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Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
On December 4th, 1872, a 100-foot brigantine was discovered drifting through the North Atlantic without a soul on board. Not a sign of struggle, not a shred of damage, no ransacked cargo—and not a trace of the captain, his wife and daughter, or the crew. What happened on board the ghost ship Mary Celeste has baffled and tantalized the world for 130 years. In his stunning new book, award-winning journalist Brian Hicks plumbs the depths of this fabled nautical mystery and finally uncovers the truth.
The Mary Celeste was cursed as soon as she was launched on the Bay of Fundy in the spring of 1861. Her first captain died before completing the maiden voyage. In London she accidentally rammed and sank an English brig. Later she was abandoned after a storm drove her ashore at Cape Breton. But somehow the ship was recovered and refitted, and in the autumn of 1872 she fell to the reluctant command of a seasoned mariner named Benjamin Spooner Briggs. It was Briggs who was at the helm when the Mary Celeste sailed into history.
In Brian Hicks’s skilled hands, the story of the Mary Celeste becomes the quintessential tale of men lost at sea. Hicks vividly recreates the events leading up to the crew’s disappearance and then unfolds the complicated and bizarre aftermath—the dark suspicions that fell on the officers of the ship that intercepted her; the farcical Admiralty Court salvage hearing in Gibraltar; the wild myths that circulated after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a thinly disguised short story sensationalizing the mystery. Everything from a voodoo curse to an alien abduction has been hauled out to explain the fate of the Mary Celeste. But, as Brian Hicks reveals, the truth is actually grounded in the combined tragedies of human error and bad luck. The story of the Mary Celeste acquired yet another twist in 2001, when a team of divers funded by novelist Clive Cussler located the wreck in a coral reef off Haiti.
Written with the suspense of a thriller and the vivid accuracy of the best popular history, Ghost Ship tells the unforgettable true story of the most famous and most fascinating maritime mystery of all time.
From the Hardcover edition.
The Mary Celeste was cursed as soon as she was launched on the Bay of Fundy in the spring of 1861. Her first captain died before completing the maiden voyage. In London she accidentally rammed and sank an English brig. Later she was abandoned after a storm drove her ashore at Cape Breton. But somehow the ship was recovered and refitted, and in the autumn of 1872 she fell to the reluctant command of a seasoned mariner named Benjamin Spooner Briggs. It was Briggs who was at the helm when the Mary Celeste sailed into history.
In Brian Hicks’s skilled hands, the story of the Mary Celeste becomes the quintessential tale of men lost at sea. Hicks vividly recreates the events leading up to the crew’s disappearance and then unfolds the complicated and bizarre aftermath—the dark suspicions that fell on the officers of the ship that intercepted her; the farcical Admiralty Court salvage hearing in Gibraltar; the wild myths that circulated after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a thinly disguised short story sensationalizing the mystery. Everything from a voodoo curse to an alien abduction has been hauled out to explain the fate of the Mary Celeste. But, as Brian Hicks reveals, the truth is actually grounded in the combined tragedies of human error and bad luck. The story of the Mary Celeste acquired yet another twist in 2001, when a team of divers funded by novelist Clive Cussler located the wreck in a coral reef off Haiti.
Written with the suspense of a thriller and the vivid accuracy of the best popular history, Ghost Ship tells the unforgettable true story of the most famous and most fascinating maritime mystery of all time.
From the Hardcover edition.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 1980
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4172 people want to read
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October 6, 2024
“The Dei Gratia crew found no serious weather damage [to the Mary Celeste], no trace of a struggle, or any other sign of trouble that would have made veteran sailors abandon ship in the middle of the ocean. Stranger still, the crew had left behind foul-weather gear, personal belongings, even their pipes – things they almost certainly would have taken, or would have been wearing during a storm. There were other things that seemed more than a little peculiar: The form of a sleeping child was imprinted in the wet mattress of one bunk, a few barrels of alcohol had broken open or leaked in the hold, and there was a decorative sword in the captain’s cabin, its blade peppered with a reddish stain. The last entry in the Mary Celeste’s logbook was an innocuous notation made ten days earlier that suggested nothing but a routine passage – and placed the ship more than 300 miles west of its current position…”
- Brian Hicks, Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
There are two great mysteries surrounding the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea on December 4, 1872. The first, obviously, is what happened to her entire crew, including Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter, all of whom were missing, despite no apparent damage to the vessel itself. The second has to do with the Mary Celeste’s durable hold on the imagination of so many, to this very day, despite the fact that literally thousands of ships have been abandoned at sea, and that the tragedy of this particular ship, and the ten lost souls – while very real to those effected – is relatively small.
Brian Hicks takes a real crack at answering the first question – while only acknowledging the second – in his brisk, yet deeply-researched Ghost Ship. While not a great book, it’s certainly a good one, and a good sea-tale is always worth something.
***
The hard proofs regarding the Mary Celeste are few in number. As noted above, she was found adrift by the crew of the Dei Gratia, with not a person onboard. The Dei Gratia’s first mate managed to sail the Mary Celeste into Gibraltar, hoping for a salvage reward. There, an overzealous prosecutor accused the Dei Gratia crew of murder, though he had to eventually back down due to a lack of evidence. Eventually, a small prize was awarded, and the Mary Celeste returned to her owners. In later years, she was deliberately run into a reef as part of an insurance scam.
This nucleus provides just enough material for a magazine article. In order to fatten this out to book size, Hicks necessarily has to add some filler. Thus, after a prologue in which the Mary Celeste is discovered crewless on the open sea, Hicks loops back to provide some deep background.
