The Miraculous Story of Captain William Bligh’s Survival | Mutiny on HMS Bounty 

When Cook was off on his adventures they stumbled across this guy on a *Polynesian* island who, apparently, was an amazing navigator particularly around those islands & beyond. The guy decided he wanted to go back to the UK with Cook so they brought him back with them. The guy was a sensation in Georgian England & courted by all the high & mighty including the king. Eventually Cook told him that he was off on another trip to Australia & would he like a lift back? The guy said "yes" & on his departure all his new friends gave him some impressive gifts but none were better than George III FULL set of armour & an English war horse to go with it. Somehow he got all that back to his tiny islands in the Pacific & the thought of him riding around there with his full plate armour on cracks me up to this day! 😂

Bligh achieved an incredible feat of Navigation…amazing.

If you are going through a tough time in life, watch this and keep sailing.

Don't forget Thor Heyerdahl, who is notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he drifted 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a primitive hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. Thanks for your vid!

One tremendous story. Thank you for sharing this piece of history.

He didn't sail to Australia, which wasn't held by the British at the time. They did stop on the Australian coast to try to find food and water. They sailed to Timor, now in Indonesia - then held by the Dutch.

I read somewhere that Bligh was one of a very few, maybe as few as 3, men who started out "before the mast" as an able seaman, who eventually rose to the rank of admiral. That's kinda like starting out a private and ending up a general, except in the setting of the extreme social stratification of the period, it's even more unlikely. Pretty impressive

And their descendants are still living on Pitcairn Islands although it’s only about 45 people left.

I learned about this in secondary school in the 2000s 😊 Nice to see the story made into a full documentary all these years later!.

My friend Jasper Shackleton built a replica of the Bounty's boat back in the 1980's. He and a crew of 6 re-enacted this open boat voyage. The boat was for a while exhibited at the Royal Naval dockyard museum in Portsmouth. She was carvel built, in Gosport, by Jasper, aided by young apprentice boatbuilders.

We learnt at school that Bligh reached Indonesia.Otherwise he would have gone too far south and hit some cannibalism islands. He knew.

Lord. What an incredible story

I’ve watched a few of your videos now and I just want to say that I’ve enjoyed them, I’ve felt trust that it’s accurate, and most of all I think the presentation is excellent. I’m looking forward to watching more. Thank you & best wishes.

Fantastic! Love seeing that boat! Thank you.

The Bounty was only the first mutiny Bligh faced in his career. After the Bounty he was appointed as Governor of the penal colony of New South Wales where he faced a second mutiny by the officers of the New South Wales Corps who ran the colony like an organised crime gang. They arrested Bligh, supposedly hiding under a bed disguised in women's clothing. The fact he faced two mutinies on consecutive command appointments gives rise to some serious questions regarding his skill at managing his subordinates. Whilst Bligh's extrordinary seamanship is unquestioned, it appears his skills as a leader left a lot to be desired.

The boat looks fine and full marks for the successful voyage, but is not an accurate replica of the Bounty's launch. My family company built three of these - two in 1978, one of which was for the Bounty replica built for Warner Bros in New Zealand and one for Sir David Lean, the film directors personal use. The third we built in 1982 for a descendent of William Bligh , Captain Ron Ware of Sydney, Australia. In this vessel Captain Ware also completed a successful reenactment of his fore-fathers small boat voyage, in the end all the way to Singapore if my memory is correct. The vessels we built were taken from the Admiralty drafts(copies) of the original builders draft, no doubt drawn up when the launch was purchased by the Navy. The construction was without doubt carvel as these were working craft primarily used for kedging ship and fitted with a windlass midship for that purpose as shown in the draft. That vessel is now housed at the Sydney Maritime Museum, NSW, Australia. As an interesting aside, the original launch is said to have been built by J Samuel White although no reference is made to the builder on the Admiralty draft. Their yard was then located in Kent and later moved to the Isle of White. It is testimony to the design and construction of this little craft along with William Bligh and crew skill and fortitude that such a voyage was completed successfully.

Seamanship A+, Leadership F.

This was such an informative and entertaining video. Thanks for sharing!

Great insightful presentation, thanks.

For the full story, read the Bounty Trilogy by Nordhoff and Hall, Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island.

This is wild. Well done History Hit.

Outstanding program! I learned quite a bit.

I enjoyed reading Mutiny on the Bounty as well as several books on Cook and Longitude.

