I was the command duty officer for the USCG that night. Some of your facts on the rescue were missing key conversations behind the scenes. Abandoning ship was discussed and determined to not be a good idea. Rigging would be an issue no matter what, but keeping everyone together gives the best odds to survival. Had the CG known of the injuries to the crew when notified our hand may have been forced. It could have been worse but we did our best to rescue everyone.
Jeremy, thanks for the additional context, and thank you for your service. I had some questions that I had trouble finding answers to while researching. For one, were there any checks in place from the Coast Guard or other authorities at port to prevent ships from sailing into the storm or to ensure they were equipped to do so? Were there any other tall ships that managed to sail through the storm without incident, or did they all remain at port? What do you think the critical cause of the disaster was - the leaky hull, underperforming pumps, location of the ship relative to the eye of the storm, something else, or a combination of all? I appreciate any insight you may have.
@@novembercharlie5404 interestingly the bounty was registered and licensed as a recreational vessel which allowed it to escape more stringent safety regulations. No other vessels were in the area of the bounty during the time of distress. We looked at AMVER and called over ch16 and 2182hz for any vessels in the area. I can't say for sure if any other tall ships left port, but none I'm aware of. As to what brought the ship down was sweating in the hulls, rain, and water intrusion. Oddly enough when they first hailed us via their ship's agent they asked for a pump bc they had a little bit of flooding. We told them to light off their EPIRB and demanded info on their current situation bc they couldn't even provide a good position. There was more and the whole thing was crazy. As for requiring them to stay in port. That's a difficult thing to do unless the CG can prove it's not safe ie: rowing the Atlantic in a storm.
In general, it's better to remain with a larger partially submerged Ship then abandon it and get into a smaller life raft, because a larger ship is easier to locate, correct?
@@sanfranciscobay yes easier to locate normally but in this instance the rigging was the issue The bounty did sink once flooded. Once a wooden ship loses water tight integrity the engines and added weight is too much to stay afloat like a smaller vessel.
I have followed this saga since the day they sailed off from Ct. down into Sandy. I have watched all the various videos. This is the best because you told more details of the famous "meeting" one hour prior to the actual trip. The crew did not really have an option to "not join". The capt only half heartedly covered his butt to position it as "optional". Jeesh. On maintenance and condition of this rotting ship with questionable pumps etc. to not fix certain parts, I could see this as OK to hold off for some time but only if one was not planning to head directly into any major storm never mind a freakin hurricane! Then you share how truly bad it really was to be on board in a hurricane with thirty foot waves in a leaky old rotting boat, with a captain on a deathwish, and no true respect of others lives. Thanks for a "real" view of this!
I served in the Royal Navy, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. I experienced a lot of rough weather and sailed through Hurricane Flossie in 1978. It can be terrifying. I cannot begin to comprehend why any Captain would deliberatly choose to sail into the path of a hurricane. Especially in a Sailing ship with an inexperienced crew. It really was grossly negligent and foolhardy. It cost the life of a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life. It is a pity this Captain could not be held to account for his stupidity. I guess the sea held him to account. Such a sad story.
Amongst the tall ship community the ship was referred to as the bondo Bounty. Maintenace on the ship was done as cheaply as possible. As for the last voyage, The ship was berthed at new London, a incredibly safe anchorage where the ship could have safely ridden out the storm. As for the infamous capstan meeting where the crew agreed to proceed with the voyage I must point out that the crew didn't have enough sea time/experience to make a truly informed decision.
I agree, it was unconscionable and disgusting. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go aboard her in 2003--she was one lovely Lady. This disaster was completely avoidable. She was old and poorly maintained and you're right--she should have remained in port.
Has anyone else noticed a striking similarity between the loss of Bounty and the loss of El Faro? Cocky captains, poorly maintained ships, and hurricanes don't mix.
I just finished watching a video on the Faro and thought of the Bounty. Looked up videos on it and found this. I had no idea how bad the decision making was, knew it was bad, but this is ridiculous. I thought it was at least a tall ship in decent shape. Full of holes, bad pumps and a crew that wasn’t fully staffed.
Not sure if you mean he chose to go down with his ship, or something else. Seems to me like he being quite old as well as somewhat injured at the time he stood little chance of survival. A woman and an old man perished in this affair, so the weakest of the crew, generally speaking.
Thank you for telling this tragic story. Another you might want to cover is the M/V Wave Dancer that capsized in Hurricane Iris in Belize, Oct. 2001, killing 17 scuba divers and 3 crew members. The disaster could have been prevented, and has been almost completely covered up by powerful members of the scuba industry. The story can be read about in the book "No Safe Harbor" by Joe Burnworth. Since this disaster occurred shortly after 9/11, it was not widely covered by the media.
What A fool that Captain was , and how ironic that the other casualty was related to Mr Christian , if true , interesting story , nicely put together vid, thanks for posting .
I can't believe this guy was a captain. Fixing a boat like that is NOT fixing it. Mind you the controls were not adequate if any. He should not have been allowed to leave Port.
In the 1960's the Bounty was at a dock at Jacobson's Ship Yard in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY USA. At the end of the long pier was a barge that acted as the base office for the water trials of the newly build Hydrofoil H. S. Denison. The Denison was 90 feet long and when on her foils, her keel was 6 feet off the water moving at 60+ knots. A photographer from Grumman Aircraft Corp. who build the Denison took a picture of the two vessels together calling it The Old and the New. Some years earlier, my grandmother who always wanted to go to Tahiti, took my bother and I to see the film in a big theater in Time Square New York. It was fabulous. To see the ship up close was a thrill. To have some arrogant bone head loose the ship is still hard for me to take. I have sailed across the Atlantic twice in a 45 foot yawl. You learn very quickly not to mess with Mother Nature.
It was my dream to get my RN and spend time aboard her since Ship's Surgeon did not require an MD. I was really majorly P.Oed when I heard she was taken out in the middle of a bloody Superstorm. I was fortunate enough to go aboard her in 2003 and fell in love with her at first sight. It both saddens and angers me that she was not properly maintained and had a damn arrogant fool for her captain.
@@harrietharlow9929 There are a lot of other sailing ships out there. Don't let the dream die. I've sailed twice across the Atlantic as crew on a 45 foot yawl. It was cold. It was hot. I got hid in the face at 2:00AM by a flying fish. It was great. Good Luck.
I sailed on the Bounty down the coast of california and one day when I was in the engine room I noticed lots of sea water sloushing around in the bilge . This led me to believe the hull had too many leaks.
This vessel was sailed across the Atlantic, out to the West Coast of the U.S. and up and down the east coast a number of times. I may try to put up a video of parts of my passage down the coast of California if I can figure out how to put a cd on TH-cam
I remember seeing the Bounty many times as a kid in New England and Florida. I also remember the effects of hurricane Sandy in Florida - With the ocean white to the horizon with massive waves. Sandy had a huge fetch of water for wave generation, much like the "Perfect storm" around Halloween 1991. This is the kind of weather a smart captain simply would sit out and avoid by all costs. Sandy and the 1991 storm both had hurricane forced winds over an area 1000 miles across at times. A "normal" hurricane is less than 1/10 that.
So essentially we have a ship constructed as a movie prop an inexperienced crew and shoddy maintenance with a captain who’s judgement was questionable. May those who lost their lives be at peace.
