Apr 27, 2018 to begin with, captain bligh wasnt even a captain during the famous 1789 bounty voyage but only a commanding lieutenant. More than two centuries have passed since masters mate fletcher christian mutinied against lieutenant bligh on a small, armed transport vessel called bounty. Bligh and 18 other crew members loyal to him were set adrift on april 28th in the bounty s launch, an open boat, 23foot long by 69 wide. Mutiny recreating captain blighs epic voyage of survival.
The book reads very well and turns into an inspirational survival story. When lieutenant william bligh set sail for the east indian island of timor on 28th april 1789, he commanded an 18man crew in a perilously overloaded 23foot launch. The tale of the mutiny on the bounty remains one of the most intriguing stories of adventure on the high seas more than 200 years after the ill fated voyage that made captain bligh and fletcher christian legends. Armed vessel bounty by greg dening hardcover book, 459 pages see other available editions description captain bligh and the voyage of the bounty are the starting point of this new study of the famous mutiny in history, literature and film. The men and the mutiny bluejacket paperback by richard hough the mutiny on the bounty has fascinated readers for more than two hundred years, but no other book on this extraordinary episode in maritime history tells the story as well as this masterly and thrilling account by richard hough. Bounty 1789 facsimile edition of bligh s log book by bligh, william and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Sea history dening has written a classic, an absorbing book likely long to remain the definitive analysis of the mutiny. William bligh s most popular book is the bounty mutiny. In what we can now refer to as exhibit a in bligh s defense is his astonishing navigation in the bounty s launch which immediately became. Jul 16, 2019 william bligh september 9, 1754december 7, 1817 was a british mariner who had the bad luck, timing and temperament to be aboard two shipshms bounty in 1789 and the hms director in 1791on which the crew mutinied. Captain william blighs firsthand account of the last voyage of hms bounty 9781934941065.
Bound for tahiti, the bounty sailed from spithead, england on 23 december 1787 under the famous captain william bligh. The novel, mutiny on the bounty 1932, was written by charles nordhoff. If you want to know the real history of the bounty instead of the movie version, then this. Mr blighs bad language passion power and theater h m armed. Mutiny on the bounty from terra australis to australia. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. The tale of the mutiny on the bounty remains one of the most intriguing stories of. Bligh was a victim of snobbery and spin uk news the guardian. If, like me, you first became interested in pitcairn island and the story of the bounty, you really should read maurice bligh s book, and not think that you know william bligh as he has been portrayed by various actors. The mutiny on the royal navy vessel hms bounty occurred in the south pacific ocean on 28 april 1789. Jan 01, 2011 if you are interested at all in the bounty and its mutiny, you really should read captain bligh s first hand account. Forever bligh s image was changed in history, but caroline alexanders book the bounty is a good place to learn the truth behind these events.
These are the events i knew him for so it was good to discover that he had so much more going for him. Bligh enjoyed the patronage of sir joseph banks, a wealthy botanist and influential figure in britain at the time. Pitcairn islands, william bligh, the bounty, john adams, peter heywood, hms bounty, fletcher christian, descendants of the bounty mutineers, hms pandora, james morrison, bounty ii, in the wake of the bounty, edward christian, ned young, edward. This is an important medical book in its own right, made all the more interesting by its fascinating history. Hopefully viceadmiral william bligh, rn, frs, will regain his rightful place in annals of maritime adventure. Mutiny on board hms bounty by william bligh nook book. Mgm bounty dropped anchor where the original bounty anchored 200 yeas before, and where i had my bamboo house on the shore. Bounty study, historical blighs most serious flaw was his bad language. Caroline alexander points out in her 2003 book the bounty that bligh was relatively lenient compared with other british naval officers. Bligh s bad language offers a new interpretation of the mutiny in the context of its historical and. The story of what happened on the voyage became wellknown thanks to blighs published. On 28th april 1789 a small and unremarkable merchant vessel became one of the most famous ships in maritime history. Jan 08, 2021 incredible the mutiny of 1789 on the bounty was only one of three set against lieutenant william bligh but was his a victim or a villain.
