HMS Bounty Remembered

HMS Bounty, 29th October, 2012

Originally published 30th October, 2012

I can't help but think about this tragedy in terms of what it might have been like had it occurred in the early 19th Century and the era surrounding the War of 1812. 

No radios or GPS tracking, no Coast Guard scrambled and ready to the rescue. Just a crew that knew their ship was in dire trouble and working as hard as they could to keep her afloat in a terrifyingly difficult sea. They knew it was that, or brave the tiny, open longboats over miles of rough, freezing, stormy water. 

A shipwreck of this magnitude wouldn't be all over the news outlets in a matter of hours as it was [in October of 2012], instead, it would have just been overdue at its next port of call, likely never heard from again. Family and friends would be left to wonder about the true fate of the ship and their loved ones. 

And so, today, while I think on how tragic this entire story is for everyone involved, from ship owners, to Captain, to crew and their family and friends... I'll also be thinking about the haunting image above, and the tragedy that might have been had this happened 200 years ago.