What the record says
Benjamin Spooner Briggs (April 24, 1835 – died likely November 1872) was an experienced American seaman and master mariner. He was the captain of the merchant ship Mary Celeste, which was discovered unmanned and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean midway between the Azores and the coast of Portugal on December 4, 1872. The lifeboat was missing, yet the Mary Celeste was still under sail.
Summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Records change. The source is the authority.
Where to start
Got ten minutes? Do one of these.
What is the last confirmed sighting, and what is the documented timeline around it?
- Pin down the last confirmed sighting: who saw them, where, and when.
- Build the 48 hours before and after from what is on the record.
- Check for unidentified persons found in the region after that date.
New to this? Read the field guide. Five short lessons.
Coverage and records
What is out there.
Podcast episodes
In the Internet Archive
Nobody has researched this case yet. Have the AI search the web for reporting, podcasts and videos about it.