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HISTORY
On December 24th of 1787, the three-masted BOUNTY set sail for
Cape Horn with her crew of 44 men under the command of Captain
Bligh. Her orders were to call at the Island of Tahiti, bad as
many breadfruit trees as she could carry and then transport them
to the West Indies where they were to be cultivated in large
plantations as a supply of food for the slaves.
On arriving at Tahiti, after a 10 month voyage, Captain Bligh
discovered that he would have to wait six months before the
young breadfruit trees were ready for digging up and
transporting. He therefore had no choice but to spend this
length of time on the island. But life there proved to be so
idyllic that at the end of the six months the crew did anything
but welcome his order to start loading and return on board ship.
Then on the morning of l8th April, during the return voyage, the
infamous mutiny took place. Captain Bligh and 18 loyal members
of crew were cast adrift with 150 pounds of biscuits, 20 pounds
of salted meat and 120 litres of water. They were also given a
compass, sextant and the logbook of the BOUNTY.
With only these victuals and equipment Captain Bligh reached the
Island of Timor after 42 days and 3400 nautical miles. Later
Captain Bligh was made a vice-admiral and colonial governor.
The mutinous crew of the BOUNTY found a safe hiding place on the
Island of Pitcaim and there they unloaded the cargo before
setting fire to the BOUNTY. |
