Claim The crew’s meal was still warm on the table.
Timeline beat 1861 — Launched as Amazon
Boarding testimony does not describe a staged, steaming dinner. That detail is later folklore.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety82
Mystery94
Scale28
Evidence45
Legal impact22
Culture80
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Quick answers
Where was the Mary Celeste sailing when she was found in 1872?
She was found derelict under sail near the Azores in December 1872 on a New York–Genoa cargo voyage. Gibraltar’s salvage inquiry never proved why the people left.
What was the Mary Celeste?
A brigantine built in 1861 at Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia, originally named Amazon, later American-owned. In 1872 she carried denatured alcohol from New York toward Genoa under Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs.
When and where was she found abandoned?
Dei Gratia sighted her on 4–5 December 1872 in the Atlantic east of the Azores. The last log-slate entry was 25 November near Santa Maria. No one was aboard. The small boat was missing.
Who should have been on board?
Ten people: Briggs, his wife Sarah, their daughter Sophia, and seven crew. None was found. No verified landing of the boat was ever recorded.
Did the cargo and ship look plundered?
Most of the 1,701 alcohol barrels were still there; a few were empty or leaking. Personal effects remained. The hull was sailed to Gibraltar. That is not the picture of a stripped prize.
What did the Gibraltar court decide?
The Vice-Admiralty court in 1873 granted salvage to Dei Gratia at a reduced figure and did not find murder, mutiny or a proven cause of abandonment. Attorney-General Solly-Flood’s suspicions were not adopted as a verdict.
Ship time begins in 1861. Mystery time is six weeks in 1872.
Dates below prefer log, boarding notes and the Gibraltar docket.
Timeline
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
- Launched as Amazon
Built at Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia. Later renamed Mary Celeste and placed under American ownership.
- Sails from New York
Briggs, family and seven crew leave for Genoa with 1,701 barrels of denatured alcohol.
- Last log-slate entry
Position near Santa Maria, Azores. No later writing from the ship’s company survives.
- Dei Gratia boards
Morehouse’s brigantine finds Mary Celeste abandoned. Deveau reports a missing boat and a still-workable hull.
- Arrival at Gibraltar
The derelict is brought in for salvage. Solly-Flood opens a suspicious inquiry.
- Salvage award
Vice-Admiralty court pays Dei Gratia a reduced award and does not find a cause for the abandonment.
- Ship returns to trade
Mary Celeste is released and works again under later masters. The ten people are not found.
- Conan Doyle’s story
“J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement” publishes Marie Celeste and a fictional plot that English memory will keep.
- Rochelais Reef wreck
The brigantine is lost off Haiti under Gilman Parker. Insurers suspect a staged wreck. It is a separate case.
- Fay’s documentary study
Charles Edey Fay’s The Story of the Mary Celeste sends English readers back to the Gibraltar paper and away from the warm-meal myth.
Claim versus timeline
Each public-record claim on this dossier sits beside the timeline chapter already on the page.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
Claim The ship’s name was Marie Celeste.
Timeline beat 7 Nov 1872 — Sails from New York
The registered name was Mary Celeste. Marie comes from Conan Doyle’s 1884 fiction.
Claim Dei Gratia’s men were found guilty of murder.
Timeline beat 25 Nov 1872 — Last log-slate entry
Solly-Flood suspected them. The court paid salvage and did not convict them of harming Briggs’s company.
Claim The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872.
Timeline beat 4–5 Dec 1872 — Dei Gratia boards
A later master and a later reef are a separate insurance episode. They do not place the 1872 boat.
Beat weight marks
Mark each timeline beat already on this dossier as supported, contested or unknown, using the public-record claims already filed here. Not a verdict.
Editorial marks on this device only. Public-record encyclopedia — not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
| Timeline beat | Supported / Contested / Unknown |
|---|---|
| 1861 — Launched as Amazon Claim already on file: The crew’s meal was still warm on the table. | |
| 7 Nov 1872 — Sails from New York Claim already on file: The ship’s name was Marie Celeste. | |
| 25 Nov 1872 — Last log-slate entry Claim already on file: Dei Gratia’s men were found guilty of murder. | |
| 4–5 Dec 1872 — Dei Gratia boards Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| Dec 1872 — Arrival at Gibraltar Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| 1873 — Salvage award Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| 1873–83 — Ship returns to trade Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| 1884 — Conan Doyle’s story Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| 1885 — Rochelais Reef wreck Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. | |
| 1942 — Fay’s documentary study Claim already on file: The 1885 Haiti wreck explains 1872. |
After 1873 the court paper ends and the magazine paper begins.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.