It wasn't just constructed as a movie prop- it was constructed as a working, seaworthy vessel. In the beginning it said it was built in Nova Scotia (city of Lunenburg) and sailed to Tahiti by way of the Panama Canal for filming. That's over 7200 nautical miles. So you can see it wasn't simply a "movie prop". It was built as traditional ships were built, and built well. However that was in 1960. This captain not only decided it was ok to skimp on repairs but actually set sail with large patches on deep rot in the hull (wood rot can make it so you can basically pull out pieces with your hands when it's bad and falls apart- disintegrates when very advanced) and then thought "hey, it would be cool to sail STRAIGHT INTO A HURRICANE". One that had already devastating the Bahamas and Cuba and had set records for size (diameter with at least gale force winds) and having the lowest barometric pressure on record ever recorded for a hurricane off the US eastern seaboard. I live on the Gulf coast of Florida and grew up in the area- if there's one thing I know about hurricane it's that the lower the pressure, the more screwed you tend to be, regardless of the category of storm or anything else.
I knew the captain and he seemed quite inexperienced as far as Sea Time, not a guy with a whole lot of experience in my opinion. And as far as crew, they were in his hands and he chose not to listen to the Coast Guard. As a Master myself I would have to take a deep breath and give way to the Coast Guard. Regardless of my Ego or whatever else drove this guy to his ultimate loss of Crew. As far as not making the “Watertight Bulkheads” watertight?? As required by the USCG. The work done in the boatyard was half assed for sure. Waldbridge was a moron and knew shit about working on a boat. My experience goes back to the late 50s when I started working in the Boat Yards, so I’m not just bullshitting here. She was just half ass fixed by some people who did not know what they were doing (Kids in trouble and looking for a new direction in life) Waldbridge was a guy who should have never been allowed to manage that boat. What is detailed here is as accurate as it needs to be…I met and knew Claudine, she was a sweetheart and very kind woman. Loss of Claudine was a crime that Robin Waldbridge should be held responsible for. That got to me as I truly adored Claudine, and she is sadly missed …
The Bounty could not possibly hold a course across to the East side of the storm. Robin had to know that course would be impossible for the that ship contrary to approaching hurricane winds. It never made sense and nobody including the Coast Guard asked about that. I knew that ship, the captain, and I have fixed those very bilge pumps several times, but its true nobody else could reprime them, and they weren't trained not to lose prime. I know a lot about the Bounty. It's really hard on me, was a vile experience.
what happened to the bread fruit cargo on the HMS Bounty after the Mutiny took place? I expect they was thrown into the sea but I understand there's bread fruit on the isle where the ship was sailed to and burnt.
Yes, breadfruit was thrown overboard from the HMS Bounty after the Mutiny; they took too much water to keep alive. Pitcairn Island had breadfruit either naturally, or brought by the early Polynesian settlers (who had since left Pitcairn).
I remember this incident. It’s too bad all the mistakes were made. It seems the first mate should have sent the distress call when HE thought it should have been sent. Then miss Christian and the captain would have made it and the captain could explain why he made so many wrong decisions on this voyage.
My son and I visited the Bounty some years ago when she was based in Battleship Cove, Fall River, Mass...Trevor Howard was just excellent in the film...What a fool the Captain was...
The Bounty was in my town of Port Alberni in 2008 it was real cool. I am so devastated this classic replica was destroyed, its like the losing the iconic Blue Nose 2 . I hope one day a new Bounty 3 is built.
Sounds like the captain was living the dream too hard & the crew blindly followed him. I learned what real fear is in the Southern Pacific back in 1975, it cured me of ever going to sea again.
I have been in a small hurricane (cat 1) in a off-shore tug in Gulf of New Mexico. Our boat was made of steel and took the storm like a champ and it still scared the shit out of me the whole time!! Couldn't imagine the fear this captain put these kids through cuz he was batshit crazy. He probably took a permanent swim so he didn't have to face the consequences!!?? Who knows. Thank God they all didn't die!!
I went aboard this ship as a scout in Berkeley; she appeared ok; but it pissed me off when she foundered and was lost...stupid capt and untrained crew! And to think that our national treasure is in the ands of fools in boston!!
Similar situation with the Al Faro, a commercial bulk carrier. I used to train mariners in GMDSS (replaced radio telegraph on ships). We would go over and over the correct procedures during a distressed situation. However, ego's and a feeling of omnipotence can trump knowledge. If so, people will lose their life. The Bounty was an "uninspected" type of recreational vessel (?), thus extensive safety equipment was lacking. It is my understanding that they did NOT even have a marine SSB radio on board. Only a HF ham radio. Shame shame.
She never should have been at sea in the first place. Modern cruise ships and navy vessels won't try their luck with hurricanes, so what chance did she stand?
This is happens when you have a bunch of novices trying to run a ship that requires expert seamanship and sound judgment. Not to mention a ship that’s a neglected wooden relic. If the captain had survived he probably would have went to jail for negligence. All he had to do was stay in port until the storm passed.
Something doesn't add up here: Draft = "Depth of water needed to float a boat." Yet @2:45 you show it as the "freeboard". Too bad for this beautiful ship and the crew; but the captain paid for his arrogance with his life!
Draft is the Depth of the Hull into the water from the Waterline. I.E., How deep she is into the water….The yellow dimensions depicted on this video are totally incorrect.
Her last berth was at the harbor of Belfast, Maine I saw her off in the early hours of the morning! I watched her disappear into the morning fog and that was the last time I’d ever see her again!
Voluntarily fighting a hurricane with a ship with a partly rotten hull and household seals. Just to see if she's still up to the task. With a partly rotten hull and consumer household seals to keep the water out. Right, got it.
Yes, the CG has the authority to declare a "manifestly unsafe voyage" and confine it to port. "The Coast Guard has authorized the district commander to prohibit the voyage of any vessel if the [Coast Guard] commander determines that the craft is unsuitable for the intended trip."
Let me say from experience, I was in nyc for hurricane Sandy. On land of course lol. But in Astoria Queens. CRAZY FOLKS! FREAKIN INSANE WEATHER!!! Can't possibly imagine being in a wooden sailboat out of sight of land in that??? NO THANK YOU
The portrayal of Bligh in books and film is an historical abomination. The logs show his discipline was milder than most. In Australia where he suffered his second “mutiny” he was dissolving a gang of corrupt officers known as the Rum Corps. Bligh went on to enjoy a successful naval career reaching Admiral.
