Which naval conspiracy theory is most plausible, and which is the worst misreading of the evidence?
Short answerThe Tsushima story is dismissed as baseless. Cargo fears followed by a parted boat line offer a proposed explanation for Mary Celeste's abandonment.
NotesA story that Tsushima's Russian sailors handed over their ships and retired to Hawaii is dismissed as nonsense. Contentious issues in naval history do not automatically imply a hidden plot. For Mary Celeste, the proposed explanation is that unfamiliar cargo noises made the crew fear an explosion and leave the ship. Their connection to the vessel could then have been lost when the boat line parted.