Eighteen men, five days of rations, and the equivalent of an Atlantic crossing.

People used to be made of tougher stuff. There aren’t many people in our lifetime who would willingly leave their families, knowing the potential of death, and also knowing our modern comforts and giving them up entirely. Society has, in a lot of ways, changed for the better, but not necessarily in all aspects. Many people would grimace at the idea of camping, let alone a lifetime of camping with rations, cold miserable weather, strict regulations, and little to no pay. As much as the British Empire has made some very questionable choices in history, we cannot deny the fact they created some truly remarkable sailors and loyalty-inspiring leaders. 

In the mid-1800s the royal navy acquired The  HMS Bounty, a converted merchant collier they planned to use to transport breadfruit from French Polynesia to the West Indies. The Bounty’s planned route sailed from Tahiti to the West Indies. Now the British and the French did not get along in the seventeen hundreds, and I don’t particularly think that has changed even now. Tahiti was chosen as a place to British dominance, in a sort of territorial standoff with the French. Shipping out the breadfruit from French Polynesia was a tactical political and militaristic display. In August of 1787, the British Royal Navy appointed William Bligh, of Plymouth, England as commanding Lieutenant aboard the Bounty.

Show Notes:

[02:35] Who is Captain William Bligh

[04:12] William Bligh was given command of the HMS Bounty

[04:55] HMS Bounty set sail from Spithead, England

[05:34] HMS Bounty finally reached Tahiti

[06:18] They departed Tahiti for the West Indies & Tensions Grew Between Captain and Crew

[08:03] Fletcher’s Mutiny 

[08:58] Bligh Taken Prisoner and Sent off in the Ship’s Boat

[10:46] HMS Bounty Returns to Tahiti and then Headed to Pitcairn Island

[11:45] HMS Bounty Crew Carry-On and Bligh’s Crew Arrives

[13:04] Mutineers Sent to Trail and Bligh Welcomed as Hero

[11:45] Bligh’s Career Continues

[14:37] Wreckage and Recreation of the HMS Bounty

 

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• A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; And The Subsequent Voyage Of Part Of The Crew, In The Ship's Boat