I don't know anything about sailing but I was aware that having a lot of people in a small boat does weigh it down...

Great video! Amazing history! 👍

Finally! My man 🙌

Great! This has certainly answered some of MY questions on the topic. This replica boat really is a cracker. Nice big starn post and chunky hanging knees to the thwarts, you'd need a solid vessel like that to have even a chance of surviving as these men did. In all probability the absence of Marines contributed to the likelihood of mutiny. Q; what did the breadfruit say to Capt Bligh? A; I yam, I yam I YAM! Sorry about that one. Nice one Dan and team. 🌟👍

it's such a great story could listen to more... and about captain cook too please 🙂 x thankyou for sharing this

Amazing that they recreated the journey in a replica. Such incredible distance on the vast emptiness of the Pacific. This story reminds me of the wreck of the Batavia, where a mutiny led to the Batavia running aground on a reef off the west coast of Australia. They sailed a similar boat all the way to Jakarta to get help. That story is a lot more grim, as the people left behind were subject to the mutiny continuing, which became horrific. Very interesting story still.

Such an amazing story

Great upload again.

Bligh's account "A Voyage to the South Sea" is utterly compelling reading.

Dan Snow the Goat

What a coincidence ,i was just watching another about the bounty and then this comes out

Very interesting, thank you. Especially interested to see the picture of Fletcher Christian. One of his descendents is my next-door neighbour. Ironically he is a policeman!!

Very cool story.

I had to read Mutinity, Men against the Sea and Pitcarins Island in High School. I’ve read each 3 times.

People who have a poor opinion of him know nothing about him. One of the greatest navigators and seamen of all time.

Good stuff 👌

Althpugh I know the story, it was nice to see the replica boat. He cheated a bit in not having handicapped it to reduce the free-board. A self-bailer and your in business ! Thanks, team.

Bligh's reputation as the archetypal bad commander remains though several historians' attempts to portray Bligh more sympathetically are those of Richard Hough (1972) and Caroline (2003). Bligh's logbooks documenting the mutiny were inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register on 26 February 2021.

Now this, I would say, put dinghy cruising to its limits!

Bligh asked to get the K2 maritime seaclock, which was Larcum Kendall's copie of John Harrison's H4 handheld maritime chronometer. The mutineers kept K2 and it only came back to England in 1963. 2024 marks 250 years since Kendall made K3, a seaclock now on display in Nat Maritime Museum Greenwich - London. #Longitude

Remind s me of the James Caird replica boat, with which Arved Fuchs sailed Shakletons route to his rescue .

Bligh is buried at St Mary-at-Lambeth (now the Garden Museum), Lambeth Palace Rd. Literally next door to Lambeth Palace. Just South of Lambeth Bridge and The River Thames and across the river from the Houses of Parliament

I have great respect for Captain Bligh. Amazing man of integrity.

I did the round the island race with that skipper in the boat. We came last in our class.

The expert on Captain Bligh is called Robert Blyth? Amazing! Also this is the 3rd video I've watched this month on HMS Bounty, is there a special occasion or is it just a coincidence? _edit:_ the other two being from the collab' between Brick Immortar and Oceanliner Designs, two great channels.

Kupang was where Bligh sailed to which at the time was a British partition now known as Timor

He was the captain of the Bounty but his rank was that of Leftenant. Not Captain. Which, in fact, makes his feat even more impressive.

William Bligh was a lieutenant at the time of the mutiny. Ended up as admiral though.

Constantly bailing or they would swamp and sink is the MOST HORRIFYING exhausting aspect of the whole ordeal, fuck all else!

