The story of the Bounty mutiny is knew by the log book of the captain William Bligh, the personal diary of James Morrison and the testimony of John Adams, last survivor of the mutineers.
This page present the summary of the story. You will find all details on the other pages. I am sorry, all the story is in french, but I hope have soon enough time to translate it in english...
|
The journey was made very difficult for the crew because of captain Bligh personality. Quick-tempered he punished easily and very hardly the crew and the whip is used too easily according to the crew.
But as soon as they took the way back to their homes, bullying and punishments go on. So, on the 1789 April 28, Christian Fletcher, third officer, helped by 8 other crew members took the ship on the morning. Bligh and some of his faithful, 19 men, were throw on the launch and abandoned on the Pacific with few food… |
|
|
Captain Bligh, without any navigational instruments,
helped by this little crew, succeeded the exploit to go to
Timor island (Indonesia) as far as 8 300 km. The only man who
died was killed by natives, on the second day of this fantastic
trip. William Bligh went back to England where he was judged and acquited. Years latter he came back to Tahiti with another ship and crew and managed to bring back some breadfruit to the West Indies… but the slaves didn't eat it ! |
Concerning
the mutineers, they returned to Tahiti with the Bounty. Having got fresh supplies, they tried to settle in an island of
the Pacific, but in front of the hostility of the natives they gave
up and came back to Tahiti. Then, the sailors at the origin of the
mutiny took the Bounty during one night, accompanied with some tahitiens and
tahitiennes... The rest of the crew, abandoned on Tahiti, waited one year
before being made prisoners by the crew of the Pandora, a frigate of the
English navy, chartered to find and return in England the mutineers and their
accomplices. The sailors of the Bounty were put in chains, and some of them
died during the wreck of the Pandora. The survivors were judged in England...
But the nine mutineers that escaped from Tahiti were never found by the English
justice...
It is only in 1808 that the story of these people was known: taken refuge on the island of Pitcairn they settled a colony there. But quickly the situation degraded and they killed each others. It did not stay more than John Adam, the last survivor of the mutineers, some women and the children. This man put the foundations of a pious community, always present nowadays on the island of Pitcairn...
In the year 2000, the descendants of the rebels of the Bounty always live
in Pitcairn...
