This story of a ship called the Mary Celeste is a true story and a great
mystery. Even today no one really knows what happened.
Known facts about the Mary Celeste:
1. On 5 December the ship was found drifting on the ocean with no one
on board.
2. The ship was in good condition and there was no sign of a
struggle.
3. Some papers and the ship’s boat were missing. However,
clothes and other personal objects had been left including
a rushed note from the mate to his wife.
4. There were ten people on board including Captain Briggs,
his wife and baby daughter.
5. The ship had left New York on 7 November 1872.
6. The ship was sailing to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of
alcohol.
7. The last entry was written in the log book on the 25 November.
8. It is known that there was a storm on the afternoon of 25 November.
What do you think happened to the Mary
Celeste?
 What happened to the people?
How many explanations can you think of? Which do you think is the
most likely.


Judith Nicholls wrote a poem about the story of the Mary Celeste. She
used some of the facts that you have read. She also invented some
details to make the poem more interesting.
You will find Judith Nicholls’ poem on the next page.
MARY CELESTE
Only the wind sings
in the riggings,
the hull creaks a lullaby;
a sail lifts gently
like a message
pinned to a vacant sky.
The wheel turns
over `decks,
shirts flap on a line;
only the song of the lapping waves
beats steady time…
First mate,
off-duty from
the long dawn watch, begins
a letter to his wife, daydreams
of home.
The Captain’s wife is late;
the child did not sleep
the breakfast has passed…
She, too, is missing home;
sits down at last to eat,
but can’t quite force
the porridge down.
She swallows hard,
slices the top from her egg.
The second mate
is happy.
A four-hour sleep,
full stomach
and a quiet sea
are all he craves.
He has all three.
Shirts washed and hung, beds
made below, decks done, the boy
stitches a torn sail.
The Captain
has a good ear for a tune;
played his child to sleep
on the ship’s organ.
Now, music left,
he checks his compass,
lightly tips the wheel,
hopes for a westerly.
Clear sky, a friendly sea,
fair winds for Italy.
The child now sleeps, at last,
head firmly pressed into her pillow
in a deep sea-dream.
Then why are the gulls wheeling
like vultures in the sky?
Why was the child snatched
from the sleep? What drew
the Captain’s cry?
Only the wind replies
in the rigging,
and the hull creaks and sighs;
a sail spells out its message
over silent skies.
The wheel still turns
over bare decks,
shirts blow on the line;
the siren-song of lapping waves
still echoes over time.
Judith Nicholls
The poet has invented details about
the people on board – this helps us
to picture them more easily.
Choose three of the characters
and write down four things you
are told about them. Here is an
example:
BOY
- he has done the washing
- he has made the beds
- he has cleaned the decks
- he is mending the sails
The other characters are –
the Captain
his wife,
his child,
the first mate,
the second mate.

Read the first two verses again.



List all the sound words in these
verses eg sings, creaks.
Make another list of all the
words suggesting emptiness
eg vacant.
Make another list of all the
words suggesting peace and
calm eg lullaby.
You will have picked out many
words: this shows you how rich
and descriptive the writing is.
The poet, Judith Nicholls, has
chosen her words very carefully.
Now it is your turn to do some writing about
the Mary Celeste.
Choose one of the following assignments.
EITHER
OR
Imagine you were one of the people Imagine you are a radio reporter.
on board. Write a paragraph about Interview one of the sailors who
what you could see and hear.
found the ship.
Describe your thoughts and
feelings.
For example:
Interviewer: What made you
suspicious when you first saw the
For example:
ship?
What is that strange noise?
Sailor: The ship was leaning
It is only midday and the sky has
strangely and seemed to be
gone black…
drifting.
Interviewer: Did you notice
anything else unusual?
The Mary Celeste
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