View source for Mutiny on the Bounty

{{Short description|1789 mutiny aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Mutiny on the ''Bounty''}}
{{About|the historical event|other uses|Mutiny on the Bounty (disambiguation)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=June 2021}}

[[File:Mutiny HMS Bounty.jpg|thumb|[[Fletcher Christian]] and the mutineers set Lieutenant [[William Bligh]] and 18 others adrift, depicted in a 1790 [[aquatint]] by [[Robert Dodd (artist)|Robert Dodd]]]]
The '''Mutiny on the ''Bounty''''' occurred in the [[Pacific Ocean]] on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant [[Fletcher Christian]], seized control of {{HMS|Bounty}} from the captain, [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[William Bligh]], and set him and eighteen loyalists adrift in the ship's open [[Launch (boat)|launch]]. The reasons behind the [[mutiny]] are still debated. Bligh and his crew stopped for supplies on [[Tofua]], where a crew member was killed. Bligh navigated more than {{convert|3500|nmi}} in the launch to reach safety and began the process of bringing the mutineers to justice. The mutineers variously settled on [[Tahiti]] or on [[Pitcairn Island]]. 

''Bounty'' had left England in 1787 on a mission to collect and transport [[breadfruit]] plants from Tahiti to the [[West Indies]]. A five-month [[layover]] in Tahiti, during which many of the men lived ashore and formed relationships with native [[Polynesia]]ns, led those men to be less amenable to naval discipline. Relations between Bligh and his crew deteriorated after he reportedly began handing out increasingly harsh punishments, criticism, and abuse, with Christian being a particular target. After three weeks back at sea, Christian and others forced Bligh from the ship. Twenty-five men remained on board afterwards, including loyalists held against their will, and others for whom there was no room in the launch.

After Bligh reached England in April 1790, the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] despatched [[HMS Pandora (1779)|HMS ''Pandora'']] to apprehend the mutineers. Fourteen were captured in Tahiti and imprisoned on board ''Pandora'', which then searched without success for Christian's party that had hidden on Pitcairn Island. After turning back towards England, ''Pandora'' ran aground on the [[Great Barrier Reef]], with the loss of 31 crew and four ''Bounty'' prisoners. The ten surviving detainees reached England in June 1792 and were [[court-martial]]led; four were [[acquittal|acquitted]], three were [[pardon]]ed, and three were [[hanging|hanged]].

Christian's group remained undiscovered on Pitcairn until 1808, by which time only one mutineer, [[John Adams (mutineer)|John Adams]], remained alive. His fellow mutineers, including Christian, were dead, killed either by one another or by their Polynesian companions. No action was taken against Adams. Descendants of the mutineers and their accompanying Tahitians have lived on Pitcairn into the 21st century.

== Background ==
=== ''Bounty'' and its mission ===
[[File:HMS BOUNTY II with Full Sails.jpg|thumb|[[Bounty (1960 ship)|A 1960 reconstruction]] of {{HMS|Bounty}}]]

[[HMS Bounty|His Majesty's Armed Vessel (HMAV) ''Bounty'']], or HMS ''Bounty'', was built in 1784 at the [[Blaydes Family|Blaydes]] shipyard in [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[Yorkshire]], as a [[Collier (ship)|collier]] named ''Bethia''. It was renamed after being purchased by the [[Royal Navy]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]1,950 in May 1787 ({{Inflation|UK|1,950|1787|fmt=eq|cursign=£|round=-1}}).{{sfn|Winfield|2007|p=355}} It was three-masted, {{convert|91|ft|m}} long overall and {{convert|25|ft|m}} across at its widest point, and registered at [[Builder's Old Measurement|230 tons burthen]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=64}} Its armament was four short four-pounder [[Gun carriage|carriage guns]] and ten half-pounder [[swivel gun]]s, supplemented by small arms such as [[musket]]s.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=70}} As it was rated by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] as a [[Naval cutter|cutter]], the smallest category of warship, its commander would be a [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] rather than a [[post-captain]] and would be the only [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]] on board. Nor did a cutter warrant the usual detachment of [[Royal Marines]] that naval commanders could use to enforce their authority.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=49, 71}}{{#tag:ref|[[James Cook]] commanded his first voyage in [[HMS Endeavour|HMS ''Endeavour'']] as a newly promoted lieutenant, and was not promoted to the rank of captain until after his second voyage.{{sfn|David|2004}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=72}} However, Cook always insisted on the support of a marine detachment of at least twelve.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p= 71}} |group="n"|name="ranks"}}

''Bounty'' had been acquired to transport [[breadfruit]] plants from [[Tahiti]], then rendered "Otaheite", a [[Polynesia]]n island in the South Pacific Ocean, to the British colonies in the [[West Indies]]. The expedition was promoted by the [[Royal Society]] and organised by its president [[Joseph Banks|Sir Joseph Banks]], who shared the view of Caribbean [[plantation]] owners that breadfruit might grow well there and provide cheap food for the slaves.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=16}} ''Bounty'' was refitted under Banks' supervision at [[Deptford Dockyard]] on the [[River Thames]]. The [[Cabin (ship)|great cabin]], normally the quarters of the ship's [[sea captain|captain]], was converted into a greenhouse for over a thousand potted breadfruit plants, with glazed windows, skylights, and a lead-covered deck and drainage system to prevent the waste of fresh water.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=17–20}} The space required for these arrangements in the small ship meant that the crew and officers would endure severe overcrowding for the duration of the long voyage.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=65}}

=== Bligh ===
[[File:Portrait of William Bligh.jpg|thumb|Lieutenant [[William Bligh]], [[sea captain|captain]] of HMS ''Bounty'']]

With Banks' agreement, command of the expedition was given to Lieutenant [[William Bligh]],{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=43}} whose experiences included Captain [[James Cook]]'s [[Third voyage of James Cook|third and final voyage]] (1776–80) in which he had served as [[Master (naval)|sailing master]], or chief navigator, on [[HMS Resolution (1771)|HMS ''Resolution'']].{{#tag:ref|The latter part of this voyage was without Cook, who was [[Kidnapping of Kalaniʻōpuʻu by Captain James Cook|killed by Hawaiians]] in 1779.{{sfn|Darby|2004}}{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=7–12}}|group="n"|name="cookdead"}} Bligh was born in [[Plymouth]] in 1754 into a family of naval and military tradition.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=43}} Appointment to Cook's ship at the age of 21 had been a considerable honour, although Bligh believed that his contribution was not properly acknowledged in the expedition's official account.{{sfn|Frost|2004}} With the 1783 ending of the eight-year [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]]—in which [[France in the American Revolutionary War|the French Navy fought]] from 1778—the vast Royal Navy was reduced in size, and Bligh found himself ashore on [[half-pay]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=47}}

After a period of idleness, Bligh took temporary employment in the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|mercantile service]] and in 1785 was captain of the ''Britannia'', a vessel owned by his wife's uncle, Duncan Campbell.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=58–59}} Bligh assumed the prestigious ''Bounty'' appointment on 16 August 1787, at a considerable financial cost. His lieutenant's pay of four [[shilling]]s a day (£70 a year) contrasted with the £500 a year he had earned as captain of ''Britannia''. Because of the limited number of [[warrant officer]]s allowed on ''Bounty'', Bligh was also required to act as the ship's [[purser]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=66–67}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=73}} To survey an important but under-explored passage, Bligh's sailing orders stated that he was to enter the Pacific via [[Cape Horn]] around South America and then, after collecting the breadfruit plants, sail westward through the [[Endeavour Strait]]. He was then to cross the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans to the West Indies islands in the Caribbean. ''Bounty'' would thus complete a [[circumnavigation]] of the Earth in the Southern Hemisphere.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=48}}

=== Crew ===
{{Main|Complement of HMS Bounty}}

[[Complement of HMS Bounty|''Bounty''{{'}}s complement]] was 46 men, comprising 44 Royal Navy personnel (including Bligh) and two civilian botanists. Directly beneath Bligh were his warrant officers, appointed by the [[Navy Board]] and headed by the sailing master [[John Fryer (Royal Navy officer)|John Fryer]].{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=164–166}} The other warrant officers were the [[boatswain]], the [[Ship's doctor|surgeon]], the carpenter and the gunner.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=51}} To the two [[master's mate]]s and two [[midshipman|midshipmen]] were added several honorary midshipmen—so-called "[[young gentlemen]]" who were aspirant naval officers. These signed the ship's roster as [[able seamen]] but were quartered with the midshipmen and treated on equal terms with them.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=74}}

Most of ''Bounty''{{'}}s crew were chosen by Bligh or were recommended to him by influential patrons. The gunner, [[William Peckover]], and the armourer, Joseph Coleman, had been with Cook and Bligh on ''Resolution'';{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=56}} several others had sailed under Bligh more recently on ''Britannia''. Among these was the 23-year-old [[Fletcher Christian]], who came from a wealthy [[Cumberland]] family descended from [[Manx people|Manx]] [[gentry]]. Christian had chosen a life at sea rather than the legal career envisaged by his family.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=20–22}} He had twice voyaged with Bligh to the West Indies, and the two had formed a master-pupil relationship through which Christian had become a skilled navigator.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=75–76}} Christian was willing to serve on ''Bounty'' without pay as one of the "young gentlemen";{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=70}} Bligh gave him one of the salaried master's mate's berths.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=75–76}} Another of the young gentlemen recommended to Bligh was 15-year-old [[Peter Heywood]], also from a Manx family and a distant relation of Christian's. Heywood had left school at age 14 to spend a year on {{HMS|Powerful|1783|6}}, a [[in ordinary|harbour-bound]] training vessel at Plymouth.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=63–65}} His recommendation to Bligh came from Richard Betham, a Heywood family friend who was Bligh's father-in-law.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=74}}

