Dei Gratia (brigantine)

Dei Gratia was a Canadian brigantine built in Bear River, Nova Scotia in 1871. The brigantine was named after the Latin phrase for "By the Grace of God". She became famous in 1872 when, under the command of David Reed Morehouse, she discovered the ghost ship Mary Celeste without any crew near the Azores. They were 400 miles (640 km) east of the Azores on 5 December 1872. Morehouse and his crew took the derelict Mary Celeste to Gibraltar and claimed the brigantine as salvage. They were at first subjected to suspicion by Gibraltar's Attorney General, but the Vice Admiralty Court later approved their salvage prize and commended the crew for their resourcefulness and courage. The hefty court expenses of the extensive probe reduced the salvage compensation, which was originally set at roughly $8,300. Only a sixth of the money was really paid.

History
Canada
Name	Dei Gratia
Owner	George F. Miller, Bear River, Nova Scotia
Port of registry	Digby, Nova Scotia, Official No. 69014
Laid down	1871
Launched	Bear River, Nova Scotia
Fate	Wrecked at Dale, Pembrokeshire, 27 December 1907
General characteristics
Tonnage	295 GRT 237 NT
Length	111 ft (34 m)
Beam	28 ft (8.5 m)
Depth	13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion	Sail
Sail plan	brigantine

Dei Gratia was sold to Irish owners in 1881 and wrecked at Black Rock, Dale, Pembrokeshire after breaking her moorings in a storm on 27 December 1907. Her original ship portrait is preserved at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

References

• Stanley T. Spicer, The Saga of the Mary Celeste, (Halifax: Nimbus Press, 1993), p. 30, 42–43.
• Daniel Cohen, "Curses, Hexes, & Spells", (J. B. Lippincoti Company, 1974)

External links

• Tall Ships of Atlantic Canada – Registry Information
• Parks Canada Ship Information Database – Registry Information