The Mary Celeste


Ship ahoy! There she is! It’s the Mary Celeste, sailing through calm seas with her heavy, dangerous cargo! But hey, that’s strange! She’s not steering straight, and her sails are flapping wildly. I can’t see anyone on deck. It looks as though they’ve all abandoned her!


Vital statistics


Name: Mary Celeste Date: 1872 Place: Atlantic Ocean, near Portugal Mystery: Empty ship, no sign of crew Probable explanation: The crew abandoned ship because they feared sinking or an explosion


You wouldn’t want to know this: The captain’s two- year-old daughter was on board. She vanished along with the others.


Washed away?


Rescuers found water a metre deep in the Mary Celeste’s hold. Above, everything was soaking wet, from the captain’s bed to the ship’s compass. Was the ship swamped by freak waves or a whirling waterspout? No-one knows!


A watery grave?


No-one knows what happened to the Mary Celeste’s sailors. Without witnesses or evidence, their fate remains a mystery. Probably, they climbed overboard into the lifeboat. Then they either died of cold, hunger and thirst, or drowned.


The flying Dutchman


Another sea mystery! Many sailors claim to have seen this ghostly ship and its haunted captain. Always, they’re a warning of bad luck and foul weather. The ‘Dutchman’ appears suddenly, bathed in an eerie glow. This story may perhaps be based on real-life mirages.


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