To that end, there is a chapter on the building of the Mary Celeste, which also covers her early career sailing under the name Amazon. Another chapter is devoted to Captain Briggs, as well as Briggs’s extended seafaring family. Hicks also recounts the final voyage, at least as far as the documentary record can take us.
***
I’ve often said that there is nothing inherently wrong with padding in a book. If we stripped everything down to its essence, reading would not be much fun. Obviously, writing is meant to communicate information, but books are also meant to enrich, enliven, and entertain. If you want the Dragnet approach – just the facts – you can get that online. The important question is not whether or not there is filler, but whether that filler serves a worthwhile purpose.
Here, the additional, nonessential material is hit and miss. This is not exactly surprising. Indeed, having read a lot of books on mysterious events lacking a broad factual basis, I have come to expect this.
For me, the sections devoted to the Mary Celeste’s pre-disaster career, as well as the biographical information about the Briggs family, was tedious. One is tempted to call it mere trivia, but that presupposes that any of this knowledge might someday be useful at a bar or church trivia night. It’s sub-trivia. Hicks’s chapter on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional-but-accepted-as-true story J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement is relevant, yet lackluster.
On the other hand, I liked Hicks’s evocation of seafaring in the last days of sail. Believe it or not, his account of the Gibraltar prize court is also quite interesting, dealing with the specialized arcana of maritime law.
Whether or not you ever pick up Ghost Ship will depend on whether you are already interested in maritime legends, in inexplicable disappearances in general, or in this disappearance in particular. Whether or not you like Ghost Ship will depend on how charitable you are feeling.
Many parts are draggy. Many parts are repetitive. Sometimes, it’s so repetitive that the exact same sentences are used. Some parts barely belong. For instance, there is a chapter on the Bermuda Triangle that is only germane in the broadest sense of the term. Still, I accepted it, because it’s interesting. The 1945 disappearance of the five Avengers of Flight 19 has nothing to do with the Mary Celeste, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a chilling occurrence out of The Twilight Zone.
***
A book like Ghost Ship rests largely on whether it can provide an answer. Not the answer, of course, but some possible solution. Hicks does this. His theory is weird enough to avoid being boring, but plausible enough to take advantage of all the corroborated facts about the physical condition of the Mary Celeste on the day she was found. When Hicks presented his narrative version of what might have happened, I found myself envisioning it quite vividly.
***
As Hicks notes, abandoned ships – or derelicts, as they were known – were not uncommon in the 19th century. To the contrary, in one seven-year stretch, the American Hydrographic Office listed 1,628 such derelicts bobbing aimlessly upon the waves. The vast majority of these vessels have never been known, much less forgotten. For some reason, though, the Mary Celeste has endured, the fate of her crew attributed to mutiny, rogue wave, aliens, pirates, and a tortuously elongated Bermuda Triangle. In the end, though, it was probably an accident that forced Briggs, his family, and his crew from their ship, and then killed them; and like many accidents, death came as the dismal sum of many small mistakes, each one harmless in isolation, but unforgiving in combination.
- Brian Hicks, Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
There are two great mysteries surrounding the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea on December 4, 1872. The first, obviously, is what happened to her entire crew, including Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter, all of whom were missing, despite no apparent damage to the vessel itself. The second has to do with the Mary Celeste’s durable hold on the imagination of so many, to this very day, despite the fact that literally thousands of ships have been abandoned at sea, and that the tragedy of this particular ship, and the ten lost souls – while very real to those effected – is relatively small.
Brian Hicks takes a real crack at answering the first question – while only acknowledging the second – in his brisk, yet deeply-researched Ghost Ship. While not a great book, it’s certainly a good one, and a good sea-tale is always worth something.
***
The hard proofs regarding the Mary Celeste are few in number. As noted above, she was found adrift by the crew of the Dei Gratia, with not a person onboard. The Dei Gratia’s first mate managed to sail the Mary Celeste into Gibraltar, hoping for a salvage reward. There, an overzealous prosecutor accused the Dei Gratia crew of murder, though he had to eventually back down due to a lack of evidence. Eventually, a small prize was awarded, and the Mary Celeste returned to her owners. In later years, she was deliberately run into a reef as part of an insurance scam.
This nucleus provides just enough material for a magazine article. In order to fatten this out to book size, Hicks necessarily has to add some filler. Thus, after a prologue in which the Mary Celeste is discovered crewless on the open sea, Hicks loops back to provide some deep background.
To that end, there is a chapter on the building of the Mary Celeste, which also covers her early career sailing under the name Amazon. Another chapter is devoted to Captain Briggs, as well as Briggs’s extended seafaring family. Hicks also recounts the final voyage, at least as far as the documentary record can take us.
***
I’ve often said that there is nothing inherently wrong with padding in a book. If we stripped everything down to its essence, reading would not be much fun. Obviously, writing is meant to communicate information, but books are also meant to enrich, enliven, and entertain. If you want the Dragnet approach – just the facts – you can get that online. The important question is not whether or not there is filler, but whether that filler serves a worthwhile purpose.
Here, the additional, nonessential material is hit and miss. This is not exactly surprising. Indeed, having read a lot of books on mysterious events lacking a broad factual basis, I have come to expect this.
For me, the sections devoted to the Mary Celeste’s pre-disaster career, as well as the biographical information about the Briggs family, was tedious. One is tempted to call it mere trivia, but that presupposes that any of this knowledge might someday be useful at a bar or church trivia night. It’s sub-trivia. Hicks’s chapter on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional-but-accepted-as-true story J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement is relevant, yet lackluster.
