Charting lost voyages has me split on a classic sea mystery

I use my free time to follow routes of old ships that vanished, using captain logs and maps. This got me hooked on the Mary Celeste, found sailing alone with no crew in 1872. Some historians claim the people on board left fast because of a leak or bad weather. Others point to clues that suggest a fight or something weird scared them off. My own look at similar records from that year shows the sea was pretty calm around that time. So the weather idea feels weak, but a mutiny doesn't explain why they left all their gear. I'm really stuck between these two sides-what do you all think happened?

4 comments

4 Comments

thea4251d ago

My own map reading's why I'd get lost at sea too.

margaretc421d ago

Consider that weather records from 1872 are super spotty and might have missed a sudden local squall. A freak wave or quick storm could panic a crew into leaving without it showing up in the big logs. That messy human panic fits better than some perfect crime, lol.

perry.oliver1d ago

Did you read about the alcohol cargo theory for the Mary Celeste? I heard those barrels might have leaked fumes, spooking the crew into thinking a blast was coming. @margaretc42 brought up spotty weather records, but a gas scare explains panic without any storm. They could have rushed into the lifeboat but left all their gear behind in fear. That fits why the ship was found fully stocked but empty. It just clicks for me more than a mutiny or strange event.

felix_lane1d ago

Looking at the Mary Celeste logs from 1872, I once spent a whole weekend tracking similar vanishings and almost convinced myself I saw patterns in the tea leaves. In my experience, when you dive too deep into old records, you start seeing ghosts in every footnote. The alcohol fumes theory makes a lot of sense to me, because panic can make people do irrational things, like leaving their gear behind. Your mileage may vary, but a sudden gas scare fits the calm sea conditions better than a storm. I'm still split though, because no single theory explains everything perfectly. Take this with a grain of salt, but that's why it's such a lasting mystery.