The two botanists, or "gardeners", were chosen by Banks. The chief botanist, [[David Nelson (botanical collector)|David Nelson]], was a veteran of Cook's third expedition who had been to Tahiti and had learned some of the natives' language.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=67–68}} Nelson's assistant William Brown was a former midshipman who had seen naval action against the French.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=56}} Banks also helped to secure the official midshipmen's berths for two of his protégés, [[Thomas Hayward (Royal Navy officer)|Thomas Hayward]] and [[John Hallett (Royal Navy officer)|John Hallett]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=68}} Overall, ''Bounty''{{'}}s crew was relatively youthful, the majority being under 30;{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=23}} at the time of departure, Bligh was 33 years old. Among the older crewmembers were the 39-year-old Peckover, who had sailed on all three of Cook's voyages, and Lawrence Lebogue, a year older and formerly sailmaker on ''Britannia''.<ref>{{harvnb|McKinney|1999|pp=17–23, 164–166}}; {{harvnb|Wahlroos|1989|p=304}}.</ref> The youngest aboard were Hallett and Heywood, both aged 15 when they left England.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=17–23, 37, 164–166}}

Living space on the ship was allocated on the basis of rank. Bligh, having yielded the great cabin,{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=17–23, 37, 164–166}} occupied private sleeping quarters with an adjacent dining area or pantry on the [[port and starboard|starboard]] side of the ship, and Fryer a small cabin on the opposite side. The surgeon Thomas Huggan, the other warrant officers, and Nelson the botanist had tiny cabins on the lower deck,{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=28–32}} while the master's mates and the midshipmen, together with the young gentlemen, berthed together in an area behind the captain's dining room known as the [[Cockpit (sailing)|cockpit]]; as junior or prospective officers, they were allowed use of the [[quarterdeck]].{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=164–166}} The other ranks had their quarters in the [[forecastle]], a windowless unventilated area measuring {{convert|36|by|22|ft|m}} with headroom of {{convert|5|ft|7|in }}.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=69}}

{{Col-float|firstcol=40em}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Officers and gentlemen of HMS ''Bounty'', December 1787<ref name=crewlist>{{Harvnb|Bligh|1792|pp=158–160}}; {{Harvnb|Hough|1972|pp=76–77}}; {{Harvnb|Alexander|2003|loc=frontispiece}}.</ref>
! style="width:200px;" scope="col"|Name
! style="width:250px;" scope="col"|Rank or function
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Bligh}}
|{{sort|009|Lieutenant, Royal Navy: Ship's captain}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Fryer|dab=Royal Navy officer}}
|{{sort|008|Warrant officer: Sailing master}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Cole|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|007|Warrant officer: Boatswain}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Peckover|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|006|Warrant officer: Gunner}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Purcell|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|006|Warrant officer: Carpenter}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Huggan|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|006|Ship's surgeon}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Fletcher|Christian}}
|{{sort|005|Master's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Elphinstone|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|005|Master's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Ledward|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|005|Surgeon's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Hallett|dab=Royal Navy officer}}
|{{sort|004|Midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Hayward|dab=Royal Navy officer}}
|{{sort|004|Midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Peter|Heywood}}
|{{sort|003|Honorary midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|George|Stewart|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|003|Honorary midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Robert|Tinkler|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|003|Honorary midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Edward "Ned"|Young|Ned Young}}
|{{sort|003|Honorary midshipman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|David|Nelson|dab=botanical collector}}
|{{sort|-2|Botanist (civilian)}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Brown|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|-1|Assistant gardener (civilian)}}
|}
{{Col-float-break}}
<div style="float:right; background:none; margin-left:2em;">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Other ranks of HMS ''Bounty'', December 1787<ref name=crewlist />
! style="width:200px;" scope="col"|Name
! style="width:200px;" scope="col"|Rank or function
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Peter|Linkletter|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|002|Quartermaster}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Norton|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|002|Quartermaster}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|George|Simpson|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Quartermaster's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|James|Morrison|dab=mutineer}}
|{{sort|001|Boatswain's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Mills|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Gunner's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Charles|Norman|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Carpenter's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|McIntosh|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Carpenter's mate}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Lawrence|Lebogue|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Sailmaker}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Charles|Churchill||dab=mutineer}}
|{{sort|001|Master-at-arms}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Joseph|Coleman|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Armourer}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Samuel|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Captain's clerk}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Smith|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Captain's servant}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Henry|Hillbrant|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Cooper}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Hall|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Cook}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Robert|Lamb|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|001|Butcher}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|Muspratt}}
|{{sort|000|Assistant cook}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Burkett|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Michael|Byrne|dab=sailor}} (or "Byrn")
|{{sort|-3|Able seaman – musician}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Ellison|dab=mutineer}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|William|McCoy|dab=mutineer}} (or "McKoy")
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Isaac|Martin|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Millward|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Matthew|Quintal}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Richard|Skinner|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Adams|dab=mutineer}} ("Alexander Smith")
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Sumner|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Matthew|Thompson|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|James|Valentine|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|John|Williams|nolink=1}}
|{{sort|000|Able seaman}}
|}
</div>
{{Col-float-end}}

== Expedition ==
=== To Cape Horn ===
On 15 October 1787, ''Bounty'' left [[Deptford]] for [[Spithead]], in the [[English Channel]], to await final sailing orders.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p= 78}}{{#tag:ref|Dates are given as recorded by Bligh in ''Bounty''{{'}}s log (where applicable), which was kept according to the [[nautical time|"nautical", "navy" or "sea" time]] then used by the Royal Navy—each day begins at noon and continues until noon the next day, twelve hours ahead of regular "civil", "natural", or "land" time. The nautical "15 October", for example, equates to the land time period between noon on the 14th and noon on the 15th.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=180}}|group="n"|name="nauticaltime"}} Adverse weather delayed arrival at Spithead until 4 November. Bligh was anxious to depart quickly and reach Cape Horn before the end of the short southern summer,{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp= 70–71}} but the Admiralty did not accord him high priority and delayed issuing the orders for a further three weeks. When ''Bounty'' finally sailed on 28 November, the ship was trapped by contrary winds and unable to clear Spithead until 23 December.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=72–73}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=78–80}} With the prospect of a passage around Cape Horn now in serious doubt, Bligh received permission from the Admiralty to take, if necessary, an alternative route to Tahiti via the [[Cape of Good Hope]].{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=25–26}}

As the ship settled into its sea-going routine, Bligh introduced Cook's strict discipline regarding sanitation and diet. According to the expedition's historian Sam McKinney, Bligh enforced these rules "with a fanatical zeal, continually fuss[ing] and fum[ing] over the cleanliness of his ship and the food served to the crew."{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=13–14, 28}} He replaced the navy's traditional [[watch system]] of alternating four-hour spells on and off duty with a three-watch system, whereby each four-hour duty was followed by eight hours' rest.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=83}} For the crew's exercise and entertainment, he introduced regular music and dancing sessions.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=88}} Bligh's despatches to Campbell and Banks indicated his satisfaction; he had no occasion to administer punishment because, he wrote: "Both men and officers tractable and well disposed, & cheerfulness & content in the countenance of every one".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=86}} The only adverse feature of the voyage to date, according to Bligh, was the conduct of the surgeon Huggan, who was revealed as an indolent, unhygienic drunkard.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=88}}

From the start of the voyage, Bligh had established warm relations with Christian, according him a status which implied that he was Bligh's second-in-command rather than Fryer.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=79}}{{#tag:ref|An early example of Bligh's esteem for Christian was indicated at [[Tenerife]], where ''Bounty'' stopped between 5 and 11 January. On arrival, Bligh sent Christian ashore as the ship's representative to pay respect to the island's governor.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=79}}{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=27}}|group="n"|name="tenerife"}} On 2 March, Bligh formalised the position by assigning Christian to the rank of acting-Lieutenant.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=25}}{{#tag:ref| This was not a formal naval promotion, but it gave Christian the authority of a full lieutenant on the voyage, and greatly increased his chances of a permanent lieutenant's commission from the Admiralty on his return.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=86–87}}{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=31}} |group="n"|name="promotion"}} Fryer showed little outward sign of resentment at his junior's advancement, but his relations with Bligh significantly worsened from this point.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=87}} A week after the promotion, and on Fryer's insistence, Bligh ordered the [[flogging]] of seaman [[Matthew Quintal]], who received twelve lashes for "insolence and mutinous behaviour",{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=27}} thereby dashing Bligh's expressed hope of a voyage free from such punishment.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=22}}

On 2 April, as ''Bounty'' approached Cape Horn, a strong [[gale]] and high seas began an unbroken period of stormy weather which, Bligh wrote, "exceeded what I had ever met with before&nbsp;... with severe squalls of [[hail]] and [[Rain and snow mixed|sleet]]".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=30}} The winds drove the ship back; on 3 April, it was further north than it had been a week earlier.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p= 90}} Again and again, Bligh forced the ship forward, to be repeatedly repelled. On 17 April, he informed his exhausted crew that the sea had beaten them, and that they would turn and head for the Cape of Good Hope—"to the great joy of every person on Board", Bligh recorded.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=33}}

=== Cape to Pacific ===
On 24 May 1788, ''Bounty'' anchored in [[False Bay]], east of the [[Cape of Good Hope]], where five weeks were spent in repairs and reprovisioning.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=95–96}} Bligh's log emphasised how fit and well he and his crew were, by comparison with other vessels, and expressed hope that he would receive credit for this.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=92–94}} At one stage during the sojourn, Bligh lent money to Christian, a gesture that the historian Greg Dening suggests might have sullied their relationship by becoming a source of anxiety and even resentment to the younger man.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=69}} In her account of the voyage, [[Caroline Alexander (author)|Caroline Alexander]] describes the loan as "a significant act of friendship", but one which Bligh ensured Christian did not forget.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=92–94}}

