Really, You might want to skip this

I warned you!!!

Okay then, let me introduce you to William Bligh, English navigator, explorer, and commander of the HMS Bounty at the time of the celebrated "mutiny" on that ship.

The son of a customs officer, Bligh joined the Royal Navy in 1770. After six years as a midshipman, he was promoted to sailing master of the Resolution and served under Captain James Cook on the captain’s third and final voyage to the South Seas (1776–79).

Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, with whom he had four daughters and twin sons - both of whom died in infancy - and after his military service, served in private service as a commander of merchant ships in the West Indies.

The "ill-fated" Bounty voyage was undertaken at the request of Caribbean plantation owners, who were seeking a subsistence food for their slaves. English botanist Sir Joseph Banks recommended to the plantation owners that feeding the slaves Tahitian breadfruit would be a cost effective solution.

(You got me there folks)

Anywhoo, the Admiralty agreed to refit the 215-ton Bethia, henceforth known as the 'Bounty' and commissioned Bligh as her commander. Bligh’s competence unsurprisingly was unquestioned, however, it must be noted, the circumstances behind his command and his feelings about the voyage were both dangerously complex.

You need to appreciate, despite performing well on the Resolution, "Captain" Bligh felt that his contribution to the expedition had been overlooked after the untimely death of Captain Cook, and of course, Bligh harboured great ambitions to command a brilliant scientific expedition of his own.

Taking a somewhat drastic pay cut Bligh reentered the Royal Navy. Only to be bitterly disappointed at not being promoted to a captaincy post for the expedition. Reluctantly and frankly eager to "make his mark", he chose to serve as both captain and purser on The Bounty; a decision that, given his preoccupation with financial matters, would later prove tragic.

Okay, on to the good stuff . . .

The Bounty set sail for Tahiti in December 1787. Bligh soon afterwards realized/felt that the incompetence of his officers, delays by the Admiralty, and the ferocity of the weather around Cape Horn would dash his hopes for a superb and simply marvellous expedition. Proceeding on, The Bounty finally reached it's destination in October 1788, where it would stay for five months in an attempt to ensure that the breadfruit cuttings would set.

So, adequately satisfied with the state of it's cargo, on April 4, 1789, the Bounty left Tahiti for England, the crew members, understandably, eager to get home. However Bligh had become enraged at their - in his opinion - poor seamanship. Bligh, allegedly, had fallen out with his first mate and longtime friend, Fletcher Christian! tormenting him to the point that Christian planned a suicidal escape from the Bounty by raft. Again, all of this is supposition, I have no "real" proof (of course not, I wasn't there)

- if you like, you can leave now, go rent the movie with Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, you won't be sorry -

Where was I, oh yeah: now then, a determined group of nine men - mutineers we'll call them - persuaded Mr. Christian to take the ship instead. And so, on April 28, 1789, Christian and his supporters mutinied.

"Captain" Bligh and 18 men still "loyal" to his command, were put into a 20-foot launch with some navigational instruments and roughly five days’ worth of food. After floundering about in the sea as well as a tragic stop at the volcanic island, Tofua, where one of them was killed by natives, - oops - "Captain" Bligh resolved to set sail directly for the island of Timor, an estimated 3,600 miles away.

Now then, giving credit where credit is due, this - my friends - was a voyage of extreme hardship, brilliant navigation, and mutual hatred, as the launch party blamed one another for the mutiny and their current plight.

"Captain" Bligh and his 'bickering' men reached Timor on June 14, 1789. Eventually they continued on to the island of Java, where they secured adequate transportation to England, arriving back in old blithy in March 1790.

Meanwhile, back in the south seas, The Bounty, (remember The Bounty) had returned to Tahiti where several mutineers, for reasons I have no clue, opted to remain, while Fletcher Christian and the eight other mutineers sailed on, finally ending up on Pitcairn Island, where they remained, undiscovered until 1808.

By-the-by, descendants of said "mutineers" still reside on Pitcairn today

But back to our story, after learning of the mutiny, the Royal Navy dispatched the Pandora to Tahiti, where it "captured" (some would say rescued) three mutineers, returning them to England where they were placed on trial. Meanwhile, "Captain" Bligh had returned to sea in the Providence in 1791, determined to complete his mission.

Unfortunately, this was not the wisest of choices for his public reputation. You see, being at sea meant Bligh was not in England for the mutineers trial and subsequent execution, plus the fact that this meant (as well) Bligh was leaving various interpretations/accusations about his command unanswered.

Now, in his 'defense' in his Narrative of the Mutiny, published a few months after his return to England, "Captain" Bligh had argued that the hedonistic delights of the South Seas were the primary and only cause of the mutiny.

Fletcher Christian’s brother, a professor of law at Cambridge, replied in a pamphlet that interviews with the Bounty crew revealed many flaws in Bligh’s command. There was also "The Abolistionist" which also had no sympathy for the expedition, circulated the journal of boatswain’s mate James Morrison, containing very damning stories of his former captain’s extravagant behaviour.

(Morrison, you might recall, was condemned to hang for the mutiny but was later given King’s Mercy.)

Despite the notoriety of the mutiny, The "Bounty Bastard" Bligh received several other commands, he also served as Governor of New South Wales from 1805 to 1810, plus was promoted to rear admiral in 1811 and vice admiral in 1814.

"Captain" Bligh's courage, navigational skills, and intelligence - in truth - cannot be denied. He was commended at the Battle of Camperdown (1797) by Lord Nelson and performed well at the Battle of Copenhagen (1805). Bligh’s (in total) three visits to Tahiti gave him a knowledge of its language and customs that was probably not equaled among Europeans in the 18th century. He is credited with the discovery of some 13 Pacific islands, and elected to the Royal Society of London in 1801.

But, let it be known, "Captain" Bligh never overcame a fatal inability to control his relationships with his men. In 1808, while governor of New South Wales, Bligh's bad relations with the New South Wales Corps helped spark the "Rum Rebellion" during which Bligh was arrested by his own military officer, Major George Johnston, and kept under guard for a year before being sent home by his successor, Lieutenant Colonel Lachlan Macquarie.

"Captain" William Bligh died in London on 7 December 1817 and was buried in a family plot at St. Mary's. His tomb, notable for its use of Lithodipyra (Coade stone) is topped by a breadfruit.

(If you are still here - bless you - and now you know a bit more of the Bligh story, interesting isn't it . . . yeah, not really!)

Nice gull photo tho, I hope!