It is claimed that, on this day, the Mary Celeste was seen sailing along at full sail but with nobody on board, near the Azores Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.

That was the claim from a small British brig, The Dei Gratia, under the command of a Captain David Morehouse.

The Mary Celeste had sailed from New York on November 7, set for Genoa in Italy. On board were Captain Benjamin S Briggs, his wife and two-year-old daughter, a crew of eight, and a cargo of 1,700 barrels of alcohol.

Captain Morehouse and his crew boarded the Mary Celeste and found it to be deserted. The lifeboat and navigational equipment were missing.

On consulting the ships log, they found that the ship had been deserted nine days, and 500 miles away, from where the Dei Gratia had intercepted her. It would appear that the ship had been sailing towards Genoa for 11 day with nobody on board to guide her.

Captain Briggs and his family and crew were never found. Why the Mary Celeste was abandoned was never determined...