After leaving False Bay on 1 July, ''Bounty'' set out across the southern Indian Ocean on the long voyage to their next port of call, [[Adventure Bay, Tasmania|Adventure Bay]] in [[Van Diemen's Land]] (now called [[Tasmania]]). They passed the remote [[Île Saint-Paul]], a small uninhabited island which Bligh knew from earlier navigators contained fresh water and a hot spring, but he did not attempt a landing. The weather was cold and wintry, conditions akin to the vicinity of Cape Horn, and it was difficult to take navigational observations, but Bligh's skill was such that on 19 August he sighted [[Mewstone|Mewstone Rock]], on the south-west corner of Van Diemen's Land and, two days later, made anchorage in Adventure Bay.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=97–99}}

The ''Bounty'' party spent their time at Adventure Bay in recuperation, fishing, replenishment of water casks, and felling timber. There were peaceful encounters with the native population.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=97–99}} The first sign of overt discord between Bligh and his officers occurred when the captain exchanged angry words with the carpenter, William Purcell, over the latter's methods for cutting wood.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=97–98}}{{#tag:ref|Suggestions that Bligh was an exceptionally harsh commander are not borne out by evidence. His violence was more verbal than physical;{{sfn|Frost|2004}} as a captain, his overall flogging rate of less than one in ten seamen was exceptionally low for the time.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=127}} He was known for shortness of temper and sharpness of tongue, but his rages were generally directed at his officers, particularly when he perceived incompetence or [[dereliction of duty]].{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=127}} |group="n"|name="carpenter"}} Bligh ordered Purcell back to the ship and, when the carpenter stood his ground, Bligh withheld his rations, which "immediately brought him to his senses", according to Bligh.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=97–98}}

Further clashes occurred on the final leg of the journey to Tahiti. On 9 October, Fryer refused to sign the ship's account books unless Bligh provided him with a certificate attesting to his complete competence throughout the voyage. Bligh would not be coerced. He summoned the crew and read the [[Articles of War]], at which Fryer backed down.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=100–101}} There was also trouble with the surgeon Huggan, whose careless [[blood-letting]] of able seaman James Valentine while treating him for [[asthma]] led to the seaman's death from a [[blood infection]].{{sfn|Wahlroos|1989|pp=297–298}} To cover his error, Huggan reported to Bligh that Valentine had died from [[scurvy]],{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=71}} which led Bligh to apply his own medicinal and dietary [[antiscorbutic]] remedies to the entire ship's company.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=101–103}} By now, Huggan was almost incapacitated with drink, until Bligh confiscated his supply. Huggan briefly returned to duty; before ''Bounty''{{'}}s arrival in Tahiti, he examined all on board for signs of [[venereal disease]] and found none.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=103–104}} ''Bounty'' came to anchor in [[Matavai Bay]], Tahiti, on 26 October 1788, concluding a journey of {{convert|27086|nmi}}.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=47}}

=== Tahiti ===
[[File:William Hodges - Tahitian War Galleys in Matavai Bay, Tahiti - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Matavai Bay]] in [[Tahiti]], depicted in a 1776 painting by [[William Hodges]]]]

Bligh's first action on arrival was to secure the co-operation of the local chieftains, as well as the King of Tahiti, [[Pōmare I]]. The paramount chief Tynah remembered Bligh from Cook's voyage fifteen years previously and greeted him warmly. Bligh presented the chiefs with gifts and informed them that their own [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George]] wished in return only breadfruit plants. They happily agreed with this simple request.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=105–107}} Bligh assigned Christian to lead a shore party charged with establishing a compound in which the plants would be nurtured.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=115}}

Whether based ashore or on board, the men's duties during ''Bounty''{{'}}s five-month stay in Tahiti were relatively light. Many led [[promiscuity|promiscuous]] lives among the native women—altogether, eighteen officers and men, including Christian, received treatment for venereal infections{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}}—while others took regular partners.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=112}} Christian formed a close relationship with a Polynesian woman named [[Mauatua]], to whom he gave the name "Isabella" after a former sweetheart from Cumberland.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=26}} Bligh remained chaste himself,{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=24}} but was tolerant of his men's activities, unsurprised that they should succumb to temptation when "the allurements of dissipation are beyond any thing that can be conceived".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=162}} Nevertheless, he expected them to do their duty efficiently, and was disappointed to find increasing instances of neglect and slackness on the part of his officers. Infuriated, he wrote: "Such neglectful and worthless petty officers I believe were never in a ship such as are in this."{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}}

Huggan died on 10 December. Bligh attributed this to "the effects of intemperance and indolence&nbsp;... he never would be prevailed on to take half a dozen turns upon deck at a time, through the whole course of the voyage".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=102}} For all his earlier favoured status, Christian did not escape Bligh's wrath. He was often humiliated by the captain—sometimes in front of the crew and the Tahitians—for real or imagined slackness,{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}} while severe punishments were handed out to men whose carelessness had led to the loss or theft of equipment. Floggings, rarely administered during the outward voyage, now became increasingly common.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=115–120}} On 5 January 1789 three members of the crew—[[Charles Churchill (mutineer)|Charles Churchill]], [[William Muspratt]] and John Millward—[[desertion|deserted]], taking a small boat, arms and ammunition. Muspratt had recently been flogged for neglect. Among the belongings Churchill left on the ship was a list of names that Bligh interpreted as possible accomplices in a desertion plot—the captain later asserted that the names included those of Christian and Heywood. Bligh was persuaded that his protégé was not planning to desert, and the matter was dropped. Churchill, Millward and Muspratt were found after three weeks and, on their return to the ship, were flogged.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=115–120}}

From February onwards, the pace of work increased; more than 1,000 breadfruit plants were potted and carried into the ship, where they filled the great cabin.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=124–125}} The ship was overhauled for the long homeward voyage, in many cases by men who regretted the forthcoming departure and loss of their easy life with the Tahitians. Bligh was impatient to be away, but as [[Richard Hough]] observes in his account, he "failed to anticipate how his company would react to the severity and austerity of life at sea&nbsp;... after five dissolute, [[hedonism|hedonistic]] months at Tahiti".{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=128}} The work was done by 1 April 1789, and four days later, after an affectionate farewell from Tynah and his queen, ''Bounty'' left the harbour.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=124–125}}

=== Towards home ===
In their ''Bounty'' histories, both Hough and Alexander maintain that the men were not at a stage close to mutiny; however, they were sorry to leave Tahiti. The journal of [[James Morrison (mutineer)|James Morrison]], the boatswain's mate, supports this.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=133}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=126}}{{#tag:ref|Morrison's journal was probably written with the advantage of hindsight, after his return to London as a prisoner. Hough argues that Morrison could not have maintained a day-by-day account of all the experiences he underwent, including the mutiny, his capture, and the return to England.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=312–313}}|group="n"|name="morrison"}} The events that followed, Hough suggests, were determined in the three weeks following the departure, when Bligh's anger and intolerance reached [[paranoia|paranoid]] proportions. Christian was a particular target, always seeming to bear the brunt of the captain's rages.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=131–132}} Unaware of the effects of his behaviour on his officers and crew,{{sfn|Frost|2004}} Bligh would forget these displays instantly and attempt to resume normal conversation.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=133}}

On 22 April 1789, ''Bounty'' arrived at [[Nomuka]], in the [[Tonga|Friendly Islands]] (now called Tonga), intending to pick up wood, water, and further supplies on the final scheduled stop before the Endeavour Strait.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=135–136}} Bligh had visited the island with Cook and knew that the inhabitants could behave unpredictably. He put Christian in charge of the watering party and equipped him with [[musket]]s, but at the same time ordered that the arms should be left in the boat instead of carried ashore.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=135–136}} Christian's party was harassed and threatened continually but were unable to retaliate, having been denied the use of arms. He returned to the ship with his task incomplete, and was cursed by Bligh as "a damned cowardly rascal".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=129–130}} Further disorder ashore resulted in the thefts of a small anchor and an [[adze]], for which Bligh further berated Christian and Fryer.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=138–139}} In an attempt to recover the missing property, Bligh briefly detained the island's chieftains on the ship, but to no avail. When he finally gave the order to sail, neither the anchor nor the adze had been restored.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=132–133}}

By 27 April, Christian was in a state of despair, depressed and brooding.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}{{#tag:ref|The historian Leonard Guttridge suggests that Christian's psychological state may have been further affected by the venereal disease contracted in Tahiti.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}} |group="n"|name="depressed"}} His mood was worsened when Bligh accused him of stealing coconuts from the captain's private supply. Bligh punished the whole crew for this theft, stopping their rum ration and reducing their food by half.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=136}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=144}} Feeling that his position was now intolerable, Christian considered constructing a raft with which he could escape to an island and take his chances with the natives. He may have acquired wood for this purpose from Purcell.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=13–14, 147}} In any event, his discontent became common knowledge among his fellow officers. Two of the young gentlemen, George Stewart and [[Ned Young|Edward Young]], urged him not to desert; Young assured him that he would have the support of almost all on board if he were to seize the ship and depose Bligh.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=14–16}} Stewart told him the crew were "ripe for anything".{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}

== Mutiny ==
=== Seizure ===
[[File:Mutiny on the Bounty.jpg|thumb|[[Fletcher Christian]] and the mutineers seize HMS ''Bounty'' on 28 April 1789, depicted in an 1841 engraving by [[Hablot Knight Browne]]]]

In the early hours of 28 April 1789, ''Bounty'' lay about {{convert|30|nmi}} south of the island of [[Tofua]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=148}} After a largely sleepless night, Christian had decided to act. He understood from his discussions with Young and Stewart which crewmen were his most likely supporters and, after approaching Quintal and Isaac Martin, he learned the names of several more. With the help of these men, Christian rapidly gained control of the upper deck; those who questioned his actions were ordered to keep quiet.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=17–21}} At about 05:15, Christian went below, dismissed Hallett (who was sleeping on the chest containing the ship's muskets) and distributed arms to his followers before making for Bligh's cabin.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Three men took hold of the captain and tied his hands, threatening to kill him if he raised the alarm;{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=140}} Bligh "however called sufficiently loud to alarm the officers".<ref>{{harvnb|Bligh|1789|p=[https://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=FL3156700 54]}}. See also [https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D20192/a286.html#:~:text=however%20called%20sufficiently%20loud%20to%20alarm%20the%20officers transcript].</ref> The commotion woke Fryer, who saw, from his cabin opposite, the mutineers frogmarching Bligh away. The mutineers ordered Fryer to "lay down again, and hold my tongue or I was a dead man".{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}