The instigator of the Bounty mutiny Fletcher Christian had two brothers both lawyers. When Christian's part in the mutiny became known to the British public his name was mud. His brothers began what today we would call a PR campaign to discredit Bligh, who by all naval accounts including Capt. James Cook whom he served under on HMB Endeavour, as a very humane and kind man. In fact Bligh was regarded by the Navy Board who organised the expedition as such a fair minded officer, and one who eschewed punishment, that it was decided the usual contingent of Marines (whose primary task on ships was to protect the Captain) would not be required. Bligh was absent from England when the PR campaign took place and the Royal Navy to its everlasting shame did not defend him, leaving the slur against him unchallenged and unrefuted. Lazy historians and over-excited authors and script writers did the perfect hatchet job, until Richard Parkins book Bounty cleared the decks. The Royal Navy knew all along he was innocent and victimised, and he was given the Governorship of NSW Australia as a token of recompense. For a second time his good nature was used against him in another rebellion led by a wealthy farmer called Macarthur, aided and abetted by the corrupt officers and men of the army, known colloquially as the Rum Corps (they ran the supply of imported goods and alcohol much like a mafia operation). When Macarthur's illegal dealings and high handedness (taking the law unto himself) were investigated by Bligh and the activities of the Rum Corps were under suspicion they staged a mutiny. Oddly enough they were lightly punished if at all. The Gov't hushed up the scandal as best they could and Bligh became an obscure figure, and, by current accounts at the time a broken man. To add insult to injury Macarthur was sent back to England for 8 years in disgrace. In his absence his wife Elizabeth developed Australia's Marino wool industry, making him a very very wealthy man. Of course a man of his nature took all the credit on his return, and that too was swallowed whole by lazy historians and authors. Time does reveal the hidden lie.
Nice video. I heard about this incident, but this is a detailed report, and i like the extra info about ms. christian, r.i.p.. That is scary ironic that she and the capt, perished. This is a classical incident of human error, "magical thinking" and pushing your luck, because you know so much, and you have so much experience, you just go for it, and get pounded..
I enjoyed the story, it was a lesson as well, bathtub caulking and paint are not seaworthy, and neither are old men that have nothing to lose. how can you make three feet of water worse, make it fuel and water and four feet deep, cut propulsion and bilge pump power, and slowly sink with a crew that has not slept in two days , the ship was beyond repair with any money they could get and that captain new this. he knew the ship had a life expectancy of a year before it was scrapped and his job was gone forever.
4:12 I lived in St. Pete when the porn was filmed we had just taken a school trip to see the ship. I was totally going to bring that up if you didnt. The owners were pissed I heard.
I used to ream up with a friend to deliver yachts. He was a licensed tugboat captain on the Mississippi river. I'd work on tug with him any time. I don't know what it was but put him on the ocean and he went totally stupid. I finally got to where I wouldn't let him run the boat once we crossed the bar. He was not allowed to touch the controls, not even on his personal boat. Just because you passed the test doesn't mean you are qualified. He asked me once why I didn't get a license. My answer was "Because you have one".
Did he get Dementia? Or was it foolishness. I too worked on Tugs. The Captain told me one day having a laugh.. " I really love the ocean, the sea, she sorts out all the idiots." ( We were chatting about road deaths on the coastal road. Hi toll of people at that time.
He was great on a harbor tug with one barge in cross currents and tight places. Put him in a pleasure boat or on the ocean and he immediately became as useless as a New York City hog breeders. Started to drop the 200 pound anchor with his foot in the line. Had no concept of dead reckoning. Just to see what he would do, once half way into a trip from Tampa to the dry Tortugas, when he was asleep I replaced the compass with a broken one. I stopped the boat and let it drift and woke him up. He wanted to call the coast guard. When I asked where he was going to tell them where we were he started to mumble "we are going to starve". If an 85 ton boat came close to a piling he would reach out and grab the piling to stop it instead of having a fender in his hand and using it. He lost a finger between a spring line and the cleat. Never could figure that one out. He fell overboard under way at night twice the same night even though I told him to stay off deck after the first time. That was when we came to an understanding about who was in charge and who was going o pull his ass out of the water again. He was a great cook. kept the cabin spotless. kept snacks and drinks in the wheelhouse just like I did for him on the tug.. Couldn't let him on deck.
when I first went to work for him on a tug he couldn't tell me where the fuel shut offs were, the bilge strainers, engine room light switch was, how much fuel we carried, consumption or speed. He wasnt the dumbest one in the company though. One day he was off and the job foremans son took the 85 foot harbor tug. I was making my check of the engine room and he sped up the engines too fast. I came up on deck and saw water at the cabin door. looking out the door the bow was under water with only the push knees sticking out. I ran around th3e stern and up the back and to the wheel house. He was sitting looking backwards talking to a bridge inspector and going so fast without a barge it was pushing the bow under. I grabbed his shirt and drug him up over the dash so he could see the push knees just disappear. That is just an example of the whole company. The job was the south span of the new sunshine skyway bridge on Tampa bay. They were short o captains one saturday and since I lived on my boat anchored off the company dock, they called me into work. I was a deckhand. They had ne running a landing craft with one blown engine moving 120" barges. When I wasnt doing that I was running a crew boat. That was a federal government job that required a licensed captain. I didn't want to be a captain. It is a lot of responsibility. If I was eve going to run your boat, you were going o pay through the nose. I was into sailing.
I went Abord in 1960 in Seattle, she came for the worlds fair ! She birthed at pier 51 on seattles water front, my Dads schooner Salee was on the same dock off Bounty’s bow !
Nice job. Thanks for all your hard work. Just on suggestion. Your graphics comparing the original to the replica show "freeboard" as the height from the waterline to the deck. However, you described that as the "draft". The draft is probably the correct term but the graphic is wrong since the draft is the depth UNDER water (from the waterline to the bottom of the keel).
If someone purposes a dangerous action that is not really necessary; run to get away from that person. It's OK if someone wants to be reckless with their own lives, but you cannot allow them to be reckless with yours!
I know I would have jumped ship the moment that idiot captain said they were going out to sea to ride out a superstorm. I can always get another job; my life is irreplaceable.
Growing up it was a regular sight in Newport RI. What a waste. And the deckhand's family sued www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/us/bounty-shipwreck-lawsuit/index.html
This is a story that needed telling, a disaster from the changes made to the oribinal design, the neglect of common sense with known faults, an insane captain, what else do you need to say no (No), this vessel would not have been allowed to leave port from here. I have got to agree with the comment below, 10/10 to the coastguard for there service.
You have presented a clear, credible and compelling analysis of the circumstances that led to the loss of the HMS Bounty and two of her Crew members. Your presentation was both dignified and respectful, something which I greatly respected. Recklessly dangerous Captains in both the Aviation and Marine sectors have resulted in the total loss of the aircraft or vessel under their command and fatalities amongst the Crew Members. This particular Captain reminds me of Captain Michael Davidson, and for all of the wrong reasons! I was fortunate to have found your channel, and I like the manner of your presentation and narration, and have subscribed to support and to follow your channel.
It's a common misconception that Bligh was a hard arse. He actually ran a very lax regime and was noted for the infrequency of putting men to the lash. This is reflected in the fact that the mutineers made up only a minority of the crew - 18 of the 44 crew. He was a master mariner and oceanographer - he correctly predicted the creation of 'Bull island' on the north end of Dublin bay, Dublin, Ireland if the River Liffey were to be embanked by quays to a certain point the river would scour itself of muds & require minimal dredging to keep the channel clear - the muds & sands would then be deposited to create Bull island. Anyhows... The captain of the replica seems to have been under the impression he was in his own little adventure. I'm astounded the US Coast guard allowed the vessel off the quayside with the list of defects as long as the Bounty had.
Wow, that was very interesting. But do you know anything about the bounty that was built in Whangarei New Zealand? I thought that that was the one that sank. Would love to know where it is now. It would've been late seventies early eighties, it was also docked in Whangarei harbour for years as well. I remember paying a dollar to go aboard for a look.
