The 282-ton brigantine battled heavy weather for two weeks to reach the Azores, where the ship log's last entry was recorded at 5 a.m. on November 25. The story of the Mary Celeste might have ...

Considering it is the end of the world as we know it, bleakness in tone is hardly surprising. The Last Ship, however, has a hopeful streak running through its core.

“This is the last big adventure in a guy’s life,” said Ralph Algren, a retired printer who was 72 on the day the ship sailed. He hadn’t been to sea for more than 40 years and worked as an ...