In Search Of... Season 4 # 18, The Ghost Ship

 800 miles off the Portuguese Coast Morehaese of the Dei Gratia finds an abandoned ship. It is called "Mary Celeste". It was Dec, 5th 1872. The totally abandoned ship had left New York on the 2nd of November with 700 barrels of alcohol on board. Neither there was a sign from Captain Briggs nor from his family or the crew.
 

            Various speculations were pursued for many tens of years. After re-viewing the facts the most believable explanation is: In the humid air, being pushed towards each other some of the wooden barrels began leaking. The damaged barrels lost alcohol which caused smoke to develop.
           Everybody left the ship in the small boat because an imminent explosion was feared.