Well done video, I'm glad it was not sympathetic to the original scurrilous mutineers, like so many Hollywood versions portrayed. If he were alive today and in the same position as Waldbridge, I'm sure that Captain Bligh would have made better choices!
Umm...this is basic stuff. Something to get right perhaps? A vessel's draught is the distance between the keel (the lowest longitudinal support beam) and water line. I.e, how much the vessel sinks into the water to float. The measurement between the waterline and upper deck is the freeboard. The air draft is measured from the waterline to the top of the highest point on the vessel.
I dont think you need to be experienced to know that sailing toward, into, or around a hurricane is a bad idea, how this nutter didnt get stopped by any authority, friend, part of the association, USCG, crew, wife, is pretty mindblowing... I'd almost blame everyone involved in this vessel bot just the captain, egos take hold and it's up to friends and everyone involved to speak up.
Poor leadership,, lucky more people were not lost in the accident,, stuff for marine sealing isn't bathroom,, window sealant,,case of being careless to a criminal extent ,,,safer at sea ,,our shores have Spanish armada and many more sailing ships wrecked,, from northern Ireland ☘️☘️☘️ sad video
"Undermanned and inexperienced" is exactly the main reason the original Pride of Balto. back in the '80's. Ship programs like this seem to get more clickish than they ever admit making it difficult to put together a proper crew.
Thank you for letting me know about the original Pride of Baltimore! I did not realize the current one is the Pride of Baltimore II. I think I'll make this the topic of a future video.
This story is the same idiocy as the loss of the B17 9-oh-9 at Bradley International by the Collins Foundation. Look it up and the aftermath vids. Confidence is the feeling you have before fully understanding the situation. From a tee shirt with an angler pulling up a great white.
I remember that incident .... tbh The crew should have had the sense to refuse to leave port .. because it was very well reported that there was an incoming Storm
YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS, SPEAK UP AND DO WHAT YOU THINK IS SAFE AND BEST. THEY MAY LOOK LIKE THEY KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING BUT HE FAILED AND IT COST HIM AND ANOTHER THEIR LIVES. WHAT IDIOTS SAIL INTO A HURRICANE WITH A VESSEL LIKE THAT?
Groupthink is a real, and powerful psychological phenomenon. Also, I don't think anyone on that crew had enough experience to really know how dangerous that course of action was.
I was sailing in and around the Caribbean around the time of this incident. I got hold of a free US Coast Guard document along the lines of "Advice for small boat sailors concerning Hurricanes." The opening paragraph in this document stated [I paraphrase] "Since 1945, no less than 8 US Navy ships have been lost in hurricanes with all hands. To put this in perspective, these are steel ships, fitted out to military standards with professionally trained crews with all the equipment and knowhow you could want. And they were still lost. As a small boat sailor you engage with Hurricanes at your peril." I seem to recall the ships that were lost were like Destroyers and or small battle ships with around 800 crew. I don't know the names of the ships, in the context of my reading, concerning a 35 foot fibreglass sailing boat, I didn't need to know - the message was being shouted from the roof tops concerning the risks. I am stunned to hear the Captains attitude towards expecting to survive sailing through a hurricane. I would have walked at the crew meeting and done my best to stop others boarding. There was no 'calculated risk' in the planning, just outright stupidity. The sad and unnecessary death of Claudene Christian is another stunning coincidence with her ancestry to the man himself - Fletcher Christian. That is a tale you just could not make up, that she is lost on the reproduction Bounty, and one of only two deaths in the whole situation, the other being the man who facilitated the incident, the Captain. Everyone else lived. Absolutely stunning tale of coincidence that leaves me wondering if there isn't a 'higher power' or 'god' after all, and she was 'taken'.
I was 12 when I got to walk her decks in 1976. Pile on the Bicentennial, 4 days at Disney, the fort at St. Augustine, meeting an uncle who flew R/C airplanes and the Tall Ships Festival and it was a helluva summer for a kid 👍 And BTW-it's "mettle". Not metal.
Most reckless decission sailing that beautiful but poor maintained vessel into a hurricane. The captain, to be an example on what is not to be done. COAST GUARD SHOULD HAVE NOT PRRMITTED THE DEPART FROM PORT
I was the command duty officer for the USCG that night. Some of your facts on the rescue were missing key conversations behind the scenes. Abandoning ship was discussed and determined to not be a good idea. Rigging would be an issue no matter what, but keeping everyone together gives the best odds to survival. Had the CG known of the injuries to the crew when notified our hand may have been forced. It could have been worse but we did our best to rescue everyone.
Jeremy, thanks for the additional context, and thank you for your service.
I had some questions that I had trouble finding answers to while researching. For one, were there any checks in place from the Coast Guard or other authorities at port to prevent ships from sailing into the storm or to ensure they were equipped to do so? Were there any other tall ships that managed to sail through the storm without incident, or did they all remain at port? What do you think the critical cause of the disaster was - the leaky hull, underperforming pumps, location of the ship relative to the eye of the storm, something else, or a combination of all?
I appreciate any insight you may have.
@@novembercharlie5404 interestingly the bounty was registered and licensed as a recreational vessel which allowed it to escape more stringent safety regulations. No other vessels were in the area of the bounty during the time of distress. We looked at AMVER and called over ch16 and 2182hz for any vessels in the area. I can't say for sure if any other tall ships left port, but none I'm aware of. As to what brought the ship down was sweating in the hulls, rain, and water intrusion. Oddly enough when they first hailed us via their ship's agent they asked for a pump bc they had a little bit of flooding. We told them to light off their EPIRB and demanded info on their current situation bc they couldn't even provide a good position. There was more and the whole thing was crazy. As for requiring them to stay in port. That's a difficult thing to do unless the CG can prove it's not safe ie: rowing the Atlantic in a storm.
In general, it's better to remain with a larger partially submerged Ship then abandon it and get into a smaller life raft, because a larger ship is easier to locate, correct?
Would the Bounty float if flooded or would it sink?
@@sanfranciscobay yes easier to locate normally but in this instance the rigging was the issue
The bounty did sink once flooded. Once a wooden ship loses water tight integrity the engines and added weight is too much to stay afloat like a smaller vessel.
I have followed this saga since the day they sailed off from Ct. down into Sandy. I have watched all the various videos. This is the best because you told more details of the famous "meeting" one hour prior to the actual trip. The crew did not really have an option to "not join". The capt only half heartedly covered his butt to position it as "optional". Jeesh.
On maintenance and condition of this rotting ship with questionable pumps etc. to not fix certain parts, I could see this as OK to hold off for some time but only if one was not planning to head directly into any major storm never mind a freakin hurricane!
Then you share how truly bad it really was to be on board in a hurricane with thirty foot waves in a leaky old rotting boat, with a captain on a deathwish, and no true respect of others lives. Thanks for a "real" view of this!
You are wonderful narrator! Thank you so much! Peace and blessings to you!
If your Captain's bucket list includes sailing into a hurricane, find another boat to crew on.
This guy gets it
Give storms a 500 mile wide birth.
They should have had a mutiny
Exactly.
