Chemists think they know what happened on board the Mary Celeste
By 
Mason Wakley2026-04-07T13:30:00
While many theories have surfaced as to what caused a loaded ship to be devoid of its crew, could this explanation close the case?
A rapid explosion of ethanol vapours – which would have left behind no signs of damage – may be the reason why sailors found the infamous Mary Celeste ship abandoned, according to chemists Jack Rowbotham and Frank Mair at the University of Manchester, UK. The pair demonstrated this idea using a model ship during a recent Channel 5 documentary, producing what they believe to be ‘a very convincing case as to what may have happened’.