To me, somehow the loss last week of the the square-rigged “tall ship” replica HMS Bounty, one of her crew, and her captain has stood in as representative of the more general tragedy of hurricane Sandy …
“HMS Bounty: A tall ship’s final hours in hurricane-ravaged seas” by Ian Shapira in The Washington Post, published October 29th
“Bounty crew member dies; search continues for captain”
by Aaron Applegate, Dianna Cahn, and Jeff Hampton in The Virginian-Pilot, October 30th
“HMS Bounty casualty claimed tie to mutinous Fletcher Christian&drquo;
by Patrik Jonsson in The Christian Science Monitor, October 30th
When Claudene Christian applied earlier this year for a spot as a mate on the famous tall ship replica of the HMS Bounty, she probably had a little edge: Her family claimed a historical connection to the original ship via Fletcher Christian, who had instigated the 1789 mutiny that propelled the Bounty and its crew into maritime history and Hollywood fantasy.
“Search for missing Bounty captain suspended”
by Lauren King in The Virginian-Pilot, November 2nd
“Shipmate of the Week — Rescuers of the HMS Bounty” by LT Stephanie Young on the Coast Guard Compass blog, November 2nd
As Hurricane Sandy approached land, the HMS Bounty and 16 sailors aboard were in dire need of help. More than 90 miles off the coast of Hatteras, N.C., the three-masted sailing vessel had lost power and was taking on water in an area mariners call the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” for its infamously treacherous seas. With its pumps failing, the Bounty’s crew was forced to abandon ship. Adrift in two liferafts they were powerless against the raging seas.
As this scene played out late Sunday evening, Sandy’s winds were in excess of 60 knots and an HC-130J Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City was launched.
“Bounty’s ill-fated trip in face of hurricane scrutinized”
by Aaron Applegate in The Virginian-Pilot, November 3rd
“Evoking 18th-Century Drama, a Tragedy on the Bounty” by Dan Barry in The New York Times, November 3rd
“Hurricane Sandy’s Harrowing Oceanic Rescue Mission” by Andrew Romano on The Daily Beast, November 3rd
U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Randy Haba didn’t know it yet, but he was about to become the first of the first responders.
There is a relief fund “for donations to the families of Claudene Christian and Captain Robin Walbridge, along with the 14 surviving members of the crew, who lost everything in the tragic loss of the HMS Bounty.” Of course, the American Red Cross is always a good place to donate in times like these as well.