Run by Night (1951) by Hammond Innes

This thrilling nautical mystery begins with an empty ship coasting through the dark and unfolds into a courtroom drama.

On a cold, foggy night, a little sailboat called the Sea Witch is cruising calmly through the dark when a freighter suddenly rears out of the mist on a collision course. The crew of the small craft leaps into action, straining the Sea Witch 's sails to the limit, barely getting her out of the way. John Sands, captain of the Sea Witch , catches a glimpse of the great ship as it passes by: Her name is Mary Deare , and her crew is nowhere to be seen.

A salvage expert, Sands sees a payday in the abandoned, drifting hulk. He finds one man aboard the Mary Deare , the first officer, who has driven himself half-mad trying to sail the freighter on his own. Getting the ship safely to port and unraveling the mystery of why it was abandoned will push Sands to his breaking point—and reveal the true nature of greed on the high seas.

The inspiration for a film of the same name starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, this incredible nautical adventure is a chilling story of maritime justice, and the terrible things that happen when the order is given to abandon ship.