After the muntiny - Captain Bligh

The “Bounty” mutiny is perhaps the most well-known episode in British Naval history. After spending several pleasant months among the uninhibited natives of Tahiti, Fletcher Christian and most of the rest of crew decided that they had had enough of Captain Bligh’s authoritative style of leadership. Putting Bligh and 18 loyal sailors off the “Bounty” in a small boat 4000 miles from civilization, the mutineers were confident that Bligh couldn’t survive for long - the mutineers were wrong.

Though the mutiny part of the story has been thoroughly covered in several movies, what is missed is the incredible story of Bligh’s journey in that small boat. On April 28th, 1789, Fletcher Christian put Bligh and 18 loyal men aboard the ship’s launch and cast them adrift with twenty-five gallons of water, one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, thirty pounds of pork, six quarts of rum and six bottles of wine. The launch itself was 23 feet long and 7 feet wide and totally open to the wind, rain and sun of the South Pacific. Though they were adrift around the islands of Tonga – where they might obtain extra water and food – the nearest settlement was over 4000 miles across the ocean. Off the major shipping lanes, and the “Bounty” herself not expected back in England for more than a year, Bligh’s situation was grim.

There were bright spots in the picture, however, Christian allowed Bligh to take a compass, sextant, navigation book, mast and sails on the launch. Bligh himself was extremely intelligent and a master navigator. After a short stop at a nearby island (where they were promptly attacked by natives) Bligh decided to make for the Dutch settlement on the Indonesian island of Timor – 4000 miles away.

Putting to good use - this time - the stern leadership style that got him thrown off the “Bounty” in the first place, Bligh established a strict ration of their meager supplies: one ounce of bread and 0.14 liters of water a day per man (with an occasional teaspoon of rum or wine). Surviving storms, reefs and the weather for six weeks, the small boat entered Timor harbor on 14 June – without losing a man! Quickly returning to England and reporting the mutiny, the Royal Navy began searching for the criminals.

Sixteen of the twenty five mutineers returned to Tahiti where they were soon rounded up by the RN and some promptly hung. Christian and a few others made their way to small Pitcairn Island which, being miss- marked on navigational maps, caused them to escape discovery for many years, their descendents live there to this day.

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