The Abandoned and The Condemned
On December 5, 1872, the Mary Celeste, a Canadian-built, American-owned merchant ship, was speeding across the Atlantic from the Azores Islands towards Gibraltar with sails at full mast. However, when it was sighted 1,000 km off the coast of Portugal by the crew of the Dei Gratia, a Canadian brigantine, they discovered that the Mary Celeste was abandoned, completely unmanned. Although the weather was fine and there was no damage to the ship, nor any distress flags, when Oliver Deveau, Chief Mate of the Dei Gratia, boarded the Mary Celeste. On board, he discovered something even more bizarre. All of the ship's papers were missing, except for the captain's logbook. The ship's clock was not functioning, and the compass was destroyed; the sextant and marine chronometer were missing. A six-month supply of uncontaminated food and fresh water remained aboard, and the crew's personal possessions and artifacts were left untouched, making a pirate raid seem extremely unli...