What happens when a well-established captain decides to break the rules of sailing etiquette and test the boundaries of nature? It ends with a disappearance that has left the world guessing to this day, with theories such a piracy and curses on the ship reported all over the sea (Ramesar). According to the Smithsonian Magazine “The ship began its fateful voyage on November 7, 1872” (Blumberg). It was found a month later, completely abandoned. The brigantine’s true fate remains a mystery. Its captain was a very traditional, yet unconventional, man whose final choices have left the world guessing. 

Captain Briggs was known to be a deeply traditional man. According to his nephew, James Briggs, Captain Briggs was “Following in the steps of his father and grandfather, he went out to sea at an early age” (Briggs 13). With such examples in his life, it is easy to see why Captain Briggs would follow the traditions that his family had set before him. According to James Briggs, he even sailed on voyages with his father, before becoming the captain of his own vessel (13). Seventeen years after his expedition with his father, this rigid tradition sent Captain Briggs on a voyage he never returned from. 

As traditional as he was, Captain Briggs was also unconventional in many ways. According to writer Dave Adams “the master mariner used his life savings to buy a stake in the Mary Celeste.” It was an odd chance to take, but it was not his only one.  On his final voyage, we learn from James Briggs that the captain took his wife and his daughter with him, which would have been quite uncommon at this time, and even for many years after. Women on ships were considered to be a distraction, and it was said that they brought bad luck. In a newspaper article in 1897, after the British ship Duncow went ashore and became a total loss, a journalist commented “We do not say that the presence of the captain’s wife on board caused the unluckiness, but many sailors will point to it as an instance” (“The New Woman At Sea” 4). It may not have been Mrs. Briggs, but something certainly brought bad luck to the ship. 

It would take a brave sailor to bring a woman on board, but it would take an even braver one to sail across the Atlantic ocean during one of the most deadly times of the year. According to the National Hurricane Center, the Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30 (““Tropical Cyclone Climatology” NOAA NHC”). When the Mary Celeste set sail on November 7 (Blumberg), they would have had no clue if a hurricane or another storm was in their path. It was a bold choice for Captain Briggs to set sail when he did. In the popular sailing magazine Yachting World weather expert Chris Tibbs explains during these months a high pressure system is established around the Azores island, where the Mary Celeste was sailing to. It would have made sailing in these waters extremely dangerous because, “as the summer progresses we lose the more aggressive lows and the Azores high becomes better established” (Tibbs). The month of November is still a difficult month for crossing, even with today’s technology advancements. It begs the question, was this voyage Captain Briggs bravery or his ignorance? 

Captain Benjamin S. Briggs could be seen as a traditional and brave man, but he could also be unconventional and ignorant. There is no one answer to the question of who he was. As a captain, it would have made him very adaptable; as a historical figure, he is confusing. Without Captain Briggs and his choices, though, we never would have had the unsolvable mystery of the disappearing brigantine. No other captain could leave us with “the world's most famous mystery ship, the Mary Celeste” (Ramesar). 

What happened to the Mary Celeste?

In the disappearance of the ship the Mary Celeste, there are several theories as to what may have happened. Some people place the blame on the crew, saying that it must have been sabotage. Others might claim that it was insurance fraud. However, what we should be looking at is the likelihood that the captain and crew abandoned the ship in fear of an explosion. 

The first theory claims that members of the crew mutinied and killed the captain and his family. However, this can be easily disproved because of where this claim originated. A famous author, Arthur Conan Doyle, became inspired by the legend of the ghost ship and published a fictionalized story in 1884 called J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement (Small). To summarize the short story, members of the crew sought revenge against the captain, so they “commandeered the ship, sailed it to Africa and murdered the passengers and crew” (Small). This account of the story became so popular that many confused it for the true story as to what happened to the brig.  “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement… was so convincing that the U.S. consul in Gibraltar, who had taken part in the initial investigation, inquired if any part of the story might be true” (Adams). Not only did it confuse people after its initial release, but it is still confusing people to this day who do not know that the mystery remains unsolved. 

The second conspiracy theory claims that insurance fraud was committed by the captain and crew, which is another mistaken story. After the disappearance of the crew, the ship was brought back and sold off. According to Captain Brigg’s nephew, James Briggs, the ship was sold to “Gilman E. Parker, who took a desperate gamble with the ill-omened ship” (Briggs 30). The new captain, Parker, purposely wrecked the ship off the coast of Haiti in an attempt to commit insurance fraud, but he was unsuccessful (Ryan). Even if the disappearance of the crew was an attempt at insurance fraud by the salvagers, it did not work. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “...the salvagers received a payment, but only one-sixth of the $46,000 for which the ship and its cargo had been insured, suggesting that the authorities were not entirely convinced of the Dei Gratia crew's innocence” (Blumberg). The false story of an insurance scam only adds to the confusion as to what really happened to the Mary Celeste. 

For the crew of the Mary Celeste, the location and cargo may have made all the difference. We learn from weather expert Chris Tibbs that during the winter months a high pressure system moves to the Azores Islands “and the Azores high becomes better established” as the winter seasons continue (Tibbs). As the ship entered this pressure system, the alcohol in the barrels may have expanded to create alcohol vapor, which is “a highly volatile substance” (Ryan). This idea is supported by facts presented by the salvager crew that found “nine of the 1,701 barrels in the hold were empty, but the empty nine had been recorded as being made of red oak, not white oak like the others. Red oak is known to be a more porous wood and therefore more likely to leak” (Blumberg). With the alcohol leaking, and the pressure system creating the vapors then “the crew, sensing a potential explosion due to alcohol fumes, might have abandoned the ship as a safety measure” (Ryan). 

This theory is further supported by the location of the ship, and the state it was left in. In researching the disappearance of the Mary Celeste’s crew, documentarian Anne MacGregor collaborated with oceanographers and yachtsmen and determined that if the boat was abandoned at the last reported location (six miles from the Azores (Briggs 15)) then the boat would simply drift to the location it was found by the scavengers (Blumberg). When it was found by the crew of the Dei Gratia, they reported that nothing was out of the ordinary except “the ship’s hatches left open, possibly to air out the fumes, and the missing lifeboat, which could indicate a hasty departure” (Ryan). In James Briggs’ pamphlet about his uncle’s disappearance, he mentions that “the salvors made no mention of finding even the cat” (Briggs 16) which his cousin had brought with them aboard the ship. This, along with other evidence strongly suggests that the crew abandoned the ship out of fear– setting the stage for the mystery that still surrounds their disappearance.