Bligh was brought to the quarterdeck, his hands bound by a cord held by Christian, who was brandishing a [[bayonet]];{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=21–24}} some reports maintained that Christian had a [[Depth sounding#Lead and Line|sounding plummet]] hanging from his neck so that he could jump overboard and drown himself if the mutiny failed.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Others who had been awakened by the noise left their berths and joined in the general pandemonium. It was unclear at this stage who were or were not active mutineers. Hough describes the scene: "Everyone was, more or less, making a noise, either cursing, jeering or just shouting for the reassurance it gave them to do so".{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=21–24}} Bligh shouted continually, demanding to be set free, sometimes addressing individuals by name, and otherwise exhorting the company generally to "knock Christian down!"{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=26}} Fryer was briefly permitted on deck to speak to Christian, but was then forced below at bayonet-point; according to Fryer, Christian told him: "I have been in hell for weeks past. Captain Bligh has brought this on himself."{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}

Christian originally thought to cast Bligh adrift in ''Bounty''{{'}}s small [[jolly boat]], together with his clerk John Samuel and the loyalist midshipmen Hayward and Hallett. This boat proved unseaworthy, so Christian ordered the launching of a larger ship's boat, with a capacity of around ten. However, Christian and his allies had overestimated the extent of the mutiny—at least half on board were determined to leave with Bligh. Thus the ship's largest boat, a {{convert|23|ft|m|adj = on}} [[launch (boat)|launch]], was put into the water.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=149–151}} During the following hours the loyalists collected their possessions and entered the boat. Among these was Fryer, who with Bligh's approval sought to stay on board—in the hope, he later claimed, that he would be able to retake the ship{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}—but Christian ordered him into the launch. Soon, the vessel was badly overloaded, with more than twenty persons and others still vying for places. Christian ordered the two carpenter's mates, Norman and McIntosh, and the armourer, Joseph Coleman, to return to the ship, considering their presence essential if he were to navigate ''Bounty'' with a reduced crew. Reluctantly they obeyed, beseeching Bligh to remember that they had remained with the ship against their will. Bligh assured them: "Never fear, lads, I'll do you justice if ever I reach England".{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=158–159}}

Samuel saved the captain's journal, commission papers and purser's documents, a compass and [[Backstaff#Davis quadrant|quadrant]], but was forced to leave behind Bligh's maps and charts—fifteen years of navigational work.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} With the eighteen men who had remained loyal to Bligh, the launch was supplied with about five days' food and water and Purcell's tool chest.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=140–141}} Bligh mentions in his journals that a [[sextant]] and any time-keeper was refused by the mutineers, but boatswain's mate [[James Morrison (mutineer)|James Morrison]] stated Christian handed over his personal sextant saying, "There, Captain Bligh, this is sufficient for every purpose and you know the sextant to be a good one."{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=73}} The ship's [[Larcum Kendall#K2|K2 chronometer]] was left on ''Bounty'',{{sfn|Bligh|1790}} but Peckover had his own [[pocket watch]] that Bligh used to keep time.<ref>{{harvnb|Bligh|1789|p=[https://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=FL3156785 139]}}. See also [https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D20192/a286.html#:~:text=Unfortunately%20our%20watch%20stoped%20so%20that%20now%20I%20can%20only%20guess%20at%20time%20%E2%80%93%20it%20was%20belongg.%20to%20the%20Gunner. transcript].</ref> At the last minute the mutineers threw four [[cutlass]]es down into the boat.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Of ''Bounty'''s complement—44 after the deaths of Huggan and Valentine—19 men were crowded into the launch, leaving it dangerously low in the water with only seven inches of [[Freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=140–141}} The 25 men remaining on ''Bounty'' included the committed mutineers who had taken up arms, the loyalists detained against their will, and others for whom there was no room in the launch. At around 10:00 the line holding the launch to the ship was cut; a little later, Bligh ordered a sail to be raised. Their immediate destination was the nearby island of Tofua, clearly marked on the horizon by the plume of smoke rising from its [[volcano]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=161–162}}

=== Bligh's open-boat voyage ===
[[File:Bounty Voyages Map.png|thumb|Map showing ''Bounty's'' movements in the [[Pacific Ocean]] between 1788 and 1790
{{legend|red|Voyage of ''Bounty'' to Tahiti and to location of the mutiny, 28 April 1789}}
{{legend|green|Course of Bligh's open-boat journey to [[Kupang|Coupang]], [[Timor]], between 2 May and 14 June 1789}}{{legend|yellow|Movements of ''Bounty'' under Christian after the mutiny, from 28 April 1789 onwards}}]]
[[File:Nla.ms-ms5393-2-s1.jpg|thumb|"Fletcher Christian. Aged 24 years – 5.9 High. Dark swarthy complexion...", the beginning of Bligh's list of mutineers, written during the open-boat voyage and now housed in the collection of the [[National Library of Australia]] in [[Canberra]]]]

Bligh hoped to find water and food on Tofua, then proceed to the nearby island of [[Tongatapu]] to seek help from King Poulaho (whom he knew from his visit with Cook) in provisioning the boat for a voyage to the [[Dutch East Indies]].{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=165}} Ashore at Tofua, there were encounters with natives who were initially friendly but grew more menacing as time passed. On 2 May, four days after landing, Bligh realised that an attack was imminent. He directed his men back to the sea, shortly before the Tofuans seized the launch's stern rope and attempted to drag it ashore. Bligh coolly shepherded the last of his shore party and their supplies into the boat. In an attempt to free the rope from its captors, the quartermaster John Norton leapt into the water; he was immediately set upon and [[Stoning|stoned]] to death.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=165–169}}

The launch escaped to the open sea, where the shaken crew reconsidered their options. A visit to Tongatapu, or any island landfall, might incur similarly violent consequences; their best chance of salvation, Bligh reckoned, lay in sailing directly to the Dutch settlement of [[Kupang]] in [[Timor]], using the rations presently on board.{{#tag:ref|Bligh listed these provisions in his journal as {{convert|150|lb|kg}} of bread, 28 [[gallon]]s (130 litres) of water, {{convert|20|lb|kg}} of pork, and a few coconuts and breadfruit salvaged from Tofua. There were also three bottles of wine and five [[quart]]s of rum.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=176}}|group="n"|name="provisions"}} This was a journey of some {{convert|3500|nmi}} to the west, beyond the Endeavour Strait, and it would necessitate daily rations of an ounce of bread and a quarter-pint of water for each man. The plan was unanimously agreed.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=169–172}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=148}}

From the outset, the weather was wet and stormy, with mountainous seas that constantly threatened to overwhelm the boat.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=175}} When the sun appeared, Bligh noted in his daily journal that it "gave us as much pleasure as a winter's day in England".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=186}} Bligh endeavoured to continue his journal throughout the voyage, observing, sketching, and charting as they made their way west. To keep up morale, he told stories of his prior experiences at sea, got the men singing, and occasionally said prayers.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=33–35}} The launch made the first passage by Europeans through the [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]],{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=150}} but they dared not stop because of the islanders' reputation for [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=174}}{{#tag:ref|The strait through which the loyalists passed pursued by natives is still called [[Bligh Water]].{{sfn|Stanley|2004|pp=597–598}}|group="n"|name="blighwater"}} On 17 May, Bligh recorded that "our situation was miserable; always wet, and suffering extreme cold&nbsp;... without the least shelter from the weather".{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=189}}

A week later with the skies clearing, birds began to appear, signalling a proximity to land.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=179}} On 28 May, the [[Great Barrier Reef]] was sighted; Bligh found a navigable gap and sailed the launch into a calm [[lagoon]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=151}} Late that afternoon, he ran the boat ashore on a small island off the coast of northeast [[Australia]], which he named [[Ma’alpiku Island National Park#History|Restoration Island]]. Here, the men found oysters and berries in plentiful supply and were able to eat ravenously.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=180–182}}{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=200}} Over the next four days, the party island-hopped northward within the lagoon, aware that their movements were being closely monitored by natives on the mainland.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=184–185}} Strains were showing within the party; following a heated disagreement with Purcell, Bligh grabbed a cutlass and challenged the carpenter to fight. Fryer told Cole to arrest their captain but backed down after Bligh threatened to kill him if he interfered.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=35}}

On 2 June, the launch cleared [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]], the extreme northern point of the Australian continent. Bligh turned south-west and steered through a maze of [[shoal]]s, reefs, sandbanks, and small islands. The route taken was not the Endeavour Strait, but a narrower southerly passage later known as the Prince of Wales Channel. At 20:00 that evening they reached the open [[Arafura Sea]],{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=186–187}} still {{convert|1100|nmi}} from Kupang.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=152}} The following eight days encompassed some of the toughest travel of the entire journey and, by 11 June, many were close to collapse. The next day, the coast of Timor was sighted: "It is not possible for me to describe the pleasure which the blessing of the sight of this land diffused among us", Bligh wrote.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=227}} On 14 June, with a makeshift [[Flag of the United Kingdom|Union Jack]] hoisted, they sailed into Kupang harbour.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=189}}

In Kupang, Bligh reported the mutiny to the authorities, and wrote to his wife: "Know then, my own Dear Betsey, I have lost the ''Bounty''&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=154}} Nelson the botanist quickly succumbed to the harsh Kupang climate and died.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|pp=239–240}} On 20 August, the party departed for [[Jakarta|Batavia]] (now called Jakarta) to await a ship for Europe;{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=213}} the cook Thomas Hall died there, having been ill for weeks.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=257}} Bligh obtained passages home for himself, his clerk Samuel, and his servant John Smith, and sailed on 16 October 1789.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=163–164}} Four of the remainder—the master's mate Elphinstone, the quartermaster Peter Linkletter, the butcher Robert Lamb and the assistant surgeon Thomas Ledward—all died either in Batavia or on their journeys home.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=264}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=215}}

