We Care!

The mystery of the
Mary
Celeste
Nova Scotia’s Ghost Ship
Four hundred miles off the coast of Portugal on December 4, 1872, two
ships built in Nova Scotia had an unexpected encounter that would enter
the history books as one of the Atlantic Ocean’s enduring mysteries.
By Virginia Beaton
In the early afternoon, one of
the sailors of the brigantine
Dei Gratia, which was en route
to Italy, noticed a ship on the
horizon. He observed that the
vessel was carrying very little
sail and her progress seemed
erratic. Alert to the possibility
that the ship might be in distress,
several of the sailors informed
the captain of Dei Gratia, Captain
Morehouse, who directed his
vessel closer in order to offer
help if necessary.
When Dei Gratia came within a
quarter mile of the other ship, the
crew could see that there were
no sailors at work on deck. That
in itself was highly unusual, and
Captain Morehouse told his first
mate, Oliver Deveau, to take two
sailors in a lifeboat and approach
to investigate in case those on
board were in difficulties.
While one sailor waited in the
lifeboat, Deveau and another
sailor, named Wright, went
aboard the brigantine where they
were greeted by silence. Nobody
answered when they called out
and as the two men searched
the ship, it became evident
that something peculiar had
happened.
There was no evidence of violence
or a struggle of any sort but several
of the sails were in tatters. Two of
the hatches were open, there was
water standing in the galley and
three feet of water standing in the
hold, one of the pumps was broken
and the binnacle (the box that held
the compass) lay smashed on the
deck. The compass was there as
well, broken in pieces.