Hms bounty was under the command of 34yearold lieutenant william bligh, an inexperienced commander who lacked the respect of a crew attracted to the promise of an easy life in a tahitian paradise. Bligh in the wake of the bounty pitcairn and norfolk. Bligh was probably a bit dictatorial in his words and actions, but the historical record has shown that most commanders of his day were as such, and he was actually more humane than some. Seathe eventful history of the mutiny and piratical seizure of h. His sailing career began in 1762, when, at the age of seven, he was entered on the books of the monmouth as captains servant. Sep 15, 2003 the bounty a completely thorough and exhaustive history of just about every aspect of this case in which the author has intended to reverse the negative opinions of the infamous lieutenant bligh. William bligh, english navigator, explorer, and commander of the hms bounty at the time of the celebrated mutiny on that ship. The story of this famous mutiny has many beginnings and many endings but they all intersect on an april morning in 1789 near the island known today as tonga. Mutiny on the bounty novel by hall and nordhoff britannica. Viceadmiral william bligh frs 9 september 1754 7 december 1817 was an officer of the royal navy and a colonial administrator. If you want to know the real history of the bounty instead of the movie version, the. Blighs log is a fascinating document providing insight into the bounty mutiny. Captain william blighs firsthand account of the last voyage of. The bounty mutiny by william bligh, edward christian.
William t bligh was the greatest naval officer in history. Captain william blighs firsthand account of the last voyage of hms bounty paperback. The mutiny that occurred aboard hms bounty in 1789 is the most infamous and the most talked about mutiny in all history. Bligh had previously served under captain cook on his final voyage, and would go on to become a vice admiral of the royal navy.
When masters mate of the hms bounty fletcher christian famously forced the captain and his 18 crewmen off the ship on 28 april 1789, bligh continued to write in his logbook during the gruelling 47day longboat voyage to timor, making sure the books were kept secure and dry. He went to sea, as did some of the young men on the bounty, when he was only sixteen. The bounty mutiny by william bligh, edward christian books. This was blighs second visit to tahiti and he had many friends on the island. A historic mutiny occurred during his command of hms bounty in 1789. The son of a customs officer, bligh joined the royal navy in 1770. This book like the 1984 film dispels the myth of the evil capt bligh and the heroic and dashing mr. Book summary the bestselling author of the endurance reveals the startling truth behind the legend of the hms bounty. It would go down in history as the mutiny on the bounty. It was followed by a series of movies based on it, notably in 1935 when charles laughton played bligh with clark gable as his first mate fletcher christian, and in 1962 when trevor howard took the role of bligh with marlon brando as christian.
Mutiny on the bounty is the title of the 1932 novel by charles nordhoff and james norman hall, based on the mutiny against lieutenant william bligh. Everything, everything except articles, books, journals and maps, manuscripts, oral history and pictures, articles, journal and. More than two centuries after masters mate fletcher christian led a mutiny against lieutenant william bligh on a small, armed transport vessel called bounty, the. The true story of the mutiny on the bounty, viking penguin, 2003, hardcover, 512 pages, isbn 0670033x william bligh, a narrative of the mutiny on board his majestys ship bounty. The mutiny, therefore, not only deprived bligh of his ship, but defused a grand. What bligh and the others on his launch went through after the mutiny is incredible. After six years as a midshipman, he was promoted to sailing master of the resolution and served under. Jun 03, 2016 william bligh, like the title character in woody allens 1983 movie zelig, seemed to turn up everywhere history was being made in the latter decades of the 18th century. William bligh has 37 books on goodreads with 6829 ratings. William bligh was born near plymouth, england, in 1754.
Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to timor, 3,618 nautical miles 6,701 km. Blighs bounty logbooks recognised by unesco state library. If you are interested at all in the bounty and its mutiny, you really should read captain bligh s first hand account. Mr blighs bad language is an anthropological and historical study of the mutiny on the bounty, and its role in society and culture. Blighs character has been much maligned over time, best known for the mutiny of the bounty and the rum rebellion of colonial new south wales. Bounty, under the harsh rule of the strict captain bligh, and the eventual mutiny of much of the crew led by the mutineer fletcher christian. The mutiny of the bounty is one of the most famous stories in maritime history that. Mutiny on the bounty, romantic novel by charles nordhoff and james norman hall, published. Aug 27, 2020 captain william bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the bounty set course for tubuai south of tahiti. Blighs hms bounty logbook state library of nsw the logbooks of william bligh, which document the most notorious mutiny in history, were officially inscribed on the unesco australian memory of the world register on friday 26 february 2021. American author best known for the novel mutiny on the bounty with coauthor charles.
By juxtaposing an account of the mutiny with an analysis of its evolving place in history and culture, mr. Bounty, under the harsh rule of the strict captain bligh. Mutiny on the bounty from terra australis to australia stories. Captain bligh and the voyage of the bounty are the starting point of this new study of the famous mutiny in history, literature and film. Captain blighs cursed breadfruit travel smithsonian magazine. In most cases such an act would have led to certain death for the men aboard, but bligh was a magnificent seaman and he sailed from tofua, one of the friendly islands now called tonga, landing in timor. There was also no such ship as hms bounty as the bounty was an armed auxiliary vessel and thus should be referred to as hmav bounty his majestys armed vessel bounty. May 01, 2001 a detailed account of the bounty mutiny for beginners and history buffs alike. Perhaps even more important for what it does not say than for what it does say, it demostrates bligh had no inkling of problems onboard before the mutiny. Sep 02, 2020 in 1932 a novel entitled mutiny on the bounty, written by charles nordhoff and james hall, became a bestseller.
The ships captain, william bligh, wrote this entry. The mutiny itself was not shocking in as much as bligh s command of its open launch and the 2600 mile journey he made in it with his loyal officers and men. The names william bligh, fletcher christian, and the bounty have excited the popular imagination for more than two hundred years. Narrative of the mutiny bounty by william bligh, paperback. Explore books by william bligh with our selection at. The mutiny on the bounty occurred during his command of hms bounty in 1789.
Vice admiral of the blue william bligh, frs, rn was an officer of the british royal navy and a colonial administrator. Times literary supplement mutiny on the bounty summons to the popular mind images of violence and power on the high seas. Biography of william bligh, captain of the hms bounty. The famed despot behind the mutiny on the bounty, lt. The mutiny on the bounty has fascinated readers for more than two hundred years, but no other book on this extraordinary episode in maritime history tells the story as well as this masterly and thrilling account by richard hough. Bountys crew, led by fletcher christian, mutinied and set bligh and eighteen loyal crewmen adrift in a 23foot launch shortly after the ship had left tahiti in april 1789. The mutiny of the bounty is one of the most famous stories in maritime history that has been told in countless books and motion pictures. Born in 1754, william bligh was a 34yearold lieutenant in charge of hms bounty when his protege fletcher christian led a mutiny against him. Treasures from the national archives mutiny on the bounty. Disaffected crewmen, led by actinglieutenant fletcher christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, lieutenant william bligh, and set him and 18 loyalists adrift in the ships open launch. The bullet used by captain william bligh to measure out. William blighs mutiny on the bounty warfare history network.
Sep 21, 2003 the sequence of events has become familiar through countless books and films starring the likes of charles laughton, trevor howard and anthony hopkins as bligh. The mutiny on board hms bounty book by william bligh. Bligh who up until now has been viewed as a tyrant was praised at the time, alexander finds, since no feat of seamanship was deemed to surpass bligh s navigation and command of the bounty s 23footlong launch, and few feats of survival compared with his mens fortyeight day ordeal on starvation rations. Whether it was at the murder of english explorer william cook on a windswept hawaiian beach in 1779 or during the most famous mutiny in naval history, aboard hms bounty off. In 1787, he was given command of an expedition to transplant breadfruit plants from tahiti to the west indies aboard the bounty.
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