=== ''Bounty'' under Christian ===
[[File:Tubuai.jpg|thumb|[[Tubuai]], where Christian first attempted to settle; the island is almost totally surrounded by a [[coral reef]]]]

After the departure of Bligh's launch, Christian divided the personal effects of the departed loyalists among the remaining crew and threw the breadfruit plants into the sea.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=12–13}} He recognised that Bligh could conceivably survive to report the mutiny, and that anyway the non-return of ''Bounty'' would occasion a search mission, with Tahiti as its first port of call. Christian therefore headed ''Bounty'' towards the small island of [[Tubuai]], some {{convert|450|nmi}} south of Tahiti.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=36}} Tubuai had been discovered and roughly charted by Cook; except for a single small channel, it was entirely surrounded by a coral reef and could, Christian surmised, be easily defended against any attack from the sea.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=192–195}}

''Bounty'' arrived at Tubuai on 28 May 1789. The reception from the native population was hostile; when a [[flotilla]] of war canoes headed for the ship, Christian used a four-pounder gun to repel the attackers. At least a dozen warriors were killed, and the rest scattered. Undeterred, Christian and an armed party surveyed the island and decided it would be suitable for their purposes.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=194–196}} However, to create a permanent settlement, they needed compliant native labour and women. The most likely source for these was Tahiti, to which ''Bounty'' returned on 6 June. To ensure the co-operation of the Tahiti chiefs, Christian concocted a story that he, Bligh, and Cook were founding a new settlement at [[Aitutaki]]. Although [[Death of James Cook|Cook had actually been killed]] ten years earlier, the use of his name ensured generous gifts of livestock and other goods and, on 16 June, the well-provisioned ''Bounty'' sailed back to Tubuai. On board were nearly thirty Tahitian men and women, some of whom were there by deception.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=90}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=196–197}}

For the next two months, Christian and his forces struggled to establish themselves on Tubuai. They began to construct a large [[moat]]ed enclosure—called "Fort George", after the British king—to provide a secure fortress against attack by land or sea.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=90}} Christian attempted to form friendly relations with the local chiefs, but his party was unwelcome.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=199–200}} There were persistent clashes with the native population, mainly over property and women, culminating in a pitched battle in which 66 islanders were killed and many wounded.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=14}} Discontent was rising among the ''Bounty'' party, and Christian sensed that his authority was slipping. He called a meeting to discuss future plans and offered a free vote. Eight remained loyal to Christian, the hard core of the active mutineers, but sixteen wished to return to Tahiti and take their chances there. Christian accepted this decision; after depositing the majority at Tahiti, he would "run before the wind, and&nbsp;... land upon the first island the ship drives. After what I have done I cannot remain at Tahiti."{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=199–200}} In order to flee, ''Bounty'' cut the ropes to two anchors in the bay; one was recovered by {{HMS|Pandora|1779|2}},<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/bounty/pandora-encyclopedia.shtml
|title=HMS ''Pandora'' Encyclopedia
|work=Pitcairn Islands Study Center
|publisher=[[Pacific Union College]]
|access-date=2012-10-31
}}</ref><!--end of refn--> while the other was rediscovered in 1957.<ref>National Geographic, December 1957, Luis Marden, "I Found the Bones of the Bounty"</ref>

=== Mutineers divided ===
When ''Bounty'' returned to Tahiti, on 22 September, the welcome was much less effusive than previously. The Tahitians had learned from the crew of a visiting British ship that the story of Cook and Bligh founding a settlement in Aitutaki was a fabrication, and that Cook had been long dead.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=201–203}} Christian worried that their reaction might turn violent and did not stay long. Of the sixteen men who had voted to settle in Tahiti, he allowed fifteen ashore; Joseph Coleman was detained on the ship, as Christian required his skills as an armourer.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=15}}

That evening, Christian coaxed aboard ''Bounty'' a party of Tahitians, mainly women, for a social gathering. With the festivities underway, he cut the anchor rope and ''Bounty'' sailed away with its captive guests.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=250}} Coleman escaped by diving overboard and reached land.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=15}} Among the abducted group were six elderly women, for whom Christian had no use; he put them ashore on the nearby island of [[Mo'orea]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=368–369}} ''Bounty''{{'}}s complement now comprised nine mutineers—Christian, Young, Quintal, Brown, Martin, John Williams, John Mills, [[William McCoy (mutineer)|William McCoy]] and [[John Adams (mutineer)|John Adams]] (known by the crew as "Alexander Smith"){{sfn|Dening|1992|p=84}}—and twenty Polynesians, of whom fourteen were women.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=204–205}}

The sixteen sailors on Tahiti began to organise their lives.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=229}} One group, led by Morrison and Tom McIntosh, began building a [[schooner]], which they named ''Resolution'' after Cook's ship.{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=215–217}} Morrison had not been an active mutineer; rather than waiting for recapture, he hoped to sail the vessel to the Dutch East Indies and surrender to the authorities there, hoping that such action would confirm his innocence. Morrison's group maintained ship's routine and discipline, even to the extent of holding divine service each Sunday.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=220–221}}{{#tag:ref| Morrison and his men created a seaworthy schooner. When ''Pandora'' arrived in Tahiti in March 1791 in search of mutineers, the schooner was confiscated and commandeered to act as ''Pandora''{{'}}s [[ship's tender|tender]]. The schooner subsequently disappeared in a storm and was presumed lost, but was returned safely to Batavia by a skeleton crew.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=10, 19, 29–30}} |group="n"|name="schooner"}} Churchill and Matthew Thompson, on the other hand, chose to lead drunken and generally dissolute lives, which ended in the violent deaths of both. Churchill was murdered by Thompson, who was in turn killed by Churchill's native friends.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=8}} Others, such as Stewart and Heywood, settled into quiet domesticity; Heywood spent much of his time studying the [[Tahitian language]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=229}} He adopted native dress and, in accordance with the local custom, was heavily tattooed on his body.{{sfn|Tagart|1832|p=83}}

== Retribution ==
=== HMS ''Pandora'' mission ===
When Bligh landed in England on 14 March 1790, news of the mutiny had preceded him and he was fêted as a hero. In October 1790 at a formal [[court-martial]] for the loss of ''Bounty'', he was honourably [[acquittal|acquitted]] of responsibility for the loss and was promoted to post-captain. As an adjunct to the court-martial, Bligh brought charges against Purcell for misconduct and insubordination; the former carpenter received a reprimand.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=216–217}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=173}}

In November 1790, the Admiralty despatched the frigate [[HMS Pandora (1779)|HMS ''Pandora'']], under Captain [[Edward Edwards (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Edwards]], to capture the mutineers and return them to England to stand trial.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=7}} ''Pandora'' arrived at Tahiti on 23 March 1791 and, within a few days, all fourteen surviving ''Bounty'' men had either surrendered or been captured.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=11}} Edwards made no distinction between mutineers and those who claimed they had been detained on ''Bounty'' unwillingly;{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=9}} all were incarcerated in a specially constructed prison erected on ''Pandora''{{'}}s quarterdeck, dubbed "[[Pandora's Box]]".{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=238–239}} ''Pandora'' remained at Tahiti for five weeks while Edwards unsuccessfully sought information on ''Bounty''{{'}}s whereabouts. The ship finally sailed on 8 May to search for ''Bounty'' among the thousands of southern Pacific islands.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=226–227}} Apart from a few spars discovered at [[Palmerston Island]], no traces of the fugitive vessel were found.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=15–18}} Edwards continued the search until August, when he turned west and headed for the Dutch East Indies.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=227–229}} One of the islands ''Pandora'' sailed to, but did not land at, was Pitcairn Island; had Edwards checked his charts and found that this uncharted island was at the correct latitude but wrong longitude for Pitcairn Island, he could very well have fulfilled his mission by capturing the last nine ''Bounty'' mutineers. Edwards' search for the remaining mutineers ultimately proved fruitless.

When passing [[Vanikoro]] on 13 August 1791, Edwards observed [[smoke signal]]s rising from the island. Edwards, single-minded in his search for ''Bounty'' and convinced that mutineers fearful of discovery would not be advertising their whereabouts, ignored the smoke signals and sailed on. Wahlroos argues that the smoke signals were almost certainly a distress message sent by survivors of the [[Lapérouse expedition]], which later evidence indicated were still alive on Vanikoro at that time—three years after their ships ''Boussole'' and ''Astrolabe'' had foundered. Wahlroos is "virtually certain" that Edwards, whom he characterizes as one of England's most "ruthless", "inhuman", "callous", and "incompetent" naval captains, missed his chance to become "one of the heroes of maritime history" by solving the mystery of the lost expedition.<ref name="ReferenceA">Wahlroos, Sven, "Mutiny and Romance in the South Seas", Salem House Publishers, c/o Harper & Row, New York, NY, 1989</ref>

[[File:HMS Pandora.jpg|thumb|[[HMS Pandora (1779)|HMS ''Pandora'']] foundering, 29 August 1791, depicted in an 1831 etching by [[Robert Batty (artist)|Robert Batty]] from a sketch by Heywood]]

On 29 August 1791, ''Pandora'' ran aground on the outer Great Barrier Reef. The men in "Pandora's Box" were ignored as the regular crew attempted to prevent the ship from foundering. When Edwards gave the order to abandon ship, ''Pandora''{{'}}s armourer began to remove the prisoners' shackles, but the ship sank before he had finished. Heywood and nine other prisoners escaped; four ''Bounty'' men—George Stewart, Henry Hillbrant, Richard Skinner and John Sumner—drowned, along with 31 of ''Pandora''{{'s}} crew. The survivors, including the ten remaining prisoners, then embarked on an open-boat journey that largely followed Bligh's course of two years earlier. The prisoners were mostly kept bound hand and foot until they reached [[Kupang]] port on 17 September.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=22–26}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=227–230}}

The prisoners were confined for seven weeks, at first in prison and later on a [[Dutch East India Company]] ship, before being transported to [[Cape Town]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=27, 30–31}} On 5 April 1792, they embarked for England on a British warship, {{HMS|Gorgon|1785|6}}, and arrived at [[Portsmouth]] on 19 June. There they were transferred to the guardship {{HMS|Hector|1774|6}} to await trial. The prisoners included the three detained loyalists—Coleman, McIntosh and Norman—to whom Bligh had promised justice; the blind fiddler Michael Byrne (or "Byrn"); Heywood; Morrison; and four active mutineers: Thomas Burkett, John Millward, Thomas Ellison and William Muspratt.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=32–35}} Bligh, who had been given command of [[HMS Providence (1791)|HMS ''Providence'']] for a second breadfruit expedition, had left England in August 1791{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=218}} and thus would be absent from the pending court-martial proceedings.{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=43–44}}

=== Court martial, verdict, and sentences ===
[[File:Northcote, Samuel Hood.jpg|thumb|Admiral [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Lord Hood]], who presided over the ''Bounty'' court martial|alt=Painting of an elderly man in a wig, wearing a naval uniform.]]

