Benjamin Spooner Briggs (April 24, 1835 – likely November 1872) was an experienced United States

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

and

master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location o ...

. He was the Captain of the

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was an American-registered merchant brigantine, best known for being discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Cana ...

,'' which was discovered unmanned and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean midway between the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

and the coast of Portugal on December 4, 1872. The lifeboat was missing, yet the ''Mary Celeste'' herself was still under sail. Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah, and their two-year-old daughter Sophia Matilda were never found and are presumed lost, along with the crew of ''Mary Celeste''.

Maritime career

The Briggs family of

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had a long maritime connection, and Benjamin Briggs himself spent most of his life at sea. He was an experienced, hardy, and able seaman. He reportedly was respected by those who served under him because of his fairness and ability. He worked his way to eventually become a

. Briggs captained the brigantine ''Sea Foam'', and in 1862 became master of the three-masted schooner ''Forest King''. When he took command of the bark ''Arthur'' in 1865, he turned over command of the ''Forest King'' to his brother, Oliver Briggs. Oliver Briggs was a frequent business partner and sailor with his brother.

Family

Benjamin Briggs was devoutly religious and a believer in abstinence. In 1862, he married Sarah Elizabeth Cobb, daughter of the Reverend Leander Cobb. The newlyweds sailed to Europe in Benjamin's schooner ''Forest King''. Their son, Arthur S. Briggs, was born in 1865 at the family home at Rose Cottage,

Marion, Massachusetts Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,347 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Marion Center, Massachusetts. His ...

. The following year, the family travelled to Marseilles, France, returning in time for their daughter, Sophia Matilda Briggs, to be born on October 31, 1870 at Rose Cottage.

''Mary Celeste''

In 1871 Briggs and his brother considered giving up the sea and buying a hardware store in

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

. In 1872, however, Benjamin Briggs bought a share in the brigantine ''Mary Celeste'', owned by James Winchester, and made modifications to the cabin to house his family. In late 1872, two-year-old Sophia and his wife Sarah accompanied him on the ill-fated voyage from Staten Island, New York, to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, Italy. Their son Arthur stayed with his grandmother at Rose Cottage,

, to attend school. The following month Briggs' ship was found inexplicably abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean near the Straits of Gibraltar. Briggs, his wife and daughter, and the crew of the ''Mary Celeste'' were never found. Their fate remains a mystery.

Legacy

Benjamin Spooner Briggs has living descendants through his son Arthur who was left at home with his grandmother, including Benjamin Yarbrough Briggs, of Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, and John Briggs, of Boston, Massachusetts. A cenotaph memorializing the family stands in Evergreen Cemetery,

. The inscription reads: "Capt. Benj S. Briggs born Apr 24, 1835, Sarah E Cobb his wife born Apr 20 1841, Sophia M, their daughter, born Oct 31, 1870. Lost in Brig Mary Celeste Nov 1872" Capt Benjamin Spooner Briggs (1835 - 1872)
Find A Grave Benjamin Spooner Briggs stars as the main protagonist in the game '' Limbo of the Lost'', in which Briggs is caught within a battle between Destiny and Fate. In the game, Briggs is heavily fictionalized, never mentioning his wife, child or the crew of the Mary Celeste at all during the events of the story, as well as being portrayed as British due to Laurence Francis's voice acting.

References

External links