I have a theroy that captin briggs was a little parinoid because his 2yr old was with them and he saw water on the bottom of the ship he thought they were sinking so he ordered abandonment

I am looking for this information for English homework, I find this information very useful, but is there anyway you could add any more new information to the page? And if you could any pictures of the Ship itself and hyperlinks. The captain needs to be investigated thoroughly. Just saying he was well respected doesn't mean he was infallible or un-naive. A book could delve into captains' training and skills of the time and also, their knowledge of cargo and business, not just sailing and navigating. I think the captain was at fault and caused the deaths of 10 people through bad judgement, panic and ill-preparedness. In his last letter to his mother, he sounds like he wants nothing more than to enjoy quality time with his family. And also like he doesn't cotton to business too much. His father was also a bad businessman. So, maybe he didn't study up on his cargo and the dangers involved. What did this dude transport in previous voyages? But I think the fume theory of the alcohol almost poisoning the crew is preposterous. Before devising more theories research the world of shipping in the 1870's out of New York harbor. What did other captains do with similar cargoes, routes, etc. One commenter claims alot of ships went down that November but was that unusual? These books and articles on the Mary Celeste don't provide a vivid and detailed enough picture of the times. Instead, they overdo the research on nonsense like debunked theories and the inquiry with all its characters. Who cares? It's time someone looked at the person in charge of the ship.

Does anyone know what eventually happened?

lots of info

i thought it gave a lot of info

today in class we learned about the mary celeste.just by hearing the story it seemed HAUNTED!!!!! but maybe not to you.

Hello hello what's all this mischief about a SHIP ooooh look at me and my ship er i've made a film too don't see me making films about it lol

hey i am reasearching about this it is awesome

wow! were leaning about the mary celeste in school.I just wanted to do some reserch to laen more.

I think this read is very educational and has kids to think with their imagination. I honestly think its amazing!

this is awesome

The captain needs to be investigated thoroughly. Just saying he was well respected doesn't mean he was infallible or un-naive. A book could delve into captains' training and skills of the time and also, their knowledge of cargo and business, not just sailing and navigating. I think the captain was at fault and caused the deaths of 10 people through bad judgement, panic and ill-preparedness. In his last letter to his mother, he sounds like he wants nothing more than to enjoy quality time with his family. And also like he doesn't cotton to business too much. His father was also a bad businessman. So, maybe he didn't study up on his cargo and the dangers involved. What did this dude transport in previous voyages? But I think the fume theory of the alcohol almost poisoning the crew is preposterous. Before devising more theories research the world of shipping in the 1870's out of New York harbor. What did other captains do with similar cargoes, routes, etc. One commenter claims alot of ships went down that November but was that unusual? These books and articles on the Mary Celeste don't provide a vivid and detailed enough picture of the times. Instead, they overdo the research on nonsense like debunked theories and the inquiry with all its characters. Who cares? It's time someone looked at the person in charge of the ship.

this is anb excellent report on the mary celeste

i think that this is interesting

The mary celeste must have been beautiful i want to know more

I am looking for this information for English homework, I find this information very useful, but is there anyway you could add any more new information to the page? And if you could any pictures of the Ship itself and hyperlinks, sincerely, Lois Matthews

Hmmmmm.I wonder wonder what happened.Why did the crew abandon ship.I am a child.Since I have just read a pump was broken it seems clear and boring.Where was this ship found?I am intruiged(sorry if the spelling is wrong) by the Bermuda Triangle.I read a story like this in a book I read at school.Where is the Marie Celeste now?

Is it possible that the ship mary celeste it a small iland outside the island of san jorge, known as elheo do topo. the town of topo on the san jorge island has a celeberation once a year,where a sword with a white handle is exhibited at the church.no one seems to know where it came from.can it be the sword of captian briggs.I have seen a picture of it.there is also only one family on that island with redhair and they are from that town.was any of the crewman redheaded.

I have read the book of this amazing ship but im not sure you have all the details of the old ship

I am an avid fan of Clive Cussler, especially his two books "The Seahunters", And "Seahunters II", which document his searches and discoveries of famous historical lost ship wrecks. I'm not familiar with the coast surrounding Santa Maria Is., but if it was seen by Capt. Briggs and he felt his ship was in dire straits , would it have been possible to ground his ship on the beach if one was avaliable. Just a thought...

this was a good story what is the movie called i would like to watch it an learn some more facts about it

"Coal dust and construction debris could have fouled the ship's pumps, which would explain the disassembled pump found on the Mary Celeste. With the pump inoperative, Briggs would not have known how much seawater was in his ship's hull, which was too fully packed for him to measure visually."

OK this is where I get confused. I've lived on boats, worked on boats, new boats, old boats, even very old wooden sailing ships and if they had a pump there had to be an access hatch to lower the pump into the water or lower a hose attached to the pump. It's a very simple an effective way to check the water level. I don't know of any captain that would abandon their ship and their cargo without being absolutely certain that the ship was going down. A responsible Captain which by all accounts Captain Briggs was, would of checked the water level in the ship first before ordering anyone to abandon ship even if they had to dump cargo over the sides to do it.

There is a book written by Brian Hicks called "Ghost ship: the mysterious true story of the Mary Celeste and her missing crew," which posits the most likely scenario.

The ship was carring industrial-grade alcohol, used to fortify wines. 9 barrels were found be empty. As alcohol is lighter than water, the leaking barrels would have filled the hold with noxious fumes. The fumes would have overcome anyone on board. The captain, with his wife and child to think of, would have not want to risk their lives, or the lives of his crew. He made the hasty decision to put everyone on the life boat, tethered to the ship until the fumes cleared.

