HMS Bounty, Then and Now — Remembrance at the Scene of the Mutiny and Dodging a Hurricane

Faulkner wrote, “The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.”   I was reminded of this when I read a wonderful post on Joan Druett’s blog this morning, The Mutiny on the Bounty.   She vividly recreates the scene of the mutiny from the deck of the P&O cruise ship Pacific Jewel, which at that moment was lying in the exact spot on the Pacific where the famous mutiny on HMS Bounty took place in 1789. She describes to the nearly nearly 2000 passengers attending, how Captain Bligh and eighteen loyal crew are cast off in an overloaded launch.   The cruise ship then sailed on the island of Tofua, where Bligh’s launch made landfall, only to attacked by natives.  Bligh and his crew make a momentous decision. As Druett writes: They will stop at no more islands. Instead, they will make the 3,618-mile voyage to Timor, in the East Indies, skirting Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Great Barrier Reef, and then negotiating the scarcely charted Torres Strait. Living on one ounce of bread and a quarter pint of water each day, somehow they will do it — and without the loss of even one more man.  It is the start of the most remarkable small boat voyage in history.  Read the rest on Joan Druett’s World of the Written Word.

Joan’s blog post about the HMS Bounty felt very current as we have been closely monitoring the progress of HMS Bounty which sailed from New London, CT on Thursday, ahead of Hurricane Sandy.   The ship was built for the the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Marlon Brando.   It now looks like the ship under the command of Captain Robin Walbridge has successfully slipped across the path of the storm and is sailing south and west as the hurricane tracks north toward the northeast coast.  The captain estimates that the ship and the hurricane will pass each other on opposite courses sometime Sunday night or Monday morning.  We can only wish the ship and her crew, a continued safe and successful voyage.

 

Comments

HMS Bounty, Then and Now — Remembrance at the Scene of the Mutiny and Dodging a Hurricane — 8 Comments

  1. Unfortunately this ship has sank and 2-3 people are unaccounted for. I do not understand the decision to take that boat into the hurricane. So sad. 🙁

  2. Greatly saddened by the sinking of the Bounty. I too do not understand the captain’s thinking. It is admirable that Captain Dan Moreland has kept the Picton Castle in her berth for more than a week beyond her departure date due to this storm. The Bounty was not constructed to sail through the kind of weather she encountered. The coast guard is looking for the other 2 crew, and with cold water survival suits and life-jackets, they have a chance.

  3. My understanding and it will all come out post mortem is they left last week and the difficult decession must be made to try and give the storm and coast enough sea room for a choice of evils. This was not an inexperienced skipper or crew, they have many miles under their keel in all kinds of weather. In the face of mechanical breakdown, high seas and a lee shore, there are few choices Capt Walbridge would be left with. My prayers are with the Captain and Crew of the Bounty and we lost a fine ship today.

  4. Inexcusable. The crew’s experience is irrelevant. It’s a boat, it’s not worth a single life. Stay on shore. This is real life, something I have long believed the tall ship community is dangerously separated from at times. Far, far more seaworthy ships up and down the coast will take their chances staying tied up.

  5. I was at the launch of The Bounty, and have maintained an interest ovvver the years. Captain Robin was monumental in getting the ship seaworthy and training sailors young and old square rig skills. A tragic day, for all.

  6. They were moored where the eye of the storm was expected to hit. I sailed with and respected Capt. Robin tremendously and understand his decision to take her off shore was a calculated risk. The idea of keeping a 180 foot wooden (historical) ship tied to a dock is redicilious. Having it off of a mooring ball is silly. The safest place for the HMS Bounty was at sea, not just for her but for other property in whatever cove she was in. I would have followed and trusted him in this situation without question. I think the storm was just too big. Praying that some how, some way he is still alive and will be found.

    @Jay – you obviously don’t sail at all and right now the entire US Navy is out to sea. When storms come ashore big ships go out to keep from beating themselves to death at the dock. Get out far enough and ride it out. It was a calculated risk and when calculated risks go bad, when there are mechanical failures bad things happen. Everyone on that ship knew what they were getting in to and they all had the knowledge and experience to handle it. Too much went wrong and it is very sad.

  7. I served aboard her. She was a crowned jewel. The greatest,
    still sailing vessel around. (HMS Victory seems to be at port alot….100%)
    One can only imagine the 18th-style distress.
    If I had to perish by accident…..this would be the way-
    DOWN WITH THE SHIP!
    A great man indeed!!!!

    -the cook