Why a Booktrail?
1872: The mystery of the Mary Celeste
Ghost Ship
Why a Booktrail?
1872: The mystery of the Mary Celeste
What you need to know before your trail
On December 4th, 1872, a 100-foot brigantine was discovered drifting through the North Atlantic without a soul on board. Not a sign of struggle, not a shred of damage, no ransacked cargo–and not a trace of the captain, his wife and daughter, or the crew. What happened on board the ghost ship Mary Celeste has baffled and tantalized the world for 130 years. In his stunning new book, award-winning journalist Brian Hicks plumbs the depths of this fabled nautical mystery and finally uncovers the truth.The Mary Celeste was cursed as soon as she was launched on the Bay of Fundy in the spring of 1861. Her first captain died before completing the maiden voyage. In London she accidentally rammed and sank an English brig. Later she was abandoned after a storm drove her ashore at Cape Breton. But somehow the ship was recovered and refitted, and in the autumn of 1872 she fell to the reluctant command of a seasoned mariner named Benjamin Spooner Briggs. It was Briggs who was at the helm when the Mary Celeste sailed into history.
Travel Guide
Travel across the Atlantic Ocean BookTrail style with The Mary Celeste
One of the most enduring mysteries of the sea – what happened to the Mary Celeste?
The ship sailed from New York and was supposed to end up in Genoa. It was found floating aimlessly close to the Azores Islands in Portugal. There was no one aboard yet everything else remained untouched. The food and drinks supply were intact, belongings still in the quarters, beds made…
The ship only had one lifeboat which was missing and one of its two pumps had apparently been disassembled. The ten person crew however were no where to be seen.
There have been many conspiracy theories over the years; sea monsters, ghosts and much more besides.
The story of the Mary Celeste even caught the attention of the famous author Conan Doyle who published “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement” in 1884; his sensationalistic account, printed in Cornhill Magazine, set off waves of theorizing about the ship’s fate.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Ghost Ship
Destination/location: Atlantic Ocean Author/Guide: Brian Hicks Departure Time: 1872
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