HMS Bounty
Bounty Bay, Pitcairn Island
What happened
HMS Bounty sailed to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants to grow as food in the British West Indies. On the voyage home, on 28 April 1789, Fletcher Christian led a mutiny and Lieutenant William Bligh and men loyal to him were set adrift in a small boat. The mutineers later settled on remote Pitcairn Island, and Bounty was burned there on 23 January 1790.
Why it matters
It is one of the most famous mutinies in history. The island's remoteness helped keep the settlers hidden for many years.
What came next
Bligh and his men sailed the small boat more than 3,500 nautical miles to Coupang on Timor. In January 1957 Luis Marden found the remains of the Bounty in Bounty Bay.
Did you know?
Each year Pitcairn islanders build a replica of the Bounty and burn it in Bounty Bay to remember the original ship.
Timeline
- 1787The Royal Navy buys the merchant ship Bethia for a breadfruit mission.
- 26 October 1788Bounty reaches Tahiti.
- 28 April 1789Fletcher Christian leads the mutiny.
- 23 January 1790The mutineers burn the ship at Pitcairn Island.
- January 1957Luis Marden finds the remains of the wreck.