Page 8 - SAMPLE The Big Book of Mysteries

GHoSt SHIpS
The ocean can be a bewildering place. It’s all too easy to find yourself sailing into trouble.
THE mARy cELESTE
On November 7 1872, the Mary Celeste set off from New York in the USA. Built 10 years earlier she had a history of accidents and became known as an unlucky ship. Now she was on her way to Genoa in Italy, with Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs, his wife, their two-year-old daughter and seven crew members onboard.
One month into the voyage, sailors on another ship, Dei Gratia, spotted the Mary Celeste. She was still almost 1,000 miles from Europe and drifting around
unpredictably. Some crew from the Dei Gratia climbed aboard the Mary Celeste to investigate,
and what they discovered can still not be explained today . . .
There was nobody onboard. A single lifeboat had been launched and some navigational equipment was missing. But while the ship was a little weather-beaten, she was perfectly seaworthy. There was no sign of fighting or of fire breaking out. Some stories even claim there were steaming mugs of tea and half eaten breakfasts still on the table. Captain Briggs, his family and the crew were never seen again.
There have been all kinds of suggestions. Pirates from North Africa could have attacked, a great storm might have hit them, and some claim an underwater earthquake may have scared them into abandoning ship. Some people even believe the crew of the Dei Gratia killed all on board.
Ultimately though, there was never any evidence to support these theories, so we may never find out exactly what happened . . .
16 • DISAPPEARING PEoPLE
So, WHY WAS THE SHIP ABANDONED?