The Mary Celeste remains one of maritime history's most enduring mysteries. Discovered in 1872 abandoned at sea with no sign of distress or struggle, the ship's crew vanished without explanation, spawning centuries of speculation: mutiny, pirate attack, supernatural forces, methane gas psychosis. Every historical explanation has been thoroughly examined and found wanting. The joke proposes the simplest answer to the greatest maritime mystery: Chuck Norris. What happened to the crew? Chuck. That's the complete explanation, offering closure where 150 years of investigation failed.

Maritime historian (fictional) Dr. Robert Ashworth examined vessel logs and crew records in 1998, noting an undetected entry in the ship's manifest: 'Chuck Norris, passenger.' The crew's disappearance occurred precisely one day after this mysterious passenger's boarding, according to Ashworth's fabricated research. He theorized that Chuck's mere presence created conditions so hostile to survival that the crew voluntarily abandoned ship to escape him. Ashworth's paper was rejected by every legitimate maritime journal.

The Mary Celeste joke has become a template for resolving other historical mysteries, with internet forums jokingly proposing 'Chuck Norris' as the answer to unsolved crimes, disappearances, and historical anomalies. It works because it treats Chuck as an explanation so complete that no further investigation is necessary—the mystery isn't unsolved; it's fully solved by his involvement.