UM-Bot Posted December 3, 2013 #1 Share Posted December 3, 2013 The fate of the Mary Celeste remains one of the most enigmatic and pervasive mysteries of all time. The story goes that the ship was discovered adrift in the Atlantic in 1872 with absolutely nobody on board. The captain, his family and the ship's crew of seven were all missing and no trace of them could be found despite a thorough search of the vessel. Read More: http://www.unexplain...he-mary-celeste 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bavarian Raven Posted December 3, 2013 #2 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I remember this story. This one always creeped me out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taun Posted December 3, 2013 #3 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I tend to beleive the "Alchohol fumes" theory... It passes the common sense test... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Sherlock Posted December 3, 2013 #4 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Sounds Eerie enough.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bavarian Raven Posted December 3, 2013 #5 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I tend to beleive the "Alchohol fumes" theory... It passes the common sense test... You think they'd have found a body or, if they had abandoned ship, left a note or the such. :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothinglizx2 Posted December 3, 2013 #6 Share Posted December 3, 2013 They were abducted by a UFO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taun Posted December 3, 2013 #7 Share Posted December 3, 2013 You think they'd have found a body or, if they had abandoned ship, left a note or the such. :s The story I saw (on Discovery Channel I think) was that they may have noticed fumes coming off of the alchohol (not an uncommon sight) and thought it was about to explode - or else engulf them in poison gas, very little time to react, then they all got into the ships boat that was missing and the rope slipped loose or was cut somehow... It's not uncommon for a very small boat to never be found even today, much less back in the 1890's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bavarian Raven Posted December 3, 2013 #8 Share Posted December 3, 2013 The story I saw (on Discovery Channel I think) was that they may have noticed fumes coming off of the alchohol (not an uncommon sight) and thought it was about to explode - or else engulf them in poison gas, very little time to react, then they all got into the ships boat that was missing and the rope slipped loose or was cut somehow... It's not uncommon for a very small boat to never be found even today, much less back in the 1890's... Oh I know it's not common for a ships boat to be found. But wouldn't the people who found the ship notice the fumes still rising? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancient astronaut Posted December 3, 2013 #9 Share Posted December 3, 2013 maybe he ate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis914 Posted December 3, 2013 #10 Share Posted December 3, 2013 This story always fascinated me in that just coming across an old ship completely without a crew sounds like a really spooky thing to find out in the middle of the ocean... it'd be like driving your car and coming across a railroad track with a train just sitting there and if you go to inspect it, there's signs that a crew and passengers were once recently in there but now gone with no footprints or tire tracks anywhere around the train... kinda bristles the hair just thinking about it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Lady Posted December 3, 2013 #11 Share Posted December 3, 2013 This is one of my favorite mysteries as well. They clearly left on the life boat but I don't think it was the alcohol because if they believed the boat was about to explode from the fumes they would have taken some supplies, water and food at the least. Once in the lifeboat they could have easily succumbed to a large wave and disappeared that way. Whatever it was, these people were either so desperate that they didn't take anything with them, which is hard to believe or they didn't feel they needed to take anything with them. Either way, I really wish I was an ethereal observer there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Lady Posted December 3, 2013 #12 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Oh I know it's not common for a ships boat to be found. But wouldn't the people who found the ship notice the fumes still rising? If leaking, the alcohol would probably have evaporated quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrant lizard Posted December 3, 2013 #13 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I always thought this could have been severe cabin fever. If that were the case it would make a good film. Although not as good as if half of them were eaten by a kraken and the other half were abducted by aliens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumball Posted December 4, 2013 #14 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Revisited? That's a bit of an over-statement. There's hardly any info on that page. Is this a joke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundew Posted December 4, 2013 #15 Share Posted December 4, 2013 (edited) Cue A Salty Dog, by Procol Harum. 