The mystery of the Mary Celeste is a riddle that has fascinated many for 150 years – and now one scientist has tested a possible explanation for the abandoned vessel.
The ghost ship has been the subject of more than a century of mystery after it set sail from New York Harbour in 1872 and was found – completely deserted – 400 miles east of the Azores by British ship Dei Gratia.
The commander of Dei Gratia, David Morehouse, diverted course in order to help the boat, which had set off eight days before them, and sent his crew aboard.
However, what they found only deepened the mystery, and gave rise to suggestions of foul play, natural phenomena, and even a giant octopus attack.
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The Mary Celeste had no sign of human life onboard, but the crew's belongings remained, as did a six-month supply of food, water and 1,701 gallons of industrial alcohol.
The ship’s lifeboat had been taken, however, and there was some three foot of water in the hold.
While there are a host of theories, one scientist has tested one possible explanation that may have attributed to the boat’s abandonment – an alcohol explosion.
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The theory goes that some of the alcohol could have exploded, which caused Captain Benjamin S. Briggs to panic and order his crew to board the lifeboat. Although it sounds plausible, there is one issue – there were no signs of fire or explosion on the ship when it was found.
Dr Andrea Sella, from University College London, tested the theory and built a replica of the Mary Celeste’s for a Channel 5 documentary in 2006.
For the experiment, he used butane gas and cubes of paper to simulate wooden barrels, and remarkably, the following explosion didn’t burn, blacken or damage the replica’s hold.
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Dr Sella said at the time: "What we created was a pressure-wave type of explosion."
"There was a spectacular wave of flame but, behind it, was relatively cool air. No soot was left behind and there was no burning or scorching.
"Given all the facts we have, this replicates conditions on board the Mary Celeste. The explosion would have been enough to blow open the hatches and would have been completely terrifying for everyone on board."
Dr Sella added: "It is the most compelling explanation. Of all those suggested, it fits the facts best and explains why they were so keen to get off the ship."
Lisa McLoughlin