😂Very True
I served in the Royal Navy, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. I experienced a lot of rough weather and sailed through Hurricane Flossie in 1978. It can be terrifying. I cannot begin to comprehend why any Captain would deliberatly choose to sail into the path of a hurricane. Especially in a Sailing ship with an inexperienced crew. It really was grossly negligent and foolhardy. It cost the life of a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life. It is a pity this Captain could not be held to account for his stupidity. I guess the sea held him to account. Such a sad story.
Amongst the tall ship community the ship was referred to as the bondo Bounty. Maintenace on the ship was done as cheaply as possible. As for the last voyage, The ship was berthed at new London, a incredibly safe anchorage where the ship could have safely ridden out the storm. As for the infamous capstan meeting where the crew agreed to proceed with the voyage I must point out that the crew didn't have enough sea time/experience to make a truly informed decision.
A very important point, informed consent is critical.... Properly informed
"The story of the original Bounty is a story for another day" proceeds to tell story all the way up to SpongeBob and Pirates of the Caribbean 😂😂😂
Original Bounty is in Spongbob?
You never, ever purposely sail into a storm to test your “metal” or your crew. Disgusting.
mettle
agreed.."disgusting"
Mettle
I agree, it was unconscionable and disgusting. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go aboard her in 2003--she was one lovely Lady. This disaster was completely avoidable. She was old and poorly maintained and you're right--she should have remained in port.
Has anyone else noticed a striking similarity between the loss of Bounty and the loss of El Faro? Cocky captains, poorly maintained ships, and hurricanes don't mix.
I just finished watching a video on the Faro and thought of the Bounty. Looked up videos on it and found this. I had no idea how bad the decision making was, knew it was bad, but this is ridiculous. I thought it was at least a tall ship in decent shape. Full of holes, bad pumps and a crew that wasn’t fully staffed.
Captain Walbrige was alot of things but cocky wasn't one of them
17 years experience and he still thought like an inpatient teenager.
Inpatient is where he needed to be. At a mental health facility. IMPATIENT is what he was 😂
I can't help but think it was no coincidence the captain went down with his ship.
10/10 to the Coastguard for their service.
Not sure if you mean he chose to go down with his ship, or something else.
Seems to me like he being quite old as well as somewhat injured at the time he stood little chance of survival.
A woman and an old man perished in this affair, so the weakest of the crew, generally speaking.
There are old Captains and
There are Bold Captains!
But there are
NO OLD BOLD CAPTAINS!
chay blyth, robin nox johnson , to mention 2
@@robertcooke1774 Both Brits! They will do just about anything to get off those islands!
The draft of a ship is measured from the keel up to the waterline, not from the waterline up to the top of the gunnels as shown here.
Thank you for telling this tragic story. Another you might want to cover is the M/V Wave Dancer that capsized in Hurricane Iris in Belize, Oct. 2001, killing 17 scuba divers and 3 crew members. The disaster could have been prevented, and has been almost completely covered up by powerful members of the scuba industry. The story can be read about in the book "No Safe Harbor" by Joe Burnworth. Since this disaster occurred shortly after 9/11, it was not widely covered by the media.
What A fool that Captain was , and how ironic that the other casualty was related to Mr Christian , if true , interesting story , nicely put together vid, thanks for posting .
I can't believe this guy was a captain. Fixing a boat like that is NOT fixing it. Mind you the controls were not adequate if any. He should not have been allowed to leave Port.
In the 1960's the Bounty was at a dock at Jacobson's Ship Yard in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY USA. At the end of the long pier was a barge that acted as the base office for the water trials of the newly build Hydrofoil H. S. Denison. The Denison was 90 feet long and when on her foils, her keel was 6 feet off the water moving at 60+ knots. A photographer from Grumman Aircraft Corp. who build the Denison took a picture of the two vessels together calling it The Old and the New. Some years earlier, my grandmother who always wanted to go to Tahiti, took my bother and I to see the film in a big theater in Time Square New York. It was fabulous. To see the ship up close was a thrill. To have some arrogant bone head loose the ship is still hard for me to take. I have sailed across the Atlantic twice in a 45 foot yawl. You learn very quickly not to mess with Mother Nature.
It was my dream to get my RN and spend time aboard her since Ship's Surgeon did not require an
MD. I was really majorly P.Oed when I heard she was taken out in the middle of a bloody Superstorm. I was fortunate enough to go aboard her in 2003 and fell in love with her at first sight. It both saddens and angers me that she was not properly maintained and had a damn arrogant fool for her captain.
@@harrietharlow9929 There are a lot of other sailing ships out there. Don't let the dream die. I've sailed twice across the Atlantic as crew on a 45 foot yawl. It was cold. It was hot. I got hid in the face at 2:00AM by a flying fish. It was great. Good Luck.
I sailed on the Bounty down the coast of california and one day when I was in the engine room I noticed lots of sea water sloushing around in the bilge . This led me to believe the hull had too many leaks.
The replica ship was built in the 1960s and by the 2000s it was an aging vessel. In some ways I am surprised that it lasted for 52 years.
This vessel was sailed across the Atlantic, out to the West Coast of the U.S. and up and down the east coast a number of times. I may try to put up a video of parts of my passage down the coast of California if I can figure out how to put a cd on TH-cam
I remember seeing the Bounty many times as a kid in New England and Florida. I also remember the effects of hurricane Sandy in Florida - With the ocean white to the horizon with massive waves. Sandy had a huge fetch of water for wave generation, much like the "Perfect storm" around Halloween 1991. This is the kind of weather a smart captain simply would sit out and avoid by all costs. Sandy and the 1991 storm both had hurricane forced winds over an area 1000 miles across at times. A "normal" hurricane is less than 1/10 that.
So essentially we have a ship constructed as a movie prop an inexperienced crew and shoddy maintenance with a captain who’s judgement was questionable. May those who lost their lives be at peace.
It wasn't just constructed as a movie prop- it was constructed as a working, seaworthy vessel. In the beginning it said it was built in Nova Scotia (city of Lunenburg) and sailed to Tahiti by way of the Panama Canal for filming. That's over 7200 nautical miles. So you can see it wasn't simply a "movie prop". It was built as traditional ships were built, and built well. However that was in 1960. This captain not only decided it was ok to skimp on repairs but actually set sail with large patches on deep rot in the hull (wood rot can make it so you can basically pull out pieces with your hands when it's bad and falls apart- disintegrates when very advanced) and then thought "hey, it would be cool to sail STRAIGHT INTO A HURRICANE". One that had already devastating the Bahamas and Cuba and had set records for size (diameter with at least gale force winds) and having the lowest barometric pressure on record ever recorded for a hurricane off the US eastern seaboard. I live on the Gulf coast of Florida and grew up in the area- if there's one thing I know about hurricane it's that the lower the pressure, the more screwed you tend to be, regardless of the category of storm or anything else.