The [[court-martial]] opened on 12 September 1792 on {{HMS|Duke|1777|6}} in [[Portsmouth Harbour]], with Vice-Admiral [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Lord Hood]], [[Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth]], presiding.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=276}} Heywood's family secured him competent legal advisers;{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=204–205}} of the other defendants, only Muspratt employed legal counsel.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=272}} The survivors of Bligh's open-boat journey gave evidence against their former comrades—the testimonies from Thomas Hayward and John Hallett were particularly damaging to Heywood and Morrison, who each maintained their innocence of any mutinous intention and had surrendered voluntarily to ''Pandora''.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=240–245}} The court did not challenge the statements of Coleman, McIntosh, Norman and Byrne, all of whom were acquitted.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=281}} On 18 September the six remaining defendants were found guilty of mutiny and were sentenced to death by [[hanging]], with recommendations of mercy for Heywood and Morrison "in consideration of various circumstances".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=283}}

On 26 October 1792 Heywood and Morrison received [[Royal prerogative of mercy|royal pardons]] from King George III and were released. Muspratt, through his lawyer, won a [[stay of execution]] by filing a petition protesting that court-martial rules had prevented his calling Norman and Byrne as witnesses in his [[defense (law)|defence]].{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=46}} He was still awaiting the outcome when Burkett, Ellison and Millward were hanged from the [[yardarm]] of {{HMS|Brunswick|1790|6}} in Portsmouth dock on 28 October. Some accounts claim that the condemned trio continued to protest their innocence until the last moment,{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=300–302}} while others speak of their "manly firmness that&nbsp;... was the admiration of all".{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=48}} There was some unease expressed in the press—a suspicion that "money had bought the lives of some, and others fell sacrifice to their poverty."{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=37–42}} A report that Heywood was heir to a large fortune was unfounded; nevertheless, Dening asserts that "in the end it was class or relations or patronage that made the difference."{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=37–42}} In December Muspratt heard that he was reprieved, and on 11 February 1793 he, too, was pardoned and freed.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=302}}

=== Aftermath ===
Much of the court-martial testimony was critical of Bligh's conduct—by the time of his return to England in August 1793, following his successful conveyance of breadfruit to the West Indies aboard ''Providence'', professional and public opinion had turned against him.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=284}} He was snubbed at the Admiralty when he went to present his report, and was left on [[half pay]] for nineteen months before receiving his next appointment.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=318, 379}} In late 1794 the jurist [[Edward Christian]], brother of Fletcher, published his ''Appendix'' to the court-martial proceedings, which was said by the press to "palliate the behaviour of Christian and the Mutineers, and to criminate Captain Bligh".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=340–341}} Bligh's position was further undermined when the loyalist gunner Peckover confirmed that much of what was alleged in the ''Appendix'' was true.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=286}}

Bligh commanded [[HMS Director (1784)|HMS ''Director'']] at the [[Battle of Camperdown]] in October 1797 and [[HMS Glatton (1795)|HMS ''Glatton'']] in the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|Battle of Copenhagen]] in April 1801.{{sfn|Frost|2004}} In 1805, while commanding [[HMS Warrior (1781)|HMS ''Warrior'']], he was court-martialled for using bad language to his officers and reprimanded.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=290}} In 1806, he was appointed [[Governor of New South Wales]] in Australia; after two years a group of army officers arrested and deposed him in the [[Rum Rebellion]]. After his return to England, Bligh was promoted to [[rear-admiral]] in 1811 and [[vice-admiral]] in 1814, but was not offered further naval appointments. He died, aged 63, in December 1817.{{sfn|Frost|2004}}

Of the pardoned mutineers, Heywood and Morrison returned to naval duty. Heywood acquired the patronage of Hood and, by 1803 at the age of 31, had achieved the rank of captain. After a distinguished career, he died in 1831.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=284}} Morrison became a master gunner and was eventually lost in 1807 when [[HMS Blenheim (1761)|HMS ''Blenheim'']] foundered in the Indian Ocean. Muspratt is believed to have worked as a naval steward before his death, in or before 1798. The other principal participants in the court martial—Fryer, Peckover, Coleman, McIntosh and others—generally vanished from the public eye after the closing of the procedures.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=377–378}}

== Pitcairn ==
=== Settlement ===
[[File:Descendants of the mutineers, 1862.jpg|thumb|Descendants of the mutineers John Adams and Matthew Quintal on [[Norfolk Island]], 1862. From left to right: John Adams 1827–1897 son of George Adams; John Quintal 1820–1912 son of Arthur Quintal; George Adams 1804–1873 son of John Adams; Arthur Quintal 1795–1873 son of Matthew Quintal]]

After leaving Tahiti on 22 September 1789, Christian sailed ''Bounty'' west in search of a safe haven. He then formed the idea of settling on [[Pitcairn Island]], far to the east of Tahiti; the island had been reported in 1767, but its exact location was never verified. After months of searching, Christian rediscovered the island on 15 January 1790, {{convert|188|nmi}} east of its recorded position.{{sfn|Government of Pitcairn|2000}} This longitudinal error contributed to the mutineers' decision to settle on Pitcairn.{{sfn|Stanley|2004|pp=288–296}}

On arrival the ship was unloaded and stripped of most of its masts and spars, for use on the island.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=286}} It was set ablaze and destroyed on 23 January, either as an agreed upon precaution against discovery or as an unauthorised act by Quintal—in either case, there was now no means of escape.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=369}}

Pitcairn Island proved an ideal haven for the mutineers—uninhabited and virtually inaccessible, with plenty of food, water, and fertile land.{{sfn|Government of Pitcairn|2000}} For a while, the mutineers and Tahitians existed peaceably. Christian settled down with Mauatua; a son, [[Thursday October Christian I|Thursday October Christian]], was born, as were other children.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=243, 246}} Christian's authority as leader gradually diminished, and he became prone to long periods of brooding and introspection.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=245–246}}

Gradually, tensions and rivalries arose over the increasing extent to which the Europeans regarded the Tahitians as their property, in particular the women who, according to Alexander, were "passed around from one 'husband' to the other".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=369}} In September 1793 matters degenerated into extreme violence, when several of the mutineers—possibly including Christian, Williams, Martin, Mills, and Brown—were killed by Tahitians in a series of murders. Both Adams and one of the Tahitian women, Teehuteatuaonoa, later claimed that Christian was killed in this massacre.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=280}} However, Adams' stories were inconsistent; over the years he also claimed that Christian had died of sickness or suicide. At any rate, his gravesite has never been found.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=290}} According to Teehuteatuaonoa, Christian was shot and killed from behind while in the act of "clearing away some ground for a garden".{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=282}}

In-fighting continued thereafter, and by 1794 the six Tahitian men were all dead, killed either by the widows of the murdered mutineers or by each other.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=86}} Two of the four surviving mutineers, Young and Adams, assumed leadership and secured a tenuous calm, which was disrupted by the drunkenness of McCoy and Quintal after the former distilled an alcoholic beverage from a local plant.{{sfn|Government of Pitcairn|2000}} Some of the women attempted to leave the island in a makeshift boat but could not launch it successfully. Life continued uneasily until McCoy's suicide in 1798. A year later, after Quintal threatened fresh murder and mayhem, Adams and Young killed him and were able to restore peace.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=266–267}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Pitcairnlanding.jpg|[[Bounty Bay]] on [[Pitcairn Island]], where HMS ''Bounty'' was burned on 23&nbsp;January 1790
File:Fletcher Christian's house.jpg|Fletcher Christian's House
File:John Adams house2.PNG|An 1831 engraving of John Adams Wooden house on Pitcairn Island
File:FMIB 36498 Wooden House Built by the Mutineers of the 'Bounty,' Pitcairn Island.jpeg|A 1908 photograph of Wooden House built by the mutineers of the ''Bounty'' on Pitcairn Island
</gallery>

=== Discovery ===
After Young succumbed to [[asthma]] in 1800, Adams took responsibility for the education and well-being of the nine remaining women and nineteen children. Using the [[Bounty Bible|ship's Bible]] from ''Bounty'', he taught literacy and Christianity, and kept peace on the island.{{sfn|Stanley|2004|pp=288–296}} This was the situation in February 1808, when the American sealer ''Topaz'' came unexpectedly upon Pitcairn, landed, and discovered the by-then thriving community.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=347–348}}{{sfn|Young|1894|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ph5EAQAAMAAJ&dq=Mayhew+Folger++son&pg=PA34 36–40]}} Adams gave ''Bounty''{{'}}s [[azimuth compass]] and [[marine chronometer]] to ''Topaz''{{'}}s captain, [[Mayhew Folger]]. News of the discovery did not reach Britain until 1810, when it was overlooked by an Admiralty preoccupied by [[Napoleonic Wars|war with France]].

