HMS Bounty

shipwreck · mutiny · Pacific Ocean · history

A Plant-Hunting Ship. HMS Bounty was a merchant ship that the Royal Navy bought in 1787 to sail to the South Pacific and collect breadfruit plants. These plants were supposed to be brought back to the West Indies to become a food source for enslaved people working there.

Captain William Bligh. The ship was commanded by Captain William Bligh, an experienced naval officer. He led the expedition to find and transport breadfruit trees across the ocean.

The Famous Mutiny. In 1789, the crew rebelled against Captain Bligh in what became one of history's most famous mutinies. The acting lieutenant Fletcher Christian led the rebellion, and the mutineers took control of the ship.

Burned at Pitcairn Island. After the mutiny, the rebels sailed HMS Bounty to Pitcairn Island, a remote spot in the Southern Pacific Ocean. In 1790, they burned the ship so no one could follow them and capture them.

Discovered Again. Nearly 170 years later, in 1957, an American adventurer helped recover several remains and artifacts from the wreck of HMS Bounty. These discoveries helped prove the true story of what happened to the famous ship.