William Bligh

A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; And The Subsequent Voyage Of Part Of The Crew, In The Ship's Boat William Bligh

William Bligh, the captain aboard HMS Bounty, tells of the chaos that led to he and eighteen loyalists being cast off in a small boat by mutineers, and the desperation he and his crew faced in getting to safety.

One of the most shocking and infamous episodes in naval history, the mutiny on the Bounty is recounted in Bligh's memoir, which is adapted from his own logbook notes and records. Even in his own words, Bligh is a man who believes in firm discipline; as the Bounty falls behind schedule in its mission to transport breadfruit for cultivation in the West Indies, his measures grow more stringent and severe.

Although Bligh's account notes the increasingly severe rationing that took place aboard ship, he is preoccupied with navigational progress and completing his duties in a timely manner. His descriptions are detailed and matter-of-fact, and his regime of overbearing discipline is not held to be immoral or in any way a mark of poor leadership. Indeed, this book is more concerned in depicting the astonishing and speedy progress the loyalists made to reach safety at a Dutch port.

The mutineers, whose part in this book ceases with Bligh's eviction, would resettle on Tahiti and Pitcairn Islands, having previously enjoyed respite there. Led by Fletcher Christian, several eventually married local women and raised families, and their descendants have been traced to the modern day. William Bligh was acquitted of wrongdoing and rose from the rank of Lieutenant to become a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy.

The incident returned to the public's attention in the 1960s, when a popular Hollywood film retold the story. Marlon Brando famously played the role of the discontented but charismatic Fletcher Christian, while Trevor Howard took up the role of a disciplinarian and obstinate Bligh. Attitudes to Bligh as the villain of the Bounty's story have softened in recent years, with scholars noting that he possessed a great degree of naval competence.