It is very odd that Important parts of this story are always left out. Bligh was a married man who settled in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, His sister in law lived with them and was engaged to Fletcher Christian. a situation that was to cause friction between them later in Hawaii Fletcher was a member of the old ruling family of the Island [ pre Derby] and as such was a well known and respected figure. Important to realize that Britain was pretty much at war with France at this point in time and the navy were not prepared to release a ship of the line to pander to the Mad Kings wishes. So a new collier from the north east was purchased but left the Navy with the problem of raising a crew, Depleting crews from the fleet was not an option most ships were undermanned and much of the crews were press ganged and would have deserted at the first opportunity. No self respecting seaman were going to sign on for a trip on a Navy owned merchant ship, no what the navy needed was a ruse. Back to the Isle of Man here most island men were also seamen and also many British seamen from all over would wait for berths on merchant ships as press gangs did not operate on the Island. So give the command to Bligh he was not well liked but was almost related to Fletcher Christian who could raise a crew not for the navy oh no just a quick voyage to the Pacific back to the Caribbean and then home no navy { please to remember conditions for ordinary seamen in his Majesties Navy were appalling to say the least ] Bligh took the job Fletcher raised a crew and off to Southampton the ships company made their way, To be met with their first notion that they had been conned , Naval officers dispatched by the navy to assist Bligh and Fletcher they were not required nor wanted and raised alarm amongst the crew that on their return to British waters they would be pressed into service on ships of the line. One can only speculate at the conversations that went on between Bligh Christian and the crew to persuade them to continue with the venture.Bligh being an ambitious sort felt it necessary to play Navy Captain in front of the Navy officers adding further to the crews fears that they had been duped into permanent navy service. The whole enterprise by nature was set for the disaster that followed, if you had wanted to deliberately set up a mutiny you could not have done better. And of course this cannot be discounted, certainly politics of the day would have relished a chance to have one up on the Crown. or the Navy over Parliament

Very few Captains are subject of a mutiny. Billy Bligh managed it twice. He was also James Cook’s point man when Cook was killed. Quite the resume.

When I hear the name Lieutenant Bligh I automatically think of the mutiny, slavery the Caribbean & cheap food for the enslaved Africans namely Breadfruit which can be roasted or boiled. Historical facts it took many years before it was adapted by the enslaved Africans as it was not part of their cultural cuisine. Of course you can’t tell most of them that now. Many do not even know where Breadfruit originates from.

3618 miles….if we’re looking for exactitude.

With that many men in a tiny open boat I'm surprised there wasn't another mutiny.

One of the reasons that bligh has such a blackened character is that there was a revolt when he was governor of new south wales,this was primarily caused by bligh trying to collect the rum taxes that were owed.

This is so weird, I watched Bounty just yesterday. Filthy Mr Christian! A few notes: In Royal Navy, promotion up to Liutenant was sort of automatic based on seniority, but after that it was a bottleneck where either good social connections or merit moved you up. Also for the general audience it must be remembered that naval ranks are different than the army, a navy captain roughly equal to a colonel in the army. Finally I can't help compare this voyage to the US Greely Expedition to the Arctic where the head of the expedition shows very poor leadership up to the crisis point, but rising up to the occasion and be a much better leader after that.

He sailed to Batavia...

Why no mention of Ant Middleton?💂‍♂️

iirc, one of Bligh's descendants recreated Bligh's trip. Same number in people in same type boat etc. It turned out with a near mutiny because he was insufferable and the crew hated him. There is a documentary of it out there somewhere.

Of course you know he had to do it again later.

He sailed to Dutch East Indies

A walking speed of 3 miles per hr would cover 4000 miles in 54 days.

Don McIntyre did it in 2010.

MR. CHRISTIAN!! YOU WILL WEAR YOUR JACKET TO DINNER!!!

Um, no, he didn't sail to British held Australia but to Timor. Australia had been settled for less than a year. Prevailing winds and distance would have likely prevented an attempt to sail to Sydney Cove. Maybe he also had a premonition that British held Australia wouldn't welcome him. After all, they kicked him out as Governor 19 years later.

Watch red dot. On the ocean.

Sorry, but he didn't arrive in British held Australia. He arrived in the Dutch East Indies (Timor).

No dou4 hid talent but there is 3 mutinys

Incredible navigation. But. If he had treated people better. . maybe more like captain Cook. They would not have .thrown him over. . he was not a captain.

Look up this story. A Canadian. . first to. . Transit . Eirie canal. . .first around. The world. .

Well he sailed to Portuguese Timor actually - and a expedition in support of that great evil, slavery - but still a great story!

Oz rum rebellion mate. Bundy rum

Yes, Bligh was a brilliant navigator, but his people skills were poor. Two mutiny’s in one career 😮

Bligh, the best sailor & the worst leader the Royal Navy produced.

Why re anact. I don't get it.

HMS Impending Mutiny.

Captain Bligh absolute fantastic navigator... Pitty he was such an ass hole...

You really need to get a better editor.

Please get your title right. 4,000 miles, not 6,000 (unless you are talking godless kilometers, which you don't say).

can't stand Dan Snow so pretentious and false - his dad is so much better

We've had one Bligh mutiny, yes. But what about second Bligh mutiny? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Rebellion