship for a Seattle sunset sail. While you may not encounter the Mary Celeste on the horizon, the allure of the open water at dusk is the perfect setting for contemplating the mysteries of maritime history. Let the cool evening breeze carry you back in time, as we continue to unravel these ghostly tales of the sea.
Next in our series, we turn to a more local haunted ship tragedy: the SS Dix, whose sinking off the coast of Seattle remains one of the city’s most haunting maritime disasters. Stay with us as we navigate deeper into the Phantoms of the Sea.
Dare to Sail into the Unknown?
This Halloween season, step aboard Seattle’s Tall Ship’s, the Bay Lady, for a voyage into mystery and legend. As the mist rolls in over Elliott Bay, you’ll sail through waters haunted by the echoes of history, where ghost ships like the Lady Lovibond and the Mary Celeste once prowled. Feel the chill of the open sea as you experience the eerie beauty of tall ship sailing, with the Seattle skyline fading into the fog.
Will you encounter a phantom of the sea? There’s only one way to find out…