'all hands on deck, we've run afloat!' I heard the captain cry 'explore the ship, replace the cook: let no one leave alive!' Across the straits, around the horn: how far can sailors fly? A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy Now many moons and many junes have passed since we made land A salty dog, this seaman's log: your witness my own hand Edited December 4, 2013 by Sundew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelaw1 Posted December 4, 2013 #16 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I think only 3 things are possible. First is the alcohol fumes theory. As was stated above, they could have believed that an explosion was imminent and therefore got off the board ASAP without anything as much as a note. The question therefore, is what happened to them once they departed the ship?. The second possibility is that there was a pirate attack. Problem is, the pirates left the goodies on board. Maybe they were going to come back for the ship after getting rid of the crew? Who knows. The third possibility is a mutiny. Several issues arise with this theory. First, everyone was off the boat with ONLY 1 lifeboat missing. This means that everyone left on the lifeboat together. It could mean something else, and if this is the case, then it raises another puzzle. They could have murdered the family and dumped their bodies over the side. If that is the case, then why leave the boat? What is the point of leaving the boat then if the mutiny was successful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelaw1 Posted December 4, 2013 #17 Share Posted December 4, 2013 There is also another possibility, though incredibly unlikely. What if a storm threw the entire crew overboard? Storms can be so powerful that a wave could have easily thrown everyone over the side but the issue is: why was everyone outside during the storm? This is a mystery that will unfortunately remain a mystery forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skithia Posted December 4, 2013 #18 Share Posted December 4, 2013 how about ergot poisoning? they would have started hallucinating and there have been cases of sort of communal delusions with ergot so they all just felt they had to leave the ship to save themselves and the sailors who found the ship wouldnt have known there was anything wrong with the bread back then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted December 4, 2013 #19 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Certain to stay a mystery forever. I'm on board with the theory of either alcohol poisoning or fear of explosion. I've never read where all supplies were left on board. Maybe they did take some with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Controller Junkie Posted December 4, 2013 #20 Share Posted December 4, 2013 (edited) I read an article about this a few weeks ago. Tbe article stated that about 7 or 8 weeks after the boat was found a life boat with a crew of 5 washed up ashore in i think either france or Ireland, not sure which. It was late i was tired just reading some articles. The article stated that the crew was very malnourished and had no recollection of where they had been or where they had com from or what boat they were even aboard while at sea. The townsfolk thiught it was some of the crew of the celeste, but for some reason this theory never really vained any ground. Going to try and find the article and post a thread... Edited December 4, 2013 by Controller Junkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iUser Posted December 4, 2013 #21 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Pretty much everybody would have been on deck in clear weather, though, and now we know about rogue waves, which often happen under blue skies. Whoever was left below-deck abandoned ship in the life raft, which was why only one was gone. They would have been too freaked out to think of supplies, maybe even believing that the ship was sinking or under attack by a seamonster, which they still believed existed back then. Whoever left in the lifeboat died, the ship sailed on and a mystery was born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted December 4, 2013 #22 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I don't understand. Can you explain a couple of your comments? "Rogue waves often happen under blue skies" - Are you saying they happen more often under blue than gray skies? If the wave was that big, why would they set out in a life raft? There is not any evidence that the boat had been damaged by a rogue wave. Noone would abandon a perfectly fine boat for a life raft if the waves are big enough to take down said boat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iUser Posted December 4, 2013 #23 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Sorry to disagree, Myles but I said "often", (which I'm willing to clarify to "more than a few times but not regularly enough to establish it as the rule rather than the exception", if it's your preference). I also beg to differ on your "no damage to the ship" statement. It's been acknowledged for decades that the ship had minor damage and flooding, as this article reiterates. Rogue waves themselves were thought to be mythical until New Year's Day 1995, when one was documented as it struck the Daupner Platform in New York, with minor damage and flooding being its only fingerprint. A rogue wave is usually (meaning more often than not) an isolated incident, (meaning they seem to come from nowhere and, once crested, are not followed by other huge breakers). It wouldn't have needed to sink the ship, just roll it enough to sweep everybody not tied to the deck overboard. Those below deck would only be aware of the sudden pitching as the rogue wave crested over the ship. Coming from below to investigate the upheaval, finding everybody gone and everything inexplicably dripping seawater, that lifeboat might have looked a lot safer to superstitious sailors than staying on board; they probably thought somebody had released the Kraken! In pretty weather, the wife and daughter would likely have been on deck, leaving the off-duty crew below. I had never heard of the lifeboat landing with survivors thought to be from the Celeste but...Regardless, everybody here stated their theory, as I have stated mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iUser Posted December 4, 2013 #24 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I double-checked since I was citing facts from memory, always dangerous. The Draupner Platform was in the North Sea, not New York. Please pardon the senior moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthurion2 Posted December 5, 2013 #25 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Reminds me of this story I read when I was little: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavius_%28ship%29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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