

What really happened to the Mary Celeste ? Image Credit: PD - 1861

The fate of the Mary Celeste remains one of the most enigmatic and pervasive mysteries of all time.

The story goes that the ship was discovered adrift in the Atlantic in 1872 with absolutely nobody on board. The captain, his family and the ship's crew of seven were all missing and no trace of them could be found despite a thorough search of the vessel.The circumstances surrounding their disappearance became all the more mysterious when it was found that all 1,700 barrels of alcohol in the ship's cargo hold appeared to be completely untouched, as was a full six months worth of supplies and the personal belongings of the crew.Despite some minor damage and flooding the ship seemed to be seaworthy with no indication that it had been attacked. Oddly, one of the lifeboats was missing, suggesting the crew had simply abandoned ship despite there being no apparent reason for doing so.Over the years theories to explain the crew's disappearance have ranged from mutiny, piracy and alcohol fume poisoning to more outlandish explanations such as an attack by a sea monster or extraterrestrial visitors.Despite numerous investigations however the mystery remains unsolved to this day.