On the other hand, I liked Hicks’s evocation of seafaring in the last days of sail. Believe it or not, his account of the Gibraltar prize court is also quite interesting, dealing with the specialized arcana of maritime law.
Whether or not you ever pick up Ghost Ship will depend on whether you are already interested in maritime legends, in inexplicable disappearances in general, or in this disappearance in particular. Whether or not you like Ghost Ship will depend on how charitable you are feeling.
Many parts are draggy. Many parts are repetitive. Sometimes, it’s so repetitive that the exact same sentences are used. Some parts barely belong. For instance, there is a chapter on the Bermuda Triangle that is only germane in the broadest sense of the term. Still, I accepted it, because it’s interesting. The 1945 disappearance of the five Avengers of Flight 19 has nothing to do with the Mary Celeste, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a chilling occurrence out of The Twilight Zone.
***
A book like Ghost Ship rests largely on whether it can provide an answer. Not the answer, of course, but some possible solution. Hicks does this. His theory is weird enough to avoid being boring, but plausible enough to take advantage of all the corroborated facts about the physical condition of the Mary Celeste on the day she was found. When Hicks presented his narrative version of what might have happened, I found myself envisioning it quite vividly.
***
As Hicks notes, abandoned ships – or derelicts, as they were known – were not uncommon in the 19th century. To the contrary, in one seven-year stretch, the American Hydrographic Office listed 1,628 such derelicts bobbing aimlessly upon the waves. The vast majority of these vessels have never been known, much less forgotten. For some reason, though, the Mary Celeste has endured, the fate of her crew attributed to mutiny, rogue wave, aliens, pirates, and a tortuously elongated Bermuda Triangle. In the end, though, it was probably an accident that forced Briggs, his family, and his crew from their ship, and then killed them; and like many accidents, death came as the dismal sum of many small mistakes, each one harmless in isolation, but unforgiving in combination.
November 7, 2024
A good read, but with repetitions and confusing and unnecessary digressions.
August 9, 2025
This book is non-fiction that analyzes the history of the sailing ship Mary Celeste from its launch in the Bay of Fundy in 1861, fateful voyage in 1872 that made her legend, and final demise. On December 4, 1872, the Mary Celeste was discovered drifting in the North Atlantic without a soul aboard, despite showing no signs of struggle, little damage, and no theft of cargo. This book is the author’s attempt to resolve the mystery of what happened.
The work is structured chronologically. Hicks carefully reconstructs the events leading to the crew's disappearance, examines the circumstances surrounding the discovery by the Dei Gratia, and relates the complex legal proceedings in Gibraltar that followed. The narrative extends beyond the mystery itself. It traces how the legend developed and methodically deconstructs each of the previously proposed theories.
The setup and initial mystery are well crafted in the manner of a storyteller. It does not give away the proposed solution but drops hints along the way, almost like a mystery-thriller. It bogs down a bit in the mid-section with a few notably outlandish theories (do we really need to debunk the alien abduction theory?). It also incorporates biographical information about key figures such as Captain Briggs and his seafaring family.
Hicks analyzes how legends develop and persist. It also shows how conspiracy theories proliferate. Of course, we will never truly know what happened, but the proposed solution is plausible and backed up with evidence. It occasionally contains an overabundance of detail and a bit of repetition, but I found it informative and entertaining. It sheds light on an eerie disappearance that has been the subject of speculation for over a century.
The work is structured chronologically. Hicks carefully reconstructs the events leading to the crew's disappearance, examines the circumstances surrounding the discovery by the Dei Gratia, and relates the complex legal proceedings in Gibraltar that followed. The narrative extends beyond the mystery itself. It traces how the legend developed and methodically deconstructs each of the previously proposed theories.
The setup and initial mystery are well crafted in the manner of a storyteller. It does not give away the proposed solution but drops hints along the way, almost like a mystery-thriller. It bogs down a bit in the mid-section with a few notably outlandish theories (do we really need to debunk the alien abduction theory?). It also incorporates biographical information about key figures such as Captain Briggs and his seafaring family.
Hicks analyzes how legends develop and persist. It also shows how conspiracy theories proliferate. Of course, we will never truly know what happened, but the proposed solution is plausible and backed up with evidence. It occasionally contains an overabundance of detail and a bit of repetition, but I found it informative and entertaining. It sheds light on an eerie disappearance that has been the subject of speculation for over a century.
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July 19, 2022
⤅ Non-Fiction Book of the Month: July
I've always been interested in strange goings-on, whether on land or sea, and the Mary Celeste takes the cake in that department.
Ever since I first read about it on Wikipedia, I've been dying for a proper full-length exploration that puts forward a credible theory and tells me more about the fateful journey. Hicks's book is largely that: starting with a history of the ship's birth and the antecedents of its captain, Benjamin Briggs, he then goes all the way through to its disappearance, discovery by the Dei Gratia, court cases, and future sinking in an insurance scam. The epilogue even details the wreck's exploration by divers. I really liked this synoptic overview, even if the very beginning was a little boring.
Also, can I just say how remarkably unfortunate Briggs's family was? He was one of seven siblings, and SIX of them (including him) were lost at sea! One of his brothers drowned just the month or so after his disappearance. The only one to survive was the other brother who didn't become a professional sailor; even his only sister was lost at sea with her own husband, and their orphaned child barely outlived them. His father died in a freak lightning accident, and untimely death just generally dogged the family. It's enough to make you believe in curses (if you didn't already).
