When the British brigantine Dei Gratia spotted the merchant ship Mary Celeste drifting through the Atlantic Ocean on December 4, 1872, it looked as though its crew had stepped away only moments before. The vessel was still under partial sail, its cargo remained in place, there was enough food and fresh water for months, and the captain’s personal belongings had not been disturbed. Yet not a single person remained aboard. Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, their two-year-old daughter and seven crew members had all disappeared, and nearly 153 years later, no confirmed explanation has solved one of maritime history’s greatest mysteries.
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