I knew the captain and he seemed quite inexperienced as far as Sea Time, not a guy with a whole lot of experience in my opinion. And as far as crew, they were in his hands and he chose not to listen to the Coast Guard. As a Master myself I would have to take a deep breath and give way to the Coast Guard. Regardless of my Ego or whatever else drove this guy to his ultimate loss of Crew. As far as not making the “Watertight Bulkheads” watertight?? As required by the USCG. The work done in the boatyard was half assed for sure. Waldbridge was a moron and knew shit about working on a boat. My experience goes back to the late 50s when I started working in the Boat Yards, so I’m not just bullshitting here. She was just half ass fixed by some people who did not know what they were doing (Kids in trouble and looking for a new direction in life) Waldbridge was a guy who should have never been allowed to manage that boat. What is detailed here is as accurate as it needs to be…I met and knew Claudine, she was a sweetheart and very kind woman. Loss of Claudine was a crime that Robin Waldbridge should be held responsible for. That got to me as I truly adored Claudine, and she is sadly missed …
I too share in your assessement of Captain Waldbridge. I found him to be arrogant and careless as well. The Bounty and her crew deserved better.
They should had a mutiny ....
The Bounty could not possibly hold a course across to the East side of the storm. Robin had to know that course would be impossible for the that ship contrary to approaching hurricane winds. It never made sense and nobody including the Coast Guard asked about that. I knew that ship, the captain, and I have fixed those very bilge pumps several times, but its true nobody else could reprime them, and they weren't trained not to lose prime. I know a lot about the Bounty. It's really hard on me, was a vile experience.
Taking such a shoddy ship into the storm was suicide
Good documentary, well put together. Thank you :)
Worst captain ever. I feel sorry for his crew, and especially for the crew member who died because of his negligence and recklessness.
what happened to the bread fruit cargo on the HMS Bounty after the Mutiny took place? I expect they was thrown into the sea but I understand there's bread fruit on the isle where the ship was sailed to and burnt.
Yes, breadfruit was thrown overboard from the HMS Bounty after the Mutiny; they took too much water to keep alive. Pitcairn Island had breadfruit either naturally, or brought by the early Polynesian settlers (who had since left Pitcairn).
I remember this incident. It’s too bad all the mistakes were made. It seems the first mate should have sent the distress call when HE thought it should have been sent. Then miss Christian and the captain would have made it and the captain could explain why he made so many wrong decisions on this voyage.
I came here from watching videos on Pitcairn Island and this video was recommended by youtube.
Draft is distance from the waterline to the base of the keel.
Excellent quality report.
My son and I visited the Bounty some years ago when she was based in Battleship Cove, Fall River, Mass...Trevor Howard was just excellent in the film...What a fool the Captain was...
The Bounty was in my town of Port Alberni in 2008 it was real cool. I am so devastated this classic replica was destroyed, its like the losing the iconic Blue Nose 2 . I hope one day a new Bounty 3 is built.
Watch this "The Bounty sails into HK Harbour" on YT this is Bounty 3 ! The ship was buildt 1984 for the Mel Gibson Movie !
Note to animator. The draught of a vessel is the distance from the waterline DOWN to the keel. Not UP to the top deck.
So did they put Air Bags in and raise it or did the Ship break Up ?
A stubborn captain with bad judgment? Why does that sound familiar? Oh...
I'm not quite sure how this was "allowed" to happen. What a disgrace of a captain.
Very well done with excellent narration.
Sounds like the captain was living the dream too hard & the crew blindly followed him. I learned what real fear is in the Southern Pacific back in 1975, it cured me of ever going to sea again.
Criminal negligence, hubris and incompetence.
Awesome video! Tragedy of classic proportions!
This guy put the Capital H in Hubris. Very sad to hear people who knew Claudine. Understandably, there is a fair amount of anger here.
I have been in a small hurricane (cat 1) in a off-shore tug in Gulf of New Mexico. Our boat was made of steel and took the storm like a champ and it still scared the shit out of me the whole time!! Couldn't imagine the fear this captain put these kids through cuz he was batshit crazy. He probably took a permanent swim so he didn't have to face the consequences!!?? Who knows. Thank God they all didn't die!!
I think I know that tug, since there aren’t many off-shore tugs working the rough seas in the Gulf of New Mexico.
@@scottoconnor3484 I'm sure you are spot on there podna!! 🤙⚜️
I went aboard this ship as a scout in Berkeley; she appeared ok; but it pissed me off when she foundered and was lost...stupid capt and untrained crew!
And to think that our national treasure is in the ands of fools in boston!!
Great video man!
As Capt. of a wooden Sailing Vessel for 32 Years.... I'll say only one thing... Manual Hand pumps.
1 don't take a dangerious chance unless one has too
Similar situation with the Al Faro, a commercial bulk carrier. I used to train mariners in GMDSS (replaced radio telegraph on ships). We would go over and over the correct procedures during a distressed situation. However, ego's and a feeling of omnipotence can trump knowledge. If so, people will lose their life. The Bounty was an "uninspected" type of recreational vessel (?), thus extensive safety equipment was lacking. It is my understanding that they did NOT even have a marine SSB radio on board. Only a HF ham radio. Shame shame.
It's tragic events that cause changes to rules and regulations . to improve safety practices .. in this case there was many many mistakes .
HF is ssb
The term you are looking for is freeboard, not draft. Freeboard is the distance above the water. Draft is the distance below the water.
Why was this captain even allowed to be in command of the ship?
She never should have been at sea in the first place. Modern cruise ships and navy vessels won't try their luck with hurricanes, so what chance did she stand?
This is happens when you have a bunch of novices trying to run a ship that requires expert seamanship and sound judgment. Not to mention a ship that’s a neglected wooden relic. If the captain had survived he probably would have went to jail for negligence. All he had to do was stay in port until the storm passed.
Something doesn't add up here: Draft = "Depth of water needed to float a boat."
Yet @2:45 you show it as the "freeboard".
Too bad for this beautiful ship and the crew; but the captain paid for his arrogance with his life!
Draft is the Depth of the Hull into the water from the Waterline. I.E., How deep she is into the water….The yellow dimensions depicted on this video are totally incorrect.
@@BillyG869
Isn't that what I said?
@@touchofgrey5372 Yes, you did. You beat me to it but as soon as I saw and heard those dimensions, I realised what the narrator was showing was wrong.
I was on Penobscot Bay when she headed south from Maine for that trip. I remember watching her leave the bay.
Her last berth was at the harbor of Belfast, Maine I saw her off in the early hours of the morning! I watched her disappear into the morning fog and that was the last time I’d ever see her again!
Voluntarily fighting a hurricane with a ship with a partly rotten hull and household seals.
Just to see if she's still up to the task.
With a partly rotten hull and consumer household seals to keep the water out.
Right, got it.
I was on the bounty several times,it was a really cool ship,such a tragic loss.
How is it that he was allowed to leave port? Doesn't the port authority have the power to prevent a ship from sailing?
No...... It is up to the Captain to make that decision.
Yes, the CG has the authority to declare a "manifestly unsafe voyage" and confine it to port. "The Coast Guard has authorized the district commander to prohibit the voyage of any vessel if the [Coast Guard] commander determines that the craft is unsuitable for the intended trip."
What a total disaster.
It's idiots like this captain whose actions precipitate regulations that the rest of us careful people have to live by. Freedom becomes eroded.
Let me say from experience, I was in nyc for hurricane Sandy. On land of course lol. But in Astoria Queens. CRAZY FOLKS! FREAKIN INSANE WEATHER!!! Can't possibly imagine being in a wooden sailboat out of sight of land in that???
NO THANK YOU
The portrayal of Bligh in books and film is an historical abomination. The logs show his discipline was milder than most. In Australia where he suffered his second “mutiny” he was dissolving a gang of corrupt officers known as the Rum Corps. Bligh went on to enjoy a successful naval career reaching Admiral.