I like Hicks's own theory of what happened, and it fits the facts. My biggest quibble however is that the end of the book was unnecessarily padded out by extra chapters on firstly, the long list of hoaxes regarding the Mary Celeste which have popped up over the years, and secondly a COMPLETELY irrelevant chapter on the Bermuda Triangle. He rambles on about other mysterious disappearances like Flight 19, which isn't even a ship! It felt like he desperately needed more chapters before he could submit to his publisher, so grasped at straws.
The writing style also isn't amazing. Hicks isn't a natural creative writer, so the chapters where he tried to bring the incident to life in narrative form felt a little flat. It much improved when we got to the chapters on the court case and he was on firmer ground.
Overall, a good guide to the mystery.
I've always been interested in strange goings-on, whether on land or sea, and the Mary Celeste takes the cake in that department.
Ever since I first read about it on Wikipedia, I've been dying for a proper full-length exploration that puts forward a credible theory and tells me more about the fateful journey. Hicks's book is largely that: starting with a history of the ship's birth and the antecedents of its captain, Benjamin Briggs, he then goes all the way through to its disappearance, discovery by the Dei Gratia, court cases, and future sinking in an insurance scam. The epilogue even details the wreck's exploration by divers. I really liked this synoptic overview, even if the very beginning was a little boring.
Also, can I just say how remarkably unfortunate Briggs's family was? He was one of seven siblings, and SIX of them (including him) were lost at sea! One of his brothers drowned just the month or so after his disappearance. The only one to survive was the other brother who didn't become a professional sailor; even his only sister was lost at sea with her own husband, and their orphaned child barely outlived them. His father died in a freak lightning accident, and untimely death just generally dogged the family. It's enough to make you believe in curses (if you didn't already).
I like Hicks's own theory of what happened, and it fits the facts. My biggest quibble however is that the end of the book was unnecessarily padded out by extra chapters on firstly, the long list of hoaxes regarding the Mary Celeste which have popped up over the years, and secondly a COMPLETELY irrelevant chapter on the Bermuda Triangle. He rambles on about other mysterious disappearances like Flight 19, which isn't even a ship! It felt like he desperately needed more chapters before he could submit to his publisher, so grasped at straws.
The writing style also isn't amazing. Hicks isn't a natural creative writer, so the chapters where he tried to bring the incident to life in narrative form felt a little flat. It much improved when we got to the chapters on the court case and he was on firmer ground.
Overall, a good guide to the mystery.
July 3, 2009
The Mary Celeste sailed from New York in 1872 and was found floating derelict about a month later. The ship was in fine condition and the people who found the boat saw no sign of struggle or violence. In fact, there were also signs that the crew likely did not abandon ship, as they left their foul weather gear and pipes (two things sailors in the day apparently never traveled without).
Hicks does a great job of weaving the course of the ship’s life and its passengers together toward the tangled mystery at the heart of the affair. He gets to the mystery at roughly the halfway point and spends the rest of the book explaining the aftermath, the various theories, and his own proposed solution. Some more thoughts:
* The two things that make this story particularly terrifying are the exceptionally good condition in which the boat was found and the presence of a two-year-old girl on board (along with the captain’s wife).
* Hicks presents a compelling case for his own pet theory which, I must say, explains all the evidence better than anything else (as far as I can see). You can read a bit about it on Wikipedia’s Mary Celeste article if you’re interested.
* Hicks oscillates between history and biography with aplomb, and the book stands astride the divide between the two.
* I like the discussions of the Bermuda triangle and other strange sea stories. It’s amusing, in the wake of Air France flight 447 that disappeared in the ocean a month ago to learn that part of the uproar over the Mary Celeste stemmed from a feeling that in the modern era (mid-late nineteenth century), man should have dominion over the sea; there should be no unexplainable mysteries.
A jaunty tale well told and worth reading.
Hicks does a great job of weaving the course of the ship’s life and its passengers together toward the tangled mystery at the heart of the affair. He gets to the mystery at roughly the halfway point and spends the rest of the book explaining the aftermath, the various theories, and his own proposed solution. Some more thoughts:
* The two things that make this story particularly terrifying are the exceptionally good condition in which the boat was found and the presence of a two-year-old girl on board (along with the captain’s wife).
* Hicks presents a compelling case for his own pet theory which, I must say, explains all the evidence better than anything else (as far as I can see). You can read a bit about it on Wikipedia’s Mary Celeste article if you’re interested.
* Hicks oscillates between history and biography with aplomb, and the book stands astride the divide between the two.
* I like the discussions of the Bermuda triangle and other strange sea stories. It’s amusing, in the wake of Air France flight 447 that disappeared in the ocean a month ago to learn that part of the uproar over the Mary Celeste stemmed from a feeling that in the modern era (mid-late nineteenth century), man should have dominion over the sea; there should be no unexplainable mysteries.
A jaunty tale well told and worth reading.
February 5, 2022
I'm fascinated by maritime disasters and yet, somehow, I had never heard of the Mary Celeste. Lark (larkwrites.blogspot.com) recommended this book to me and I'm so glad she did. It's a fascinating book about an intriguing unsolved mystery. Hicks offers a compelling, well-researched account of the incident, including both the known facts and the fictions that grew out of the strange tale. His emphasis on the ship's captain and his seafaring family makes the story especially intimate and personal. I also thought the sections about how the tale of the Mary Celeste changed over the years and became part of supernatural/Bermuda Triangle/alien lore were especially interesting. Overall, I found GHOST SHIP to be an engrossing, well-told tale that kept me eagerly turning pages.
