The mystery of what happened during the fateful voyage sparked many theories and wild stories. Some people believed pirates attacked the ship. But there were no signs of struggle, and none of the cargo was stolen.
In 1884, Arthur Conan Doyle (who later created Sherlock Holmes) wrote a story of murder aboard a ship named the Marie Celeste. Though the story was fictional—and the ship had a different name—many people believed it was a true tale of the events on the famous ghost ship.
“In the absence of answers, this myth has grown,” says Anne MacGregor. She researched the Mary Celeste for more than four years for a documentary movie.
She thinks that Briggs feared the ship was sinking and might have tried to get everyone to safety aboard the lifeboat. However, it would have been unusual for an experienced captain like Briggs to abandon ship in the middle of the ocean.
“I can’t prove anything,” MacGregor explains. “People have loads of theories, but there is no physical proof that explains their disappearance.”
One of the biggest maritime mysteries might never be solved.