A much maligned officer sadly cemented by celluloid.
His escape to the East Indies is comparable with Shackleton’s.
Agree, a much maligned individual . Cleared of any wrongdoing on both occasions.
To reach Admiral all a post captain needed to do was survive long enough.
The instigator of the Bounty mutiny Fletcher Christian had two brothers both lawyers. When Christian's part in the mutiny became known to the British public his name was mud. His brothers began what today we would call a PR campaign to discredit Bligh, who by all naval accounts including Capt. James Cook whom he served under on HMB Endeavour, as a very humane and kind man. In fact Bligh was regarded by the Navy Board who organised the expedition as such a fair minded officer, and one who eschewed punishment, that it was decided the usual contingent of Marines (whose primary task on ships was to protect the Captain) would not be required. Bligh was absent from England when the PR campaign took place and the Royal Navy to its everlasting shame did not defend him, leaving the slur against him unchallenged and unrefuted. Lazy historians and over-excited authors and script writers did the perfect hatchet job, until Richard Parkins book Bounty cleared the decks. The Royal Navy knew all along he was innocent and victimised, and he was given the Governorship of NSW Australia as a token of recompense. For a second time his good nature was used against him in another rebellion led by a wealthy farmer called Macarthur, aided and abetted by the corrupt officers and men of the army, known colloquially as the Rum Corps (they ran the supply of imported goods and alcohol much like a mafia operation). When Macarthur's illegal dealings and high handedness (taking the law unto himself) were investigated by Bligh and the activities of the Rum Corps were under suspicion they staged a mutiny. Oddly enough they were lightly punished if at all. The Gov't hushed up the scandal as best they could and Bligh became an obscure figure, and, by current accounts at the time a broken man. To add insult to injury Macarthur was sent back to England for 8 years in disgrace. In his absence his wife Elizabeth developed Australia's Marino wool industry, making him a very very wealthy man. Of course a man of his nature took all the credit on his return, and that too was swallowed whole by lazy historians and authors. Time does reveal the hidden lie.
@@rastapete100 perhaps. But it does not alter the fact that his evil reputation was undeserved
well we lost the pride of baltimore too in a big storm so s__t happens
Nice video. I heard about this incident, but this is a detailed report, and i like the extra info about ms. christian, r.i.p.. That is scary ironic that she and the capt, perished. This is a classical incident of human error, "magical thinking" and pushing your luck, because you know so much, and you have so much experience, you just go for it, and get pounded..
Thank You
2:46 ~ Draught of a ship is a measurement from; waterline to the keel ....not waterline to bulwark !!
@November Charlie
My mistake! Thanks for letting me know.
I enjoyed the story, it was a lesson as well, bathtub caulking and paint are not seaworthy, and neither are old men that have nothing to lose. how can you make three feet of water worse, make it fuel and water and four feet deep, cut propulsion and bilge pump power, and slowly sink with a crew that has not slept in two days , the ship was beyond repair with any money they could get and that captain new this. he knew the ship had a life expectancy of a year before it was scrapped and his job was gone forever.
4:12 I lived in St. Pete when the porn was filmed we had just taken a school trip to see the ship. I was totally going to bring that up if you didnt. The owners were pissed I heard.
Fancy it being in all those movies and I had know idea about the boats history
And now it’s gone , that’s pretty’ sad 😢
RIP Claudene , terrible waste :(
I used to ream up with a friend to deliver yachts. He was a licensed tugboat captain on the Mississippi river. I'd work on tug with him any time. I don't know what it was but put him on the ocean and he went totally stupid. I finally got to where I wouldn't let him run the boat once we crossed the bar. He was not allowed to touch the controls, not even on his personal boat. Just because you passed the test doesn't mean you are qualified.
He asked me once why I didn't get a license. My answer was "Because you have one".
cool story bro
Did he get Dementia? Or was it foolishness. I too worked on Tugs. The Captain told me one day having a laugh.. " I really love the ocean, the sea, she sorts out all the idiots." ( We were chatting about road deaths on the coastal road. Hi toll of people at that time.
@@R00RAL He tried to enter an inlet on the front side of a 10' breaking sea in a displacement hull. Would you allow him to operate a boat you were on?
He was great on a harbor tug with one barge in cross currents and tight places. Put him in a pleasure boat or on the ocean and he immediately became as useless as a New York City hog breeders. Started to drop the 200 pound anchor with his foot in the line. Had no concept of dead reckoning. Just to see what he would do, once half way into a trip from Tampa to the dry Tortugas, when he was asleep I replaced the compass with a broken one. I stopped the boat and let it drift and woke him up. He wanted to call the coast guard. When I asked where he was going to tell them where we were he started to mumble "we are going to starve". If an 85 ton boat came close to a piling he would reach out and grab the piling to stop it instead of having a fender in his hand and using it. He lost a finger between a spring line and the cleat. Never could figure that one out. He fell overboard under way at night twice the same night even though I told him to stay off deck after the first time. That was when we came to an understanding about who was in charge and who was going o pull his ass out of the water again. He was a great cook. kept the cabin spotless. kept snacks and drinks in the wheelhouse just like I did for him on the tug.. Couldn't let him on deck.
when I first went to work for him on a tug he couldn't tell me where the fuel shut offs were, the bilge strainers, engine room light switch was, how much fuel we carried, consumption or speed. He wasnt the dumbest one in the company though. One day he was off and the job foremans son took the 85 foot harbor tug. I was making my check of the engine room and he sped up the engines too fast. I came up on deck and saw water at the cabin door. looking out the door the bow was under water with only the push knees sticking out. I ran around th3e stern and up the back and to the wheel house. He was sitting looking backwards talking to a bridge inspector and going so fast without a barge it was pushing the bow under. I grabbed his shirt and drug him up over the dash so he could see the push knees just disappear. That is just an example of the whole company. The job was the south span of the new sunshine skyway bridge on Tampa bay. They were short o captains one saturday and since I lived on my boat anchored off the company dock, they called me into work. I was a deckhand. They had ne running a landing craft with one blown engine moving 120" barges. When I wasnt doing that I was running a crew boat. That was a federal government job that required a licensed captain. I didn't want to be a captain. It is a lot of responsibility. If I was eve going to run your boat, you were going o pay through the nose. I was into sailing.
One does not simply sail a movie prop into a hurricane.
I went Abord in 1960 in Seattle, she came for the worlds fair ! She birthed at pier 51 on seattles water front, my Dads schooner Salee was on the same dock off Bounty’s bow !
Nice job. Thanks for all your hard work. Just on suggestion. Your graphics comparing the original to the replica show "freeboard" as the height from the waterline to the deck. However, you described that as the "draft". The draft is probably the correct term but the graphic is wrong since the draft is the depth UNDER water (from the waterline to the bottom of the keel).
If someone purposes a dangerous action that is not really necessary; run to get away from that person. It's OK if someone wants to be reckless with their own lives, but you cannot allow them to be reckless with yours!
I know I would have jumped ship the moment that idiot captain said they were going out to sea to ride out a superstorm. I can always get another job; my life is irreplaceable.