May 20, 2012
I ran across this fascinating legend as a girl and have been curious about it ever since. After all, what could possibly have happened to an entire crew of a boat who simply vanished - clothes, food, pipes, nautical instruments, etc. all left behind? Even a child's indentation in a mattress left. How did they vanish?
Hicks researched the hell out of this book and at one point I got overwhelmed with the details; he included transcripts from the trials and personal information about the salvers. He even captured the personality of the dastardly Flood, the Admiralty Court surveyor who attempted to expose lies and fraud on the part of the Dei Gratia crew, who found the abandoned ship. Very, very well done.
I loved the information about the Bermuda Triangle and the first known planes to have vanished inside it. Hicks covered all sorts of crazy nautical tales and folklore. No wonder fisherman are superstitious - weird stuff happens out there.
And the ending…Hicks presents a plausible, logical, and fully believable story for the disappearance of the crew. Having read the entire book and sorted through the details, I believe Hicks and that's why I'm so sad. I wanted the haunted tale of the ghost ship to stay a mystery; but more of me wanted to know what happened. Simply put, I had to know. I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that Hicks' theory is just a theory and we'll never know for certain. But now I've gone and spoiled my mystery. Was it worth it? Yep.
Hicks researched the hell out of this book and at one point I got overwhelmed with the details; he included transcripts from the trials and personal information about the salvers. He even captured the personality of the dastardly Flood, the Admiralty Court surveyor who attempted to expose lies and fraud on the part of the Dei Gratia crew, who found the abandoned ship. Very, very well done.
I loved the information about the Bermuda Triangle and the first known planes to have vanished inside it. Hicks covered all sorts of crazy nautical tales and folklore. No wonder fisherman are superstitious - weird stuff happens out there.
And the ending…Hicks presents a plausible, logical, and fully believable story for the disappearance of the crew. Having read the entire book and sorted through the details, I believe Hicks and that's why I'm so sad. I wanted the haunted tale of the ghost ship to stay a mystery; but more of me wanted to know what happened. Simply put, I had to know. I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that Hicks' theory is just a theory and we'll never know for certain. But now I've gone and spoiled my mystery. Was it worth it? Yep.
September 4, 2025
This book was an unexpected find. It wasn’t on my radar, but when I stumbled upon it at my local library, it immediately piqued my interest. The book is a perfect example of how history can be written in a journalistic style that is both informative and gripping.
I had only a vague awareness of the Mary Celeste, mostly from pop culture references, and knew very little about the actual facts. This book changed that. Every chapter was a learning experience, and Mr. Hicks’ engaging writing style kept me hooked throughout. He structures the narrative beautifully, guiding the reader through the ship’s history and later presenting the many theories surrounding the crew’s mysterious disappearance.
What impressed me most was how Hicks cuts through the fog of misinformation. With so many myths surrounding the Mary Celeste, his fact-driven approach was refreshing. He not only lays out the evidence but also debunks some of the most persistent theories–grounding the story in reality.
In the end, I found myself agreeing with the author’s conclusion. His theory seems the most plausible, as unsettling as it is. Still, the mystery endures: we will likely never know with absolute certainty why the crew abandoned the ship or what their final moments were like.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, adventure, and mystery—without veering into true crime. Ghost Ship is a gem of narrative nonfiction and an excellent piece of journalistic storytelling.
I had only a vague awareness of the Mary Celeste, mostly from pop culture references, and knew very little about the actual facts. This book changed that. Every chapter was a learning experience, and Mr. Hicks’ engaging writing style kept me hooked throughout. He structures the narrative beautifully, guiding the reader through the ship’s history and later presenting the many theories surrounding the crew’s mysterious disappearance.
What impressed me most was how Hicks cuts through the fog of misinformation. With so many myths surrounding the Mary Celeste, his fact-driven approach was refreshing. He not only lays out the evidence but also debunks some of the most persistent theories–grounding the story in reality.
In the end, I found myself agreeing with the author’s conclusion. His theory seems the most plausible, as unsettling as it is. Still, the mystery endures: we will likely never know with absolute certainty why the crew abandoned the ship or what their final moments were like.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, adventure, and mystery—without veering into true crime. Ghost Ship is a gem of narrative nonfiction and an excellent piece of journalistic storytelling.
April 13, 2022
This was a good narrative about the history and mystery of the Mary Celeste and the missing crew. From the building of the ship to the legalities in attempting to salvage it to its final demise, it was fascinating. I especially appreciated the history of the many sailors and families whose lives were deeply affected by events surrounding the ship. The author presents many theories of what happened to the missing crew, theories that evolved over time to anything between reasonable to fantastical. In closing, the author presents his own theory that as he forewarns you, is less than exciting but entirely plausible.
While portions of it seemed to plod slowly, it still was very readable and informative. I'm glad I read it.
While portions of it seemed to plod slowly, it still was very readable and informative. I'm glad I read it.
June 10, 2021
True and sad accounting of the seemingly cursed brigantine, Mary Celeste, in the 1800s.
It seems that heartbreaking things just kept happened to the Briggs family, one after another.
The book is the back story on the family and the ship, as well as the many wild stories people came up with of what happened to the crew.
The author speculates on what probably did happen as well.
Too bad there wasn't a happy ending.
Photos were a nice addition.
It seems that heartbreaking things just kept happened to the Briggs family, one after another.
The book is the back story on the family and the ship, as well as the many wild stories people came up with of what happened to the crew.
