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The final hours of the HMS Bounty were more dramatic than any of the films it starred in. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tim Kuklewski)

HMS Bounty's final hours had more drama than any of its movies

BY Tom Tangney  on October 30, 2012 @ 6:43 am (Updated: 10:40 am - 10/30/12 )

The HMS Bounty, that 180 foot three-masted replica sailing ship, has starred in many a Hollywood blockbuster, but none was more dramatic than the real-life drama on board it in the last 36 hours.

One crew member is dead, the Captain missing and presumed drowned, but the Coast Guard did manage to rescue 14 crewmembers from the chilly Atlantic Ocean waters.

The Bounty is now at the bottom of the sea.

The ship had been sailing down from Connecticut to its home base in St. Petersburg, Florida when it got caught up in the Hurricane Sandy off the coast of North Carolina.

"We got a call from the owner who said they'd lost communication with the vessel and they were taking on water," said Vice Admiral Robert Parker, with the Coast Guard. "Eventually they abandoned ship with 10 feet of water on deck."

The ship was sinking near the eye of Hurricane Sandy but that didn't stop the Coast Guard rescue team from attempting a rescue.

Rescue swimmer, Daniel Todd, fought off waves ranging from 18 to 30 feet high.

"Being down there in those waves is more like being in a washing machine," Todd told the Today Show.

The rescuers pulled the crew up by basket, one by one.

The baskets presented their own unique problems, some swinging in the winds. Fourteen made it into the two rescue helicopters.

One of the missing Captain's last onboard Facebook posts insisted "A ship is safer at sea than in port." Unfortunately, that wasn't true this time.

The HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty," and appeared in countless other films set on the high seas including one of Johhny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

Watch dramatic video of the Coast Guard rescue.

Tom Tangney, KIRO Radio Host
Tom Tangney is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle's Morning News and resident enthusiast of...everything. He loves books, movies, TV, art, pop culture, politic, sports, and Husky football.
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Comments (3)


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  • Steamboat wrote...
    Duhhh!
    October 30, 2012 7:06 am
    I have a good idea. We know a large hurricane is coming. Lets set off to sea in our old boat and try to go directly into it. Seems kind of stupid to me. Sounds like a bunch of thrill seekers that took a bet and lost.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MissPittyPat wrote...
    What Century Were They Living In?
    October 30, 2012 8:12 am
    I guess their Sextants, and Octants didn't show them that History's biggest storm was coming. What were they using to forecast the weather? You can't plan for stupid. Glad the rescuers weren't hurt even though this crew's decision put them in harms way.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Tracy White wrote...
    Either of you spend time on the open ocean?
    October 30, 2012 9:54 pm
    How about all of those boats you see crushed on shore after such a storm? How about if we just raise a pint for those lost to the storm?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }