Captain Morehouse sent the first back the Mary Celeste in the late afternoon. three-man boarding-party did not find still-warm tea half-eaten meals. In fact "the whole ship a thoroughly wet mess".

With an hour light left, the team worked fast to the abandoned ship. They then sailed the Celeste to Gibraltar.

The British authorities in held an official into what happened the Mary Celeste. This lasted several months. story attracted newspaper interest across the world.

were many rumours about why the ship was . Piracy and mutiny were two popular .