The author speculates on what probably did happen as well.
Too bad there wasn't a happy ending.
Photos were a nice addition.
February 15, 2025
In fairness to the author... I do not generally enjoy nautical subject matter. I only read this because my book club selected it.
November 16, 2021
Over the years many ships have been found abandoned at sea. Most were damaged, abandoned in sinking condition; others likely had small crews perhaps swept overboard in a storm. But the 1872 discovery of the sailing vessel Mary Celeste continues to baffle all who examine the story. This relatively small sailing vessel was found sailing itself totally abandoned in 1872 and remains perhaps the greatest mystery of the sea. The sailing vessel was found without any meaningful damage whatsoever-- the torn sails, damaged rigging and couple of feet of water inside an undamaged hull were easily explained by sailing unattended for about 10 days as the ship's log showed from its last entry. The log explained nothing about any problem onboard. The cargo of industrial alchohol was untouched. If it was mutiny or pirates why was the ship and its cargo abandoned? If it was a bad storm, why was the ship essentially undamaged? There was no sign of fire and no real sign of violence.
Suspicion fell on the crew of the Dei Gratia, the ship that came across the abandoned Mary Celeste and who at great risk to both vessels due to splitting the small crew up, had sailed the Mary Celeste to a nearby port and sought salvage awards. But the truth was the salvage became mired for year and never amounted to much for anyone. But it seems the captain of the Dei Gratia knew the captain of the Mary Celeste yet never revealed that relationship. Who comes across a friend's ship with the friend missing and does not express angst? Yet it seems from the get go, the captain of the Dei Gratia wanted little to do with salvaging the Mary Celeste and only acceeded to his crew's request to take over the potentially valuable virtually undamaged ship after all none of them were wealthy and they could little overlook the potential of a salvage award.
While this book does a good job of examining the facts of the case it does little in the way of suggesting plausible solutions to the mystery. To me, the only explanation is that the Mary Celeste was found in a stormy mid-ocean with literally its every hatch open and even skylights open. Ships at sea don't sail this way. I feel, as other writers have opined, that the ships' alchohol cargo potentially explosive, somehow became partially spilled and malodorous. The captain, inexperienced in this kind of chemical, and panicked because his wife and young daughter were aboard, loaded his family and crew into a lifeboat while ordering the ship ventillated. Somehow the line parting them to the Mary Celete parted and the ship sailed on leaving them to their fate. This might make some sense but really, what captain would leave sails set while leaving his ship to the shelter of a tethered lifeboat?
Over 150 years later the mystery of the Mary Celeste will likely never be solved but this book keeps the ship's memory alive.
Suspicion fell on the crew of the Dei Gratia, the ship that came across the abandoned Mary Celeste and who at great risk to both vessels due to splitting the small crew up, had sailed the Mary Celeste to a nearby port and sought salvage awards. But the truth was the salvage became mired for year and never amounted to much for anyone. But it seems the captain of the Dei Gratia knew the captain of the Mary Celeste yet never revealed that relationship. Who comes across a friend's ship with the friend missing and does not express angst? Yet it seems from the get go, the captain of the Dei Gratia wanted little to do with salvaging the Mary Celeste and only acceeded to his crew's request to take over the potentially valuable virtually undamaged ship after all none of them were wealthy and they could little overlook the potential of a salvage award.
While this book does a good job of examining the facts of the case it does little in the way of suggesting plausible solutions to the mystery. To me, the only explanation is that the Mary Celeste was found in a stormy mid-ocean with literally its every hatch open and even skylights open. Ships at sea don't sail this way. I feel, as other writers have opined, that the ships' alchohol cargo potentially explosive, somehow became partially spilled and malodorous. The captain, inexperienced in this kind of chemical, and panicked because his wife and young daughter were aboard, loaded his family and crew into a lifeboat while ordering the ship ventillated. Somehow the line parting them to the Mary Celete parted and the ship sailed on leaving them to their fate. This might make some sense but really, what captain would leave sails set while leaving his ship to the shelter of a tethered lifeboat?
Over 150 years later the mystery of the Mary Celeste will likely never be solved but this book keeps the ship's memory alive.
February 20, 2017
While Hicks is admittedly not a historian by trade, his style is both engaging and readable, and his meticulous research shines through despite his lack of a degree. He makes a compelling case for what ultimately happened to the unfortunate cast of the Mary Celeste. He also keeps the book interesting and relevant long after the events of the incident in question. While the book reads almost like a mystery novel, it never strays from documented fact and remains primarily a work of scholarship with a solid thesis.
The whole case can leave a reader feeling tormented by the mystery. It is a truly eerie tale, but in the end, Hicks provides an appropriately reasonable and mundane explanation for the disappearance. No one will ever truly be able to prove or disprove the truth behind the sad fates of the Mary Celeste’s vanished crew, but the theory advocated by Brian Hicks is not only plausible, even likely; it, most importantly, respects the memories of the crew.
The whole case can leave a reader feeling tormented by the mystery. It is a truly eerie tale, but in the end, Hicks provides an appropriately reasonable and mundane explanation for the disappearance. No one will ever truly be able to prove or disprove the truth behind the sad fates of the Mary Celeste’s vanished crew, but the theory advocated by Brian Hicks is not only plausible, even likely; it, most importantly, respects the memories of the crew.