One lone rope was found trailing in the water, not hooked up to any rigging, with the ends frayed. It likely snapped, causing all aboard to tragically, be lost at sea.

Curiously not mentioned in this article. I wish there was somewhere to rent this DVD or watch it online without having to pay for iTunes.

Common sense should explain the disappearance of the unfortunate crew of the Mary Celeste. First look at some vital clues such as clogged pump and missing life boat and possibility of alchol-caused explosion. Obviously Captain Briggs no longer trust his boat to be safe for long and therefore ordered everyone to abandon ship ASAP. The hapless souls simply drifted into the unknown in their life boat most likely victims of bad weather and rough seas- their remains became instant food to sharks and other creatures of the sea leaving no trace. It's people's love of mystery and intrigue that lives on!

I find a certain irony to the fact that the reason for the Mary Celeste to be abandoned was simply because of a clogged pump. Sea Monsters, tidal waves are theories that a fanciful mind would produce. It might be possible that the Mary Celeste might be last century's news and no one here would write about it today if people looked at the facts with a clear and sensible head. I'm glad the mystery has finally been brought to light.

I have been heavily researching MC for 10 years and the only known picture of her is by Honore Pellegrini of Marseille in 1861 as Amazon. As Mary Celeste she had an additional deck added in 1872 and the account of changes made do not correspond to the photograph. It is a different ship. The only known photos of her were taken by Clive Cussler's team, of the wreck such as it is, in Haiti. Capt Morehouse of Dei Gratia commissioned a painting of his ship by Giuseppi Coli in Sicily April 1873. I have nearly completed my book which will forever change what is known about Mary Celeste including how she got her name. Arthur Briggs died in 1931 sans issue. Benjamin's surviving brother James Cannon Briggs married Zenas Briggs' (1844-70) fiancee Mary Reynolds and had four sons. The lineage continues. P.S. I have now authenticated over 100 souls lost in the N Atlantic hurricane Nov 19-30 1872. I don't want to give too much away but can say without reservation that it was a "perfect hurricane" that caused her misfortune that November. You read it here first.

Derek, I would be interested in information regarding the descendents of Captain Briggs and any crew members. I know Captain Briggs left a son behind and beleive there are descendants from him. Do you know if any of the other crew members left children behind? Also interested in photos that you may have if possible to email. Thankyou

I spend every summer in Nova Scotia.In Spencers Island to be exact. The master builder of the Mary Celeste was an Uncle of mine. My great great Grandmother's sister was married to him. My great great Grandfather was a share holder as well. The Mary Celeste is family to me. Let me know what info or pictures anyone woulf like to see.

I read a book about this and I want to find out more. So if anyone who reads this has some information they would like to share with me, I would love it so email me at bluepenguin12346@yahoo.com.

In reference to the comment from Roger Campbell 2/1/08 I believe that picture was a photo taken from a painting that Capt. Morehouse had done after his return home. My mothers oldest and dearest friend was his granddaughter, Elizabeth Jennings and that very large oil painting hung over her fireplace up until her death in her nineties. I imagine the Fairfield Historical Society probably has it as many of her priceless possessions were left to the Society.

What happened to the Marie Celeste after it was found. Was it for salvage, or was it preserved/reconstructed?

The brothers,Volkert and Boy Lorenzen,who were part of the ship's crew, were more than likely from the Isle of Fohr in the North Fresian islands off the coast of Denmark and Germany where these names are very common. They were part of many generations of able-bodied seamen from that tiny island. My ancestry is riddled with these names and combinations of these names- Lorenz Boysen, Boy Volkerts, Volkert Lorenzen, etc.

I Think It Was A Fume Theory x!

There's more than a few errors perpetuated in the article about Mary Celeste, the major being that the photo shown is definitely NOT Mary Celeste. I could digress but feel it more positive to add that my research has established the fact that 13 other sailing ships were abandoned in those waters at that time in what was called in ship's logs a "perfect hurricane". Many lives were lost. Furthermore there was a major meteor storm on that date. These facts were never introduced at the Gibraltar hearings and alone could have dispelled any mysteries to come. The reason for abandonment, known to me, is scientific, not imaginative.

Charles Fay certainly asked the Portuguese authorities about the weather and the possibility of earthquakes; The answer he received in 1940 was: "No record of any earthquake is kept in the registers, neither in the local newspapers which we have searched." Jim Watt www.maryceleste.net

I do not have cable or satellite tv... is there anyway to see this movie? Will it be made available on DVD?

A few years ago I read a rather persuasive online article arguing that the Mary Celeste encountered a large wave generated by an earthquake (not uncommon in the vicinity of the Azores); it caused some of the damage that was later observed on the ship, and would likely have sent the panicked crew into the lifeboats. The author said that he'd attempted to research earthquakes in the area, but couldn't find any British record of them. A pity that none of the British investigators went out and ASKED the nearest people whether anything unusual had happened on Nov. 25; the Portuguese of the Azores were plenty familiar with the seas and the seismology. (My grandfather actually lived on Santa Maria, a few miles away from the Mary Celeste's position, but as he was only 1.5 years old in Nov. 1872 he couldn't have told them much.)

I wish to add my name to the list . The full value should be paid to the crews legacies.

Attorney general Frederick Sollyflood erred in his verdict.He found out that DeiGratias crew was not culpable in anyway towards the disaster that happened onboard MaryCeleste,yet he approved stipends for them,such action at that period of time could have sent wrong signals to other salvagers to be,innocent lifes could have been lost because of such decisions.It means back then that Captains who are not in good terms with another will definitely refused to render help and the spirit of crewmanship is destroyed.If modern forensic investigation proved them innocent which i believe they are,then the full wcrth of the monetary value should be paid to their legacies.