Today in History

December 4, 1872

The Discovery of the Mary Celeste

On December 4, 1872, the captain of the commercial sailing vessel Dei Gratia spotted the American ship Mary Celeste sailing toward the Straights of Gibraltar. Captain David Reed Morehouse of the Dei Gratia knew the Mary Celeste had sailed out of New York only a few weeks before. The Mary Celeste was sailing oddly, almost as though at drift, though it was under full sail. Captain Morehouse sent a small boat to board the ship and offer assistance. To the crew's surprise, the Mary Celeste was abandoned. Not a single one of her crew members was aboard, all vanished. The ship's log book was without mention of any incident and the cargo was fully intact. No explanation has ever been fully accepted as to what happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste.

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