October 13, 2016
I watched a TV special on ghost ships that terrified me, some time before I turned 12, although I was quite thoroughly landlocked. with this book, you get the satisfaction of the mystery and mystical (including a brief treatment of the Bermuda triangle), while also reaching the author's own, fairly convincing, explanation of what occurred. (I had given up on ever knowing, so it was a good twist.) there's quite a bit about the captain of the ship and his family's many seafaring tragedies, followed by a long section covering the trial to determine the salver's award. it was interesting to read but not what made the book interesting to me. from my modern perspective, it's so weird and uncomfortable when something can't be explained.
March 28, 2017
I have been fascinated with this story since I was a little girl. I spent my early years on the east coast because my father was in the Navy. I remember (although I must have been 4 or 5 years old) standing on the beach in North Carolina and watching the ships on the ocean. I read about this book in a book about unsolved mysteries. And like everyone else, I thought I had heard the "real" story of the Mary Celeste. But Brian Hicks has painstakingly researched Captain Benjamin Briggs' life and his crew. This story delves into the various theories that have arisen over the years and introduces what just may be the answer to this mystery. The book is well written and highlights the Brigg's family who lost so much.
October 7, 2020
This book has three parts - the first deals mostly with origins. It covers the building of the Amazon, later to be changed to Mary Celeste and the life and family of Captain Briggs. Part two deals with the salvage trial. The last part breaks down different theories of what may have happened to the crew and the author gives his most likely scenario based on the research. The Bermuda Triangle is also briefly touched upon. Included is an epilogue detailing the search for the sunken remains.
May 8, 2024
Completely fascinating and well-researched. I was enthralled learning about the sea-faring legacy of the Briggs family. Hicks revisits pretty much every theory that ever existed about what happened to the crew on the Mary Celeste, and then provides his own interpretation which I found very possible and reasonable.
August 31, 2016
There was a good story somewhere in there, but the author's presentation of it left much to be desired IMO.
April 8, 2023
4.5 ⭐️. <-- stealing this idea from Kaily.
This was a very good nonfiction read. Nonfiction is typically not my bag, but I think ship wrecks and ghost ships are so fascinating.
I instally thought this book was a bit dry, but then I came to realize that the author is having to slice through so much hype, legend, and speculation surrounding the Mary Celeste. It was very restrained of the author to be so respectful about the lives lost aboard.
The book gives context to the time period and to the family of the captain. He takes you through the history of the boat and the aftermath behind the disappearance of the crew. Much of the book is documenting errant statements submitted to papers, and one especially one fanciful tale of a "survivor" that most people took for truth, from which came wrong facts that propagated through history (Bombastic side eye to Sir Author Conan Doyle).
I only dock this book a half star because the order of some parts of the book ruined some of the suspense.
This was a very good nonfiction read. Nonfiction is typically not my bag, but I think ship wrecks and ghost ships are so fascinating.
I instally thought this book was a bit dry, but then I came to realize that the author is having to slice through so much hype, legend, and speculation surrounding the Mary Celeste. It was very restrained of the author to be so respectful about the lives lost aboard.
The book gives context to the time period and to the family of the captain. He takes you through the history of the boat and the aftermath behind the disappearance of the crew. Much of the book is documenting errant statements submitted to papers, and one especially one fanciful tale of a "survivor" that most people took for truth, from which came wrong facts that propagated through history (Bombastic side eye to Sir Author Conan Doyle).
I only dock this book a half star because the order of some parts of the book ruined some of the suspense.
September 27, 2017
Very well written and informative book about a very interesting subject. I had read just a bit about this ship in another book I read a while ago, so when I saw this, I figured I would give it a try. It did not disappoint. Although the title says "True Story", you do not really get a definitive answer as to exactly what happened. I don't think there ever will be a definitive answer. But you do get a lot of history about the ship and the people involved, as well as a number of theories as to what happened. If you are into this type of seafaring adventure, this is a good read.
December 29, 2024
As far as non-fiction goes, it was as expected. A good outlining of the history and found materials for this story. But I only picked it to read because the description says the author finds the true reason the crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared. SPOILER: it's all judt theories. Some plausible of course. But he tries to claim the Bermuda Triangle is a "good" theory.... My least favorite genre of TV, unsolved mysteries. What is the point? Meh, but I can't fault good writing and fine journalism at least, so 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2025
Very interesting book about a ship that gone astray and the lengths they went to try and find this ship! Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew by Brian Hicks. I thought this was quite good. Non-Fiction
October 12, 2025
In 1872 the Mary Celeste is found floating aimlessly in the misty fog with no crew and no trace of violence. No spoilers here because this you know in the early pages. Then society must solve the mystery or profit from it. Newspapers fuel superstition, speculation. Insurance claims are made. trials held. Books written as the drama proceeds for decades. This book does a good job of taking you back in time and putting you into the lives of those affected by the mysterious ship and the politics behind the investigation. This is a good book. Not great. A worthy read though. The journey is interesting though the ending is ....meh.
November 7, 2017
Very interesting story about the Mary Celeste that was found off of Gibraltar with her crew and captain missing. I did skip a little of all the nutcase stories that were circulating over the years. I felt very satisfied with the authors theory. Great read!
December 15, 2019
nice job weaving the stories and history. satisfying conclusion. well written and appreciate the notes and bibliography.
November 21, 2017
I was amazed at the author's ability to create a story around a historical event with limited facts. The theories put forward over the years about the Mary Celeste are fascinating. A few chapters felt like they were merely filler (e.g. alien abductions) but all in all a good read. I thought the author's own theory regarding what happened to the ship's crew made a lot of sense.
