THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE! PAGE1

The Mary Celeste © 2012 Kieran McGovern | kieran@eslreading.org | http://maryceleste.esolebooks.com/

December 4th, 1872

It’s a hot afternoon. A Canadian ship called the Dei Gratia is sailing from the Azores towards the Portuguese coast. e sea is calm.

e "rst mate is looking out to sea through his telescope. In the distance he sees another ship. He watches it for a few minutes. en he calls to his captain.

‘Look at the ship over there, sir’ he tells Captain Morehouse.

Captain Morehouse looks through the telescope. en turns to the "rst mate.

‘What’s the Mary Celeste doing here?’ he says.

e Mary Celeste is the sister ship of the Dei Gratia. ‘She left a week before us,’ says Captain Morehouse. ‘She should be in Genoa by now. And why is there nobody on deck?’

‘I don’t know , sir,’ says the "rst mate.

A FriendMore men came out onto the

deck. ey watch the Mary Celeste drifting on the tide.

‘What’s happening, Captain?’ ‘I don’t know,’ says Captain

Morehouse. ‘But something is wrong. Briggs wouldn’t allow his ship to drift like that ’ Morehouse has known Captain Briggs for many years. On the night before the Mary

Celeste left New York the two old friends had dinner together.

‘We need to "nd out what is going on,’ Captain Morehouse tells the "rst mate. ‘Prepare a party to board the ship. ’

Boarding Party

e "rst mate and two other men form the boarding party. ey sail out towards the Mary Celeste in a small boat.

As they get closer to the ship all conversation stops. ey can hear the sound of the sails blowing in the wind. But nobody comes on deck to greet them.

e men from the Dei Gratia board the ship. ‘Ahoy there!’ they call out. ‘Is anyone here?’

But there’s no answer. Captain Briggs is not on board. Nor are his wife and daughter. Nor are his seven crew.

‘ey’ve all gone,’ the "rst mate later tells his captain. ‘It’s like a ghost ship’.

‘Ghost Ship’ Found Near Azores PASSENGERS & CREW MISSING

First mate spots ship drifting in the ocean

Crew - people working shipCaptain - leader on shipFirst mate - 2nd in commandTelescope - to see objects in distance

Genoa - port in ItalyDrift - move slowly without directionBoarding-party - group sent to investigate a ship

THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE! PAGE2

The Mary Celeste © 2012 Kieran McGovern | kieran@eslreading.org | http://maryceleste.esolebooks.com/

What did they find onboard the ship?Captain Morehouse gave evidence to the Official Enquiry into the Mary Celeste in 1873

Focus on Vocabulary

‘Weigh the Anchor’Donec EgestasThe ship was clearly abandoned in a hurry. There was no attempt to weigh the anchor, roll up the canvas, or tie up the steering wheel

TuesdayScelerisque DolorNisl rhoncus turpis est, vel elit, congue wisi enim nunc ultricies sit, magna tincidunt. Maecenas aliquam maecenas.

WednesdayVivamus nec Nuncligula nostra, accumsan taciti. Sociis mauris in integer, a dolor netus non dui aliquet, sagittis felis sodales, dolor sociis mauris, vel eu libero cras.

ThursdayQuisque PortaInterdum at. Eget habitasse elementum est, ipsum purus pede porttitor class, ut adipiscing, aliquet sed auctor, imperdiet arcu per diam dapibus libero duis.

‘abandoned’Left suddenly and with preparation. In this case ‘drift’Float without direction.before the crew left the ship.‘in a bad state’In very poor condition/with serious problems‘wet mess’Badly damaged by watermess!‘Official Enquiry’Legal investigation into something of public concern

‘roll up the canvas’Canvas it the material used to make sails and tent.‘human habitation’where people can live.

‘weigh the anchor’An anchor is what holds a ship in the water.

It is very unusual that the anchor was not dropped or fixed

Myths & Rumours ere have been many false stories about what the boarding-party found.

ere were half-eaten breakfasts & cups of hot tea

A warm apple pie was found in the dining room of the ship.

Washing was hung out to drye ship’s cat was asleepe ship was clean & tidyere was evidence of a "ghte weather was good when

the crew ‘disappeared’

Facts Captain Morehouse described the Mary Celeste as ‘in a bad state’ and ‘not "t for human habitation’.

ere were no cups of hot tea, abandoned breakfasts or apple pies!

e stove was knocked out of its place, and the cooking utensils were {thrown} around.

e entire ship was ‘a wet mess’. e Captain’s bed was not "t to

sleep in and had to be dried.

The ship was clearly

abandoned in a hurry. There

was no attempt to weigh the

anchor, roll up the canvas, or

tie up the steering

Mast

Sail