In 1814, two British warships, [[HMS Briton (1812)|HMS ''Briton'']] and HMS ''Tagus'', chanced upon Pitcairn. Among those who greeted them were Thursday October Christian and George Young (Edward Young's son).{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=351–352}} The captains, [[Thomas Staines|Sir Thomas Staines]] and Philip Pipon, reported that Christian's son displayed "in his benevolent countenance, all the features of an honest English face".{{sfn|Barrow|1831|pp=285–289}} On shore they found a population of 46–mainly young islanders led by Adams,{{sfn|Barrow|1831|pp=285–289}} upon whom the islanders' welfare was wholly dependent, according to the captains' report.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=355}} After receiving Staines and Pipon's report, the Admiralty decided to take no action.

In the following years, many ships called at Pitcairn Island and heard Adams' various stories of the foundation of the Pitcairn settlement.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=355}} Adams died in 1829, honoured as the founder and father of a community that became celebrated over the next century as an exemplar of [[Victorian period|Victorian]] morality.{{sfn|Government of Pitcairn|2000}} 

Explorer [[Luis Marden]] rediscovered the remains of ''Bounty'' in January 1957.<ref>Pitcairn Miscellany https/www.miscellany.pn</ref> After spotting remains of the rudder<ref name="life">
{{cite magazine
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zFUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38
|title=The 'Bounty's' Last Relics
|magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]
|date=10 February 1958
|volume=44
|number=6
|access-date=2012-10-31
|pages=38–41
}}</ref> (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. After several days of dangerous diving, Marden found the remains of the ship: a rudder pin, nails, a ships boat oarlock, fittings and a ''Bounty'' anchor that he raised.<ref name="life" /><ref>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://home.comcast.net/~maclark661/Pitcairn/Slide25.htm
 |title       = Bounty anchor at the town square
 |access-date = 2012-10-31
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121026041631/http://home.comcast.net/~maclark661/Pitcairn/Slide25.htm
 |archive-date = 26 October 2012}}</ref> Later in life, Marden wore [[cuff links]] made of nails from ''Bounty''. He also dived to the wreck of ''Pandora'' and left a ''Bounty'' nail with that vessel. Some of the ''Bounty''{{'}}s remains, such as the [[Sailing ballast|ballast stones]], are still partially visible in the waters of Bounty Bay. The last of ''Bounty''{{'}}s four-pounder cannon was recovered in 1998 by an archaeological team from [[James Cook University]] and was sent to the Queensland Museum in [[Townsville, Queensland]], Australia, to be stabilised through lengthy conservation treatment via [[electrolysis]] over a period of nearly forty months. The gun was subsequently returned to Pitcairn Island, where it has been placed on display in a new community hall.

Over the years, many recovered ''Bounty'' artefacts have been sold by islanders as souvenirs; in 1999, the Pitcairn Project was established by a consortium of Australian academic and historical bodies to survey and document all the remaining material, as part of a detailed study of the settlement's development.{{sfn|Erskine|1999}}

<gallery widths=200 heights=145>
File:BOUNTY RUDDER FROM THE FIJI MUSEUM. SUVA, FIJI ISLANDS.jpg|Parts of ''Bounty''{{'}}s rudder, recovered from Pitcairn Island and preserved in a Fiji museum
File:HMAS "Bounty" bell - panoramio.jpg|HMAS ''Bounty'' bell
File:Ballast Iron from HMAS "Bounty" - panoramio.jpg|HMAS ''Bounty'' ballast bar
</gallery>

== Cultural impact ==
=== Biographies and history ===
Bligh published his journal several months after his return to [[London]]. Titled ''Narrative of the Mutiny on the Bounty'', it was a [[bestseller]].{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=146}} He published an expanded account, ''A Voyage to the South Sea'', in 1792. Bligh's narrative called the voyage one of "uninterrupted prosperity," and made no mention of personal differences with the crew.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=203}} The journal was heavily edited by [[Joseph Banks]], who told Bligh: "We shall abridge considerably what you wrote ... to satisfy the public and place you in such a point of view as they shall approve."{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=205}}

Bligh's narrative was unchallenged until the court-martial of the captured ''Bounty'' crewmembers in September 1792. In their testimony, the crew alleged that Bligh had cut their rations and Christian had been "in hell" due to his frequent quarrels with the captain.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=200}} By contrast, Bligh's journal had claimed that he and Christian were on friendly terms and he believed the lure of Tahiti had caused the mutiny.

The perception of Bligh as an overbearing tyrant began with Edward Christian's ''Appendix'' of 1794.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=343–344}} The ''Appendix'' was based on interviews with Fryer, Hayward, Purcell, John Smith, Heywood, Muspratt and Morrison. It argued that the day before the mutiny, Bligh had accused Christian of stealing his coconuts and reduced the crew's yam ration to three quarters of a pound as punishment.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=202}} This left the crew "greatly discontented ... and their discontent was increased from the consideration that they had plenty of provisions on board, and the captain was his own purser".{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=202}} As purser, it was in Bligh's interest to be frugal so that he could supplement his salary by selling back surplus provisions on his return.{{sfn|Christian|2021|p=91}}

Apart from Bligh's journal, the first published account of the mutiny was that of [[Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet|Sir John Barrow]], published in 1831. Barrow was a friend of the Heywood family; his book mitigated Heywood's role while emphasising Bligh's severity.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=401–402}} The book also instigated the legend that Christian had not died on Pitcairn, but had somehow returned to England and been recognised by Heywood in Plymouth, around 1808–1809.{{sfn|Barrow|1831|pp=309–310}} An account written in 1870 by Heywood's stepdaughter Diana Belcher further exonerated Heywood and Christian and, according to Bligh biographer Caroline Alexander, "cemented ... many falsehoods that had insinuated their way into the narrative".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=401–402}}

Among historians' attempts to portray Bligh more sympathetically are those of Richard Hough (1972) and [[Caroline Alexander (author)|Caroline Alexander]] (2003). Hough depicts "an unsurpassed foul-weather commander ... I would go through hell and high water with him, but not for one day in the same ship on a calm sea".{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=302–303}} Alexander presents Bligh as over-anxious, solicitous of his crew's well-being, and utterly devoted to his task. However, Bligh's reputation as the archetypal bad commander remains: ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''{{'s}} reviewer of Alexander's book wrote "poetry routed science and it has held the field ever since".{{sfn|Lewis|2003}}

=== In film and theatre ===
[[File:Poster - Mutiny on the Bounty (1935).jpg|thumb|A promotional poster for the 1935 film [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|''Mutiny on the Bounty'']] starring [[Charles Laughton]] as Bligh and [[Clark Gable]] as Christian]]

In addition to books and poems, five feature films have been made on the mutiny. The first was a [[The Mutiny of the Bounty|1916 silent Australian film]], subsequently [[lost film|lost]].{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=344}} The second, also from Australia, titled ''[[In the Wake of the Bounty]]'' (1933), was the screen debut of [[Errol Flynn]], in the role of Christian.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=344}} The impact of this film was overshadowed by that of the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] version, [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|''Mutiny on the Bounty'']] (1935), based on the popular [[Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)|namesake novel]] by [[Charles Nordhoff]] and [[James Norman Hall]], and starring [[Charles Laughton]] and [[Clark Gable]] as Bligh and Christian, respectively. The film's story was presented, says Dening, as "the classic conflict between tyranny and a just cause";{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=346}} Laughton's portrayal became in the public mind the definitive Bligh, "a byword for sadistic tyranny".{{sfn|Lewis|2003}} The film, [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)|''Mutiny on the Bounty'']] (1962) with [[Trevor Howard]] and [[Marlon Brando]], largely perpetuates this image of Bligh and that of Christian as tragic hero. ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' (1984) with [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Mel Gibson]], attempts a nonjudgmental portrayal of Bligh and a less sympathetic image of Christian.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} 

In 1998, in advance of a [[BBC]] documentary film aimed at Bligh's rehabilitation, the respective descendants of Bligh and Christian feuded over their contrary versions of the truth. [[Dea Birkett]], the programme's presenter, suggested that "Christian versus Bligh has come to represent rebellion versus authoritarianism, a life constrained versus a life of freedom, sexual repression versus sexual licence."{{sfn|Minogue|1998}} In 2017, [[Channel 4]] undertook a recreating of the voyage of Bligh featuring the former SBS soldier [[Ant Middleton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.channel4.com/programmes/mutiny |title=Mutiny |website=[[Channel 4]] |access-date=28 April 2020 |archive-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424192456/https://www.channel4.com/programmes/mutiny |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A musical ''Mutiny!'' played at the [[Piccadilly Theatre]] in [[London]]'s [[West End theatre|West End]] for sixteen months from 1985.{{sfn|Mutiny! (Essex)}} It was co-written by [[David Essex]] based on the novel ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' and starred Essex as Christian. [[Morecambe and Wise]] produced a spoof "play what Ernie wrote" called ''Monty on the Bonty'', starring [[Arthur Lowe]] as Bligh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/morecambe_wise/intro.shtml|title = BBC – Cult – Classic TV – Morecambe and Wise}}</ref>

=== Museums ===
Both [[Pitcairn Island Museum]] and [[Bounty Museum]] on [[Norfolk Island]] use objects and memorabilia to interpret the history of the mutineers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bounty Folk Museum {{!}} History & Culture {{!}} Norfolk Island |url=https://www.norfolkisland.com.au/experiences/history-culture/bounty-folk-museum#:~:text=The%20Bounty%20Folk%20Museum%20tells,of%20artefacts%20to%20pore%20over. |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=www.norfolkisland.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Henry |date=2010 |title=Brushing up on Mutineers: Music with Art at Fletcher's Mutiny Cyclorama, Norfolk Island |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41818611 |journal=Music in Art |volume=35 |issue=1/2 |pages=119–132 |jstor=41818611 |issn=1522-7464}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Holly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnRASpkvQxMC&dq=bounty+folk+museum&pg=PT42 |title=Sydney & Australia's New South Wales |date=2011-04-15 |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=978-1-58843-775-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Planet |first=Lonely |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBYsDQAAQBAJ&dq=Pitcairn+Island+Museum&pg=PT314 |title=The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World |date=2016-10-01 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-78657-398-8 |language=en}}</ref>

