Ep 42: The Mary Celeste – Ghost Ship Part 1
Podcast:
Photo Gallery:
Photos:
1) An 1861 painting of the “Mary Celeste,” when it was first known as the ship “Amazon,” artist unknown. They probably should’ve stuck with “Amazon.” 2) Benjamin Spooner Briggs, the vanished captain of the ill-fated Mary Celeste. 3) A photo of the Mary Celeste. 4) An artist’s rendering of the crew of the Dei Gratia sighting her. 5) Chart showing the Mary Celeste’s course and the Dei Gratia’s course and where the Dei Gratia overtook her.
Background:
The Mary Celeste is perhaps the most famous case of a “ghost ship.” However, when it was discovered adrift on December 5, 1872, no ghosts were found nor any human form for that matter, not Captain Briggs, his wife, his two-year-old daughter, nor the seven crew members. They remain forever missing. But what caused them to vanish? Theories range from seaquakes to hazardous cargo, to a giant squid attack, and even aliens… yes, aliens. We’re not saying it was aliens because we’d rather believe it was a giant squid. No matter what it was, the ship may have been doomed from the start, when seafaring superstitions were broken.
Tonight’s Quote:
“The craft seemed possessed of the Devil to begin with, but where she got it I don’t know. I am sure it couldn’t have been from any of our good people.”
— Dr. John W. Dewis, son of Joshua Dewis, the builder of the Mary Celeste, from The Story of the Mary Celeste by Charles Edey Fay
Show Links:
We’ve found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners!
- Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea – http://bit.do/MaryCelesteBook
- The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries (Mysteries and Secrets) – http://bit.do/worldsgreatestmysteries
- Capt Kirk and the Zumwalt – http://bit.do/captainkirk
- The Smithsonian’s Take on the Mary Celeste – http://bit.do/smithsonianCeleste
- HMS Friday – http://bit.do/hmsFriday
- Maritime Superstitions – http://bit.do/maritimesuperstition
- The Captain of the Polestar by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – http://bit.ly/2avJYrN
- The Ship’s Cat – http://bit.do/shipscat
- Dogs know when the shakin’s about to go down! – http://bit.ly/2aYEaIu
Special Offers from our Special Sponsors:
- Harry’s shaving essentials. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order
- The Great Courses Plus TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends – One-month free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects
- Stamps.com – Get a $110 Bonus Offer with postage and a digital scale! Click on the microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in LEGENDS
- Blue Apron – go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals free on your 1st order, with free shipping
The Dark Myths Collective
Credits:
Episode 042 – “The Mary Celeste – Ghost Ship (Part 1)” Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or “A.R.C.” for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.