Ghost Ships Throughout History
Ships found adrift, crews vanished. The Mary Celeste. The Ourang Medan's crew found frozen in terror. The Carroll A. Deering's dinner still on the stove. The ocean keeps its secrets.
Ghost ships are vessels found adrift with no crew aboard—sometimes with signs of sudden abandonment, sometimes with no explanation. The ocean has produced many such mysteries.
Famous Ghost Ships
According to documented accounts:
Mary Celeste (1872): Found abandoned in the Atlantic. Cargo intact, valuables untouched, crew vanished. Half-eaten breakfast on the table. The captain’s wife and daughter were aboard. None were ever found.
Carroll A. Deering (1921): A schooner found aground off Cape Hatteras. Food was being prepared in the galley. The crew of 11 had vanished. No lifeboats. The log had been removed.
MV Joyita (1955): Found drifting near Fiji. 25 passengers and crew gone. The ship was damaged but afloat. No distress signal was sent. Fate unknown.
Ourang Medan (1947-48): Allegedly found with all crew dead, faces frozen in terror. Shortly after, it exploded and sank. Records of the ship’s existence are questionable.
Common Patterns
Ghost ships often share features:
- Sudden abandonment
- Personal effects left behind
- No distress signals sent
- Lifeboats sometimes missing, sometimes not
- No bodies found
- Food preparation interrupted
Explanations
Weather: Sudden storms force abandonment.
Piracy: Crew taken or killed.
Carbon Monoxide: Fumes from cargo cause panic.
Fires/Explosions: Crew abandons ship, boat sinks.
Insurance Fraud: Crew disappears deliberately.
Sea Monsters: The legendary explanation.
The Mary Celeste
The most famous case:
- Captain, his wife, daughter, and 7 crew aboard
- Found 600 miles west of Portugal
- Cargo of denatured alcohol intact
- Main hatch open
- One lifeboat missing
- No sign of struggle
Best theory: Fear of cargo explosion led to abandonment; the lifeboat was lost.
Modern Ghost Ships
Recent examples:
- Ryou-Un Maru (2012): Japanese vessel washed out by 2011 tsunami, found empty off Alaska.
- MV Alta (2020): Cargo ship drifted across Atlantic, washed ashore in Ireland after over a year adrift.
The Ocean’s Mysteries
Ghost ships fascinate because:
- The sea is vast and unknowable
- Ships feel like closed systems
- The absence of crew is unsettling
- Explanations feel inadequate