It's a shame the captain didn't survive so he could be thrown in prison, and also sued till he had nothing left. What an arrogant, reckless moron.
Growing up it was a regular sight in Newport RI. What a waste. And the deckhand's family sued www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/us/bounty-shipwreck-lawsuit/index.html
This is a story that needed telling, a disaster from the changes made to the oribinal design, the neglect of common sense with known faults, an insane captain, what else do you need to say no (No), this vessel would not have been allowed to leave port from here. I have got to agree with the comment below, 10/10 to the coastguard for there service.
You have presented a clear, credible and compelling analysis of the circumstances that led to the loss of the HMS Bounty and two of her Crew members.
Your presentation was both dignified and respectful, something which I greatly respected.
Recklessly dangerous Captains in both the Aviation and Marine sectors have resulted in the total loss of the aircraft or vessel under their command and fatalities amongst the Crew Members.
This particular Captain reminds me of Captain Michael Davidson, and for all of the wrong reasons!
I was fortunate to have found your channel, and I like the manner of your presentation and narration, and have subscribed to support and to follow your channel.
Really very interesting.. new subscriber ✌🏼💗😊❣️
a friend was the engineer on the bounty for the movie
This is a crazy ass Storie!
It's a common misconception that Bligh was a hard arse. He actually ran a very lax regime and was noted for the infrequency of putting men to the lash. This is reflected in the fact that the mutineers made up only a minority of the crew - 18 of the 44 crew.
He was a master mariner and oceanographer - he correctly predicted the creation of 'Bull island' on the north end of Dublin bay, Dublin, Ireland if the River Liffey were to be embanked by quays to a certain point the river would scour itself of muds & require minimal dredging to keep the channel clear - the muds & sands would then be deposited to create Bull island. Anyhows...
The captain of the replica seems to have been under the impression he was in his own little adventure. I'm astounded the US Coast guard allowed the vessel off the quayside with the list of defects as long as the Bounty had.
Wow, that was very interesting. But do you know anything about the bounty that was built in Whangarei New Zealand? I thought that that was the one that sank. Would love to know where it is now. It would've been late seventies early eighties, it was also docked in Whangarei harbour for years as well. I remember paying a dollar to go aboard for a look.
It's been in Hong Kong for ages as a tourist vessel but sadly has been languishing there with no maintenance for a long time.
@@squarerigapprentice thanks for that. At least it's not on the bottom. What a wast of an awesome old boat.
Somebody should retrieve or salvage that boat .
It's still very suspicious. It almost seems like an insurance job since there were issues with the ship.
Well done video, I'm glad it was not sympathetic to the original scurrilous mutineers, like so many Hollywood versions portrayed. If he were alive today and in the same position as Waldbridge, I'm sure that Captain Bligh would have made better choices!
Umm...this is basic stuff. Something to get right perhaps? A vessel's draught is the distance between the keel (the lowest longitudinal support beam) and water line. I.e, how much the vessel sinks into the water to float. The measurement between the waterline and upper deck is the freeboard. The air draft is measured from the waterline to the top of the highest point on the vessel.
I dont think you need to be experienced to know that sailing toward, into, or around a hurricane is a bad idea, how this nutter didnt get stopped by any authority, friend, part of the association, USCG, crew, wife, is pretty mindblowing... I'd almost blame everyone involved in this vessel bot just the captain, egos take hold and it's up to friends and everyone involved to speak up.
I'd Never ship onthis ship with crew as they were,not the shifty maintanince....
Poor leadership,, lucky more people were not lost in the accident,, stuff for marine sealing isn't bathroom,, window sealant,,case of being careless to a criminal extent ,,,safer at sea ,,our shores have Spanish armada and many more sailing ships wrecked,, from northern Ireland ☘️☘️☘️ sad video
That ship was built by the same builder as both the Bluenose and the Bluenose II.
I’ve heard that they are going to raise her, they are building a special crane barge named “The quicker picker upper”.
Lmao
"Undermanned and inexperienced" is exactly the main reason the original Pride of Balto. back in the '80's.
Ship programs like this seem to get more clickish than they ever admit making it difficult to put together a proper crew.
Thank you for letting me know about the original Pride of Baltimore! I did not realize the current one is the Pride of Baltimore II. I think I'll make this the topic of a future video.
Why didn’t the crew mutiny And sail away?
This story is the same idiocy as the loss of the B17 9-oh-9 at Bradley International by the Collins Foundation. Look it up and the aftermath vids. Confidence is the feeling you have before fully understanding the situation. From a tee shirt with an angler pulling up a great white.
I remember that incident .... tbh The crew should have had the sense to refuse to leave port .. because it was very well reported that there was an incoming Storm
YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS, SPEAK UP AND DO WHAT YOU THINK IS SAFE AND BEST. THEY MAY LOOK LIKE THEY KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING BUT HE FAILED AND IT COST HIM AND ANOTHER THEIR LIVES. WHAT IDIOTS SAIL INTO A HURRICANE WITH A VESSEL LIKE THAT?
Groupthink is a real, and powerful psychological phenomenon. Also, I don't think anyone on that crew had enough experience to really know how dangerous that course of action was.
I was sailing in and around the Caribbean around the time of this incident. I got hold of a free US Coast Guard document along the lines of "Advice for small boat sailors concerning Hurricanes."
The opening paragraph in this document stated [I paraphrase] "Since 1945, no less than 8 US Navy ships have been lost in hurricanes with all hands. To put this in perspective, these are steel ships, fitted out to military standards with professionally trained crews with all the equipment and knowhow you could want. And they were still lost. As a small boat sailor you engage with Hurricanes at your peril."
I seem to recall the ships that were lost were like Destroyers and or small battle ships with around 800 crew. I don't know the names of the ships, in the context of my reading, concerning a 35 foot fibreglass sailing boat, I didn't need to know - the message was being shouted from the roof tops concerning the risks.
I am stunned to hear the Captains attitude towards expecting to survive sailing through a hurricane. I would have walked at the crew meeting and done my best to stop others boarding.
There was no 'calculated risk' in the planning, just outright stupidity.
The sad and unnecessary death of Claudene Christian is another stunning coincidence with her ancestry to the man himself - Fletcher Christian. That is a tale you just could not make up, that she is lost on the reproduction Bounty, and one of only two deaths in the whole situation, the other being the man who facilitated the incident, the Captain. Everyone else lived. Absolutely stunning tale of coincidence that leaves me wondering if there isn't a 'higher power' or 'god' after all, and she was 'taken'.
USAF USN retired everythimg he wrote about this is dead right. I would only add the sea does not care how tough you think you are, it can always win.
News flash: Nope. No higher power. Beware of coincidence, however.
Blatant irresponsibility.
I was 12 when I got to walk her decks in 1976. Pile on the Bicentennial, 4 days at Disney, the fort at St. Augustine, meeting an uncle who flew R/C airplanes and the Tall Ships Festival and it was a helluva summer for a kid 👍
And BTW-it's "mettle". Not metal.
OK so the title gives away plenty, but as of 9:23 my human factors antennae are flicking around painfully.
Most reckless decission sailing that beautiful but poor maintained vessel into a hurricane. The captain, to be an example on what is not to be done. COAST GUARD SHOULD HAVE NOT PRRMITTED THE DEPART FROM PORT
Seaman's crave