Mystery of the Ghost Ship

But Briggs’s last log entry, dated November 25, 1872, didn’t show any alarm. Why then was the ship found deserted just 10 days later? 

Sailors from the Dei Gratia found 3 feet of water sloshing in the bottom of the Mary Celeste. Still, the vessel was in working condition. It should have been able to finish its trip.

Even odder, survival items such as drinking water and six months’ worth of supplies lay untouched. Everyone’s personal items appeared to be in place. But the lifeboat was missing. The crew investigating the ghost ship concluded that the passengers left in a rush. 

The mystery of the small ship became a big legend. In 1884, Arthur Conan Doyle, who later wrote the Sherlock Holmes series, wrote a story based on the Mary Celeste. The world was fascinated.

“In the absence of answers, this myth has grown,” MacGregor says.

Over the years, people have come up with many theories. Some think pirates attacked. But there were no signs of struggle and none of the cargo was stolen. 

MacGregor believes that Briggs feared the ship was sinking. He may have tried to get everyone to safety aboard the lifeboat. Though it would have been unusual for a captain to abandon ship in the middle of the open sea. 

“I can’t prove anything,” MacGregor explains. “People have loads of theories, but there’s no physical proof to explain their disappearance.”

This is one mystery that might never be solved.

1. What is the author’s purpose in the first three paragraphs of the article?
2. According to the article, what are two theories about what happened to the Mary Celeste crew?
3. Why does the author write that “this is one mystery that might never be solved”?