On Dec 5, 1872, the British ship Dei Gratia pulled up alongside the Mary Celeste and found it abandoned and adrift about 400 miles (644 km) east of the Azores. A lifeboat was missing, but there was no damage to the vessel or sign of any struggle. The 10 passengers and crew aboard the vessel were never seen again, and what happened on board the ship has been a mystery ever since.