Mutiny on the Bounty

After 23 days out at sea, Commanding Lieutenant William Bligh of HMS Bounty was woken up on 28 April 1789 by the master’s mate, Fletcher Christian, who was brandishing a cutlass.

Forcibly removed from command, Bligh and 18 other loyal sailors were committed to a 7m-long open boat that was only built to hold 15 men and looked like it would sink any second. Four cutlasses, a compass, a quadrant and a small amount of wine, rum, bread and pork were all they were given, before being left to fend for themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This act – the notorious mutiny on the – was shocking enough, but the real surprise would be that Bligh would make a remarkable journey across thousands