_________________________________________________
Ananova
:
Ghost
Ship Marie Celeste Discovered In Haiti
HAITI -
An expedition headed by author Clive Cussler and Canadian film producer
John Davis has announced the discovery of the final resting place of
the so-called "ghost ship" Marie Celeste.
The group said it
had found the remains of the Marie Celeste on the Rochelois Reef in
Haiti.
Mr Cussler, who
founded the non-profit National Underwater and Marine Agency, and James
Delgado, director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, will display artefacts
and answer questions about the discovery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on
Thursday.
The Marie Celeste
was found sailing off the Azores in 1872 with no one aboard. The captain,
his wife, their two-year-old daughter and crew were inexplicably missing.
"After her
eerie abandonment, the ship sailed under different owners for 12 years,
until her last captain loaded her with a cargo of cheap rubber boots
and cat food before deliberately sinking her and then filing an exorbitant
insurance claim for an exotic cargo that never existed," Mr Davis
said.
"Unfortunately
for the captain, his plan fell apart after running the ship on to the
Rochelois Reef in Haiti, the ship hung up on the coral and refused to
sink."
Insurance inspectors
investigated and found the worthless cargo, leading to a conviction
of the captain and his first mate.
Mr Cussler said
what happened to the original crew of the Marie Celeste may never be
known.
"The enigma
of the Marie Celeste will continue to haunt us all for generations to
come," he said. "She is a tale that will never be forgotten."
Mr Cussler, who
was written 20 best-selling novels, has helped to lead expeditions that
found nearly 70 historic shipwrecks, including the Confederate submarine
Hunley and the Carpathia, the ship that rescued survivors from the Titanic.
click
here to return
to the NFTS main page
