![]() ![]() Unsure of what to do next, Christian, along with eight other mutineers and several native islanders left Tahiti in search of a safer haven. The mutineers sailed back to Tahiti despite the risk of being apprehended by British authorities. The crew immediately forced Bligh and 18 of his loyal sailors onto a small, open-air boat and left them for dead. On the morning of April 28, 1789, Fletcher Christian and a group of 25 petty officers seized control of the ship - a mutiny on the Bounty suddenly erupted. In response, he began issuing even harsher punishments to virtually anyone and developed an abusive tone. However, relations between Bligh and his men rapidly deteriorated in the subsequent weeks. With a full cargo ship of breadfruits, they set off toward the Caribbean. Yet despite growing resentment, Bligh and his reluctant crew set sail from Tahiti on April 4. Most commanders relied on harsh discipline and punishment to maintain law and order at sea. In reality, Bligh probably wasn't much worse than other naval officers of the day. The lieutenant had earned a nasty reputation for being an overly hard-nosed officer - some even referred to him as a tyrant. The five-month layover in Tahiti proved to be detrimental to discipline among the ranks.īut William Bligh wasn't having any of it. In fact, many of the sailors fell in love with local Polynesian women and reportedly considered staying. However, the crew quickly become accustomed to the relaxing island lifestyle and were not so eager to leave. Their orders were to fill the cargo containers with breadfruit saplings and continue on their way. In December 1788, HMS Bounty arrived at the beautiful island of Tahiti. At the time, breadfruit was an essential food source for the ever-growing slave population. The Bounty would sail through the Indian Ocean into the South Atlantic before reaching the West Indies. They were to enter the Pacific Ocean via the Cape Horn (in South America), collect the tropical trees, and continue sailing westward through the Endeavour Strait. ![]() On October 15, 1787, Bligh and his crew departed Britain. His orders were to circumnavigate the earth via the Southern Hemisphere and transport breadfruit plants from the Pacific islands to the Caribbean. ![]() Bligh was an experienced naval commander who had previously served under Captain James Cook during his third and final voyage. In August 1787, Lieutenant William Bligh assumed command of the Bounty expedition. The Admiralty ranked it a cutter, which was the smallest category of warship in the navy. It also carried a small number of firearms, such as muskets. HMS Bounty was a three-masted, 91 feet long vessel armed with four short carriage guns and ten half-pounder swivel guns. The 1984 Hollywood hit film, The Bounty, stars Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. The epic story has since become mainstream and made popular in countless books, films, biographies, and even a broadway musical. The exact cause of the mutiny is still unclear, but many have pointed to the captain's harsh treatment of his crew. The Mutiny on the Bounty is perhaps the most famous act of sedition in the history of the Royal Navy. Today on April 28, 1789, the crew under Lieutenant William Bligh suddenly seized control of the ship in a rebellion known as Mutiny on the Bounty. ![]()
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