William Bligh, (born September 9, 1754, probably at Plymouth, county of Devon, England—died December 7, 1817, London), English navigator, explorer, and commander of the HMS Bounty at the time of the celebrated mutiny on that ship .
For which historical event is Captain William Bligh best known?
William Bligh (1754-1817) was an English naval captain and a colonial governor of New South Wales, Australia. Probably best known for his involvement in the mutiny on H. M. S. “Bounty ,” he had a career fraught with controversy.
Was Captain Bligh a tyrant?
William Bligh may well be the most maligned man in history. His name has become a byword for cruelty; a tyrant who drove the crew of his ship, HMS Bounty, to such despair that they were forced into the most famous of all mutinies. ... Bligh was no tyrant.
What did Captain Bligh do?
William Bligh was an officer in the Royal Navy and was the victim of a mutiny on his ship, the Bounty, in 1789. Bligh (1754–1817) had a reputation for having a volatile temper and often clashed with his fellow officers and crewmen. His crew mutinied against him during a return trip from Tahiti in 1789.
Is mutiny on the Bounty a true story?
It tells the tale, which is in fact a true story , about a famous mutiny that took place in 1789 on an English ship. ... The ship was HMS Bounty and the captain, one William Bligh. William Bligh was born in Plymouth on September 9th 1754, and joined the Navy as young man aged 15.
Where was the HMS Bounty sunk?
| History | United States | Crew 12–14 |
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What does Bligh mean?
as a boys’ name is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Bligh is “bliss” . Related to Bliss and Blythe, but due to the fame of English sea captain William Bligh, whose crew on the HMS Bounty mutinied in 1789, it has taken on connotations of severity, even tyranny.
What happened to Fletcher Christian’s wife?
According to an account by a Pitcairn woman named Jenny who left the island in 1817, Christian was shot while working by a pond next to the home of his pregnant wife . Along with Christian, four other mutineers and all six of the Tahitian men who had come to the island were killed in the conflict.
Where is Captain Bligh buried?
Captain Bligh was buried at St Mary-at-Lambeth , now the Garden Museum on 15th December 1817. The tomb had been built for his wife, Betsy, and the two of their children who had died in infancy.
What happened to Capt Bligh?
His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion , during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the British Foreign Office later declared to be illegal. He died in London on 7 December 1817.
Was Captain Bligh a good leader?
A great deal of Bligh’s leadership successes stemmed from his personal energy and enthusiasm . There is no doubt that his was a strong will which he often tried to impose on others. Unfortunately, he had a well documented temper. Indeed, in the words of Fletcher Christian himself, Bligh was ‘very passionate’.
What happened to the crew of HMS Bounty?
Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate. On April 28, near the island of Tonga, Christian and 25 petty officers and seamen seized the ship. ...
How did the HMS Pandora sink?
| History | Great Britain | Completed 3 July 1779 at Deptford Dockyard | Commissioned May 1779 | Fate Wrecked on 28 August 1791 in the Torres Strait. |
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Where was Bounty filmed?
The film was shot on location over 20 weeks in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, Port of Gisborne, New Zealand and at the Old Royal Naval College and the Reform Club, Pall Mall, London .
Has HMS Bounty been found?
Luis Marden re discovered the remains of Bounty in January 1957 . After spotting remains of the rudder (which had been found in 1933 by Parkin Christian, and is still displayed in the Fiji Museum in Suva), he persuaded his editors and writers to let him dive off Pitcairn Island, where the rudder had been found.
