The Mary Celeste, Ghost Ship Mystery still Unsolved

In November of 1872, the Mary Celeste, with a crew of 10, started sail from New York City to Genoa, Italy.  The cargo?  Alcoholic beverages....no...the Mary Celeste was not owned by Carnival.  In early December 1872, the ship was found derelict, 400 miles east of the Azores. No one on board.  No signs of violence. Plenty of food and drink remained.  Oh yes...to make this a very sad story, the captain, Benjamin Briggs brought his beautiful wife Sarah and two year old daughter with them.  Over a century has passed....still no clues to what happened.

Best guess?  Some say sea monsters (my favorite theory, especially if it had tentacles)....others say pirates or a mutiny....the scientific community claims water spouts.  I have not heard UFOs or space aliens as the culprit....but let us throw that in.  On February 21st, I reviewed a Bela Lugosi film, "The Phantom Ship."  Click on this link to see the review The Phantom Ship .  This film was based on an Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) story.  The theory put forth in this film is reasonable and entirely plausible.  In this film, a crew member, with a grudge against the first mate, and perhaps some sanity issues, snaps and turns killer.  The film is lurid and knowing that the beautiful Sarah will fall victim to this fiend makes it hard to watch.

The Mary Celeste will likely remain a mystery, and perhaps that is the way it should be.  The vast oceans are still as mysterious to us as outer space.  Reminders that we will never know everything may serve to keep the human race in line....to some extent, anyway.  If the Syfy Channel ever makes this into a film, you can bet a crew member won't be blamed....rather a huge tentacled beast.  I, for one, will opt for the sea monster theory.