In the realm of historical enigmas, few names carry as much weight as the Mary Celeste. When Josh Gates takes on this legendary 'ghost ship' for the series Expedition Files Series 4 Episode 2. We might expect his signature blend of historical curiosity and rugged exploration to shed light on the case, rather than settling for campfire ghost stories.
The third segment of the above episode deals with the story of the discovery of the Mary Celeste. The story is illustrated with realistic computer generated images of the captain, his family, and the vessel.
It dismisses some of the theories of why the vessel was found without anyone on board, and settles on an explanation that it was hastily abandoned due to toxic alcohol fumes.
However, he makes the fatal mistake of stating that the cargo was Denatured Alcohol - something which has been thoroughly discredited.
He also claims that on boarding the ship some barrels were found opened. There is nothing to support this. The empty alcohol barrels were only discovered when the cargo was checked on delivery in Genoa.
It is a shame the otherwise slick production and presentation is ruined by nonsense and inadequate research.
