What happened in the Atlantic Ocean on the morning of December 4, 1872, is one of the most frightening and mysterious pages of maritime history. The crew of the ship ‘Dei Gratia’ near the coast of Portugal saw a ship rocking randomly on the waves. This ship was ‘Marie Celeste’. When the sailors of Dei Gratia set foot on it, their souls trembled after seeing the sight there. The ship was completely safe, but there was no living person present there.
An empty ship, thousands of unanswered questions
Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, their infant daughter and seven crew members aboard the ship had mysteriously disappeared. The most shocking thing was that there was no sign of any struggle or attack on the ship. Everything was in order in the captain’s cabin, food was kept safe in the kitchen and passengers’ valuables and children’s toys were in their place. There was no danger of the ship sinking, there was just some water inside. Only two things were missing from the ship. Which includes a lifeboat and some necessary tools of navigation. The question arises that if the ship was safe, why did the crew decide to abandon it?
Experts have given many theories to solve this puzzle. According to a leading theory, gas may have started leaking from more than 1700 barrels of raw liquor loaded on the ship. Due to the strong smell of gas and fear of a possible explosion, the captain may have decided to enter the lifeboat as a precaution. It is possible that they were waiting for the danger to pass by tying a lifeboat behind the ship, but then due to a severe storm or rope breaking, they got separated from the main ship and got lost in the deep sea.
A mystery that persists even today. An official investigation was also conducted in Gibraltar on this incident, but no conclusion could be reached. Even the crew of the Dei Gratia were suspected of murder out of greed for reward, but no evidence was found. Neither any body nor any piece of the lifeboat was ever found.