== Notes and references ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist||group=n}}

=== References ===
{{Reflist|25em}}

=== Sources ===
==== Online ====
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite ODNB
|last= Darby
|first= Madge
|title= Bligh, Sir Richard Rodney (1737–1821)
|location=Oxford
|edition=online
|year=2004
|doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/2648
}}
* {{cite ODNB
|last= David
|first= Andrew
|title= Cook, James (1728–1779)
|location=Oxford
|edition=online
|year=2004
|doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/6140
}}
* {{cite journal
|last = Erskine
|first = Nigel
|title = Reclaiming the ''Bounty''
|journal = Archaeology
|publisher = Archaeological Institute of America
|location = Boston
|year = 1999
|volume = 52
|issue = 3
|url = http://archive.archaeology.org/9905/etc/bounty.html
|access-date = 18 May 2015
}}
* {{cite ODNB
|last= Frost
|first= Alan
|author-link=Alan Frost
|title= Bligh, William (1754–1817)
|location=Oxford
|edition=online
|year=2004
|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/2650
}}
* {{cite web
|title=History of Pitcairn Island
|url=http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/pitcairn/history.shtml
|work=Pitcairn Islands Study Center
|publisher=Pacific Union College
|quote=Used by permission from the government-published Guide to Pitcairn,
|year=2000
|access-date=30 April 2015
|ref={{harvid|Government of Pitcairn|2000}}
}}
* {{cite web|title=Mutiny! (Essex) – The Guide to Musical Theatre|url=http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_m/mutiny.htm|website=www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com|access-date=30 January 2020|ref={{sfnRef|Mutiny! (Essex)}}}}

==== News ====
* {{cite news
|last= Lewis
|first= Mark
|title= 'The Bounty': Fletcher Christian was the villain
|newspaper= The Baltimore Sun
|location= Baltimore, Maryland
|date= 26 October 2003
|url= https://www.baltimoresun.com/2003/10/26/the-bounty-fletcher-christian-was-the-villain/
|access-date= 20 May 2015
|archive-date= 26 June 2015
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150626215642/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-10-26/entertainment/0310260505_1_bligh-bounty-breadfruit
|url-status= live
}}
* {{cite news
|last= Minogue
|first= Tim
|title= Blighs v Christians, the 209-year feud
|newspaper= The Independent
|location= London
|date= 22 March 1998
|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/blighs-v-christians-the-209year-feud-1151674.html
|access-date= 20 May 2015
}}

==== Archives ====
* {{cite archive |first=William |last=Bligh |item=Log of the Proceedings of His Majestys Ship Bounty Lieut{{bracket|enant}} W{{bracket|illia}}m Bligh Commander from Otaheite towards Jamaica (Safe 1/47) |item-url=https://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110339148 |type=Textual record |item-id=853449 |date=5 April 1789-13 March 1790 |series=01 William Bligh, papers (Safe 1/22b) |file=1 Log books (Safe 1/46) |box=01 William Bligh, papers relating to HMS Bounty (Safe 1/33) |collection=Bligh Family Collection |collection-url=https://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110313488 |repository=Dixson Library |institution=[[State Library of New South Wales]] |location=[[Sydney]] |ref={{SfnRef|Bligh|1789}}}}
* {{cite web |last1=Bligh |first1=William |title=Letter from Captain William Bligh to Sir Harry Parker (RGO 14/24: 490) |url=https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-RGO-00014-00024/451 |website=Cambridge Digital Library |publisher=University Of Cambridge |date=27 October 1790 |access-date=21 May 2020}}

==== Books ====
* {{cite book
|author-link= Caroline Alexander (author)
|last= Alexander
|first= Caroline
|title= The Bounty
|publisher= Harper Collins
|location= London
|year= 2003
|isbn=978-0-00-257221-7
}}
* {{cite book
|author-link= Sir John Barrow
|last= Barrow
|first= Sir John
|title= The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty: Its Causes and Consequences
|url= http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14424/14424-h/14424-h.htm
|publisher= John Murray
|location= London
|year= 1831
|oclc= 4050135
}}
* {{cite book
|last= Bligh
|first= William
|title= A Voyage to the South Sea, etc
|publisher= Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iN0-AAAAYAAJ
|location= London
|year= 1792
|oclc= 28790
}}
* {{cite book
|author-link= Greg Dening
|last= Dening
|first= Greg
|title= Mr Bligh's Bad Language: Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty
|publisher= [[Cambridge University Press]]
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qjRuCRGdOEYC
|location= Cambridge
|year= 1992
|isbn= 978-0-521-38370-7
}}
* {{cite book
|author-link= Harrison Christian
|last= Christian
|first= Harrison
|title= Men Without Country
|publisher= Ultimo Press
|location= Sydney
|year= 2021
|isbn= 9781761150050
|lang= en
}}
* {{cite book
|last= Guttridge
|first= Leonard F
|title= Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection
|publisher= Naval Institute Press
|location= Annapolis, Maryland
|year= 2006
|orig-year=1992
|isbn=978-1-59114-348-2
}}
* {{cite book
|author-link= Richard Hough
|last= Hough
|first= Richard
|title= Captain Bligh and Mr Christian: The Men and the Mutiny ''[republished in 1984 by Corgi as ''The Bounty'']''
|publisher= Hutchinsons
|location= London
|year= 1972
|isbn=978-0-09-112860-9
}}
* {{cite book
|last= McKinney
|first= Sam
|title= Bligh!: The Whole Story of the Mutiny Aboard H.M.S. Bounty
|publisher= TouchWood Editions
|location= Victoria, British Columbia
|year= 1999
|orig-year= 1989
|isbn= 978-0-920663-64-6
|url-access= registration
|url= https://archive.org/details/blighwholestoryo0000mcki
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Stanley
|first=David
|title=South Pacific
|publisher=Moon Handbooks
|location=Chico, California
|year=2004
|edition=Eighth
|isbn=978-1-56691-411-6
}}
* {{cite book
|last= Tagart
|first= Edward
|author-link= Edward Tagart
|title= A Memoir of the late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N. with Extracts from his Diaries and Correspondence
|publisher= Effingham Wilson
|url= https://archive.org/details/oldenglishcustom00ditcrich
|location= London
|year= 1832
|oclc= 7541945
}}
* {{cite book
|last= Wahlroos
|first= Sven
|title= Mutiny and Romance in the South Seas: a Companion to the Bounty Adventure
|publisher= Salem House Publishers
|location= Topsfield, Massachusetts
|year= 1989
|isbn= 978-0-88162-395-6
|url= https://archive.org/details/mutinyromanceins0000wahl
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Winfield
|first=Rif
|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates
|publisher=Seaforth Publishing
|location=Barnsley
|year=2007
|isbn=978-1-84415-700-6
}}
* {{cite book
|author-link=Rosalind Amelia Young
|last=Young
|first=Rosalind Amelia
|title=Mutiny of the Bounty and Story of Pitcairn Island, 1790-1894
|publisher=[[Pacific Press Publishing Association|Pacific Press Publishing Company]]
|location=[[Oakland, California|Oakland, CA]]
|year=1894
}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book
|last=Fryer
|first=John
|author-link=John Fryer (Royal Navy officer)
|editor-last=Walters
|editor-first=Stephen S
|title=The Voyage of the Bounty Launch: John Fryer's Narrative
|publisher=Genesis Publications
|location=Guildford
|year=1979
|isbn=978-0-904351-10-1
|ref=none}}
* Ledward, Thomas Denman. Letter of 15 October 1789 briefly giving an account of the Mutiny and his status in Timor. Printed in [https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Thomas+Ledward+Notes+and+Queries+1903#spf=1590713989599 "Notes and Queries"], ''Oxford Journal'', 26 December 1903. pp. 501–502.
* {{cite book
|last=Morrison
|first=James
|author-link=James Morrison (mutineer)
|editor-last=Rutter
|editor-first=Owen
|editor-link=Owen Rutter
|title=The Journal of James Morrison, etc.
|publisher=Golden Cockerel Press
|location=London
|year=1935
|oclc=752837769
|ref=none}}
* {{cite conference
|conference = AICCM Symposium 2006
|title = From Mutiny to Eternity: The Conservation of Lt. William Bligh's ''Bounty'' Logbooks
|last1 = Proud
|first1 = Jodie
|last2 = Zammit
|first2 = Anthony
|url = http://aiccm.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/BPG2006/AICCM_B&P2006_Proud_p265-277.pdf
|location = Canberra
|publisher = Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material
|date = 2006
|access-date = 1 May 2015
|ref = none
|archive-date = 29 July 2018
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230443/https://aiccm.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/BPG2006/AICCM_B%26P2006_Proud_p265-277.pdf
|url-status = dead
}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|display=Mutiny on the ''Bounty''|c=category:Mutiny on the Bounty|d=Q749811|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|wikt=no|s=The Mutineers of the Bounty}}

{{Mutiny on the Bounty|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mutiny on the Bounty| ]]
[[Category:1789 in Oceania]]
[[Category:1789 in the Pitcairn Islands]]
[[Category:18th-century history of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:18th-century pirates]]
[[Category:Acts of piracy]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1789]]
[[Category:Events that led to courts-martial]]
[[Category:History of Tahiti]]
[[Category:History of the Pitcairn Islands]]
[[Category:History of the Royal Navy]]
[[category:Piracy in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Royal Navy mutinies|Bounty]]
[[Category:Battles and conflicts without fatalities]]