The strange voyage of the Mary Celeste

[Phidippides]

The Mary Celeste is one of history's great sea faring mysteries.  I just heard about it on a History Channel program, though from what I read now, theories about it go back in popular culture even to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Mostly from Wikipedia:

Sometime during November or December, 1872, the Mary Celeste was found drifting off the Portugese coast.  Discovered by the crew of the Dei Gratia, the Mary Celeste was boarded and found to have no one on board.  Many items and cargo was left onboard, suggesting the crew left on its own.  However, no one ever found the crew. 

So what happened to the crew?  No one knows, but theories abound.   Whichever the case, it is an interesting mystery that has endured the test of time.

[Phidippides]

In a sad modern-day story reminiscent of the Mary Celeste, a boat was recently found off the coast of Barbados which contained the bodies of 11 people who had died at sea and had been drifting for months.  They began from Africa and were on their way to the Canary Islands, meaning they drifted all the way across the Atlantic. 

May the rest in peace.

[DonaldBaker]

You know those poor folks died slowly and suffered. 

[Stumpfoot]

Check out Clive Cuslers 'Sea hunters II' I think he has a very plausable theory about the fate of the Mary Celeste.

[Phidippides]

I'm

Check out Clive Cuslers 'Sea hunters II' I think he has a very plausable theory about the fate of the Mary Celeste.

I'm not surprised that Clive Cussler has written on the topic.  He heads a "lost sea treasure" type of operation, which I think is named after the fictitious "NUMA" organization that his book characters (Dirk, et al) belong to.  I got through most of Cussler's "Inca Gold" but have never read Sea Hunters.

[Stumpfoot]

Both volumes are really a good read, even if your not in to his fiction stuff, he really knows his naughtical history, you'll find his discovery of the CSA sub The Hunley interesting.

[Phidippides]

I found this story linked to on Drudge today:

Mexican fishermen found after 11 months at sea

Seems somewhat similar to what happened on the Mary Celeste...except these Mexicans survived!  Amazing stuff...

[Stumpfoot]

Good thing they were fishermen to begin with. It seems there are more strange tales of the sea than anywhere else on earth and even in this modern age it can still leave you shaking your head.