December 16, 2016
Flying Dutchman...Mary Celeste...the names bring to mind tales of horror, mistery, murder and sadness...but how much do we really know about what happened, and how much is lore and legend, distorted as the years go by, many times a mix of facts and fiction created by the pen of talented writers?
On December 4th, 1872, a 100-foot brigantine was discovered drifting through the North Atlantic without a soul on board. The were no signs of struggle, hardly any damage, and no ransacked cargo...what on earth had happened to the captain, his family and the crew of the Mary Celeste?
That is the question that has baffled and tantalized the world for over 100 years and that in this very interesting and engaging book by Mr. Hicks is answered...perhaps for the time ever correctly?
The author does a great job not only portraying the events leading up to the crew’s disappearance, but also telling the origins of the Mary Celeste, where she was built, her voyages when she was called Amazon and how she, by sea standards anyways, was "cursed" right from the beginning.
He introduces us to its final captain, a good men and a good sailor, from a family not baffled by luck when it came to the sea, but that always did its best and carried on no matter what.
Then on December 4th the crew of the Deo Gratia stumbles her, "moving in a weird manner" and some men are sent aboard to investigate...the rest is history, or is it?
What the general public doesn't know and is very engagingly explained is the complicated and frankly bizarre aftermath of the salvage of the Mary Celeste —the suspicions that fell on the officers of the ship that intercepted her; the court salvage hearing in Gibraltar that turns into a circus of lets find someone to blame; the wild myths that circulated after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a thinly disguised short story that is a risk saying the main "culprit" for the legends that circulate to these days and that, upon publishing, was taken as gospel truth by many.
Everything, and i do mean everything, has been thrown out there in order to explain the fate of the Mary Celeste - voodoo, alien abduction, sea monsters, you name it!
But, as Brian Hicks proposes, the truth is more likely a sad mix of human error and just plain bad luck.
Bad Luck followed the ship everywhere and after the disappearance of crew and captain she was avoided like the plague and, whenever actually set to sail, gave no profit, just kept sucking money out of every owners pockets, until the day she was purposefully sunk to claim insurance money some will say, but also i think to rid the owner of its "evil effects".
This is a surprisingly easy read and, to me anyways, was a treasure trove of information - its is very well researched and the pace of the narrative is "smooth sailing" even if, in the chapters pertaining the hearing anyways, the smooth sailing can feel a bit slow, given the amount of detail the author provides.
still all in all, if for no other reason than to show you what us what is known fact and what is myth..the rest, well only the sea knows what happened....
On December 4th, 1872, a 100-foot brigantine was discovered drifting through the North Atlantic without a soul on board. The were no signs of struggle, hardly any damage, and no ransacked cargo...what on earth had happened to the captain, his family and the crew of the Mary Celeste?
That is the question that has baffled and tantalized the world for over 100 years and that in this very interesting and engaging book by Mr. Hicks is answered...perhaps for the time ever correctly?
The author does a great job not only portraying the events leading up to the crew’s disappearance, but also telling the origins of the Mary Celeste, where she was built, her voyages when she was called Amazon and how she, by sea standards anyways, was "cursed" right from the beginning.
He introduces us to its final captain, a good men and a good sailor, from a family not baffled by luck when it came to the sea, but that always did its best and carried on no matter what.
Then on December 4th the crew of the Deo Gratia stumbles her, "moving in a weird manner" and some men are sent aboard to investigate...the rest is history, or is it?
What the general public doesn't know and is very engagingly explained is the complicated and frankly bizarre aftermath of the salvage of the Mary Celeste —the suspicions that fell on the officers of the ship that intercepted her; the court salvage hearing in Gibraltar that turns into a circus of lets find someone to blame; the wild myths that circulated after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a thinly disguised short story that is a risk saying the main "culprit" for the legends that circulate to these days and that, upon publishing, was taken as gospel truth by many.
Everything, and i do mean everything, has been thrown out there in order to explain the fate of the Mary Celeste - voodoo, alien abduction, sea monsters, you name it!
But, as Brian Hicks proposes, the truth is more likely a sad mix of human error and just plain bad luck.
Bad Luck followed the ship everywhere and after the disappearance of crew and captain she was avoided like the plague and, whenever actually set to sail, gave no profit, just kept sucking money out of every owners pockets, until the day she was purposefully sunk to claim insurance money some will say, but also i think to rid the owner of its "evil effects".
This is a surprisingly easy read and, to me anyways, was a treasure trove of information - its is very well researched and the pace of the narrative is "smooth sailing" even if, in the chapters pertaining the hearing anyways, the smooth sailing can feel a bit slow, given the amount of detail the author provides.
still all in all, if for no other reason than to show you what us what is known fact and what is myth..the rest, well only the sea knows what happened....
November 29, 2019
A reliable narration of one of the world's more endearing enigmas, ending with an explanation that's haunting and so much sadder than the most salacious stories.
May 23, 2019
A good solid 4 stars for (1) a gripping, edge-of-the seat story in the first third, (2) a rather long, slow middle, and (3) a nice satisfying ending with a possible explanation that works.
I really enjoyed getting to know the family at the beginning, which made the story so very poignant. As with John and Abigail Adams, this family also wrote a lot of letters, which made them come alive. When I get to know people from long ago, from their intimate letters, it always amazes me how, despite a separation of time and culture, we are so much alike. A very engaging read.
I really enjoyed getting to know the family at the beginning, which made the story so very poignant. As with John and Abigail Adams, this family also wrote a lot of letters, which made them come alive. When I get to know people from long ago, from their intimate letters, it always amazes me how, despite a separation of time and culture, we are so much alike. A very engaging read.
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