THE STORY
MORE
THAN
A SHIP
A story spanning centuries,
oceans and cultures.
A STORY THAT BEGINS IN 1787
THE ORIGINAL BOUNTY
In 1787, a small sailing ship was prepared for a remarkable mission.
Commanded by William Bligh, Bounty was sent by the British Admiralty to the Pacific to collect breadfruit plants and transport them to the Caribbean, where they were intended to become an important food crop.
The voyage connected distant worlds Britain, the Pacific and the Caribbean, through navigation, science, empire and trade. But the voyage would become famous for something very different.
THE MUTINY OF 1789 WOULD CHANGE THE STORY FOREVER.
THE BREADFRUIT
VOYAGE
Breadfruit was at the heart of the Bounty's original mission.
In 1787, the British Admiralty sent The Bounty on a voyage to the Pacific to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and transport them to the Caribbean. The aim was to establish a new food crop in Britain's Caribbean colonies.
The voyage linked the Pacific and the Caribbean through a wider story of empire, agriculture, science and trade.
What began as a mission to transport a plant would become one of the most famous voyages in maritime history.
A PLANT. A VOYAGE. A STORY THAT WOULD CROSS OCEANS.
28 APRIL 1789
THE MUTINY
A voyage that began with breadfruit would become one of the most famous stories in maritime history.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
Illustrative reconstruction of the mutiny aboard Bounty, 28 April 1789.
AFTER THE MUTINY
BLIGH'S JOURNEY
The open boat voyage
After being set adrift, William Bligh and 18 loyal crew members faced an extraordinary journey across the Pacific in an open launch and survived. A story that changed maritime history.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUED.
LIVES DIVIDED
Lives divided by the mutiny
The mutiny sent the Bounty's crew along very different paths some remaining in the Pacific, others returning to Britain to face the consequences of what had happened.
THE CREW WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME.
THE LEGACY
The ship was burned but the story lives
In 1790, the Bounty was burned at Pitcairn Island, bringing the life of the original ship to an end. The ship was gone, but her story lived on through generations.
THE SHIP WAS GONE BUT THE STORY REMAINS
THE BOUNTY TIMELINE
1784 → 1789 → 1978 → 2026
1784
THE ORIGINAL BOUNTY
The original Bounty was built for a British Admiralty mission to transport breadfruit plants from the Pacific to Britain's Caribbean colonies.
1789
THE MUTINY
On 28 April 1789, the voyage was transformed by the mutiny aboard Bounty, creating one of the most enduring stories in maritime history.
1978
A NEW BOUNTY
Nearly two centuries later, a full scale Bounty replica was constructed in New Zealand, beginning a remarkable history of her own.
A NEW CHAPTER
The 1978 Bounty enters a new chapter with plans for restoration, a voyage to the Caribbean and a future as a floating maritime heritage museum.
AND THEN…
A NEW BOUNTY SET SAIL
The mutiny was history. The ship's story continued.
1978 — A SHIP IS BORN
1978 — A SHIP IS BORN
Nearly two centuries after the original Bounty was built, a new Bounty was constructed in New Zealand in 1978. Built as a full scale replica for the 1984 film The Bounty, she would go on to develop a remarkable history of her own sailing, working, appearing in films and documentaries, and becoming part of the lives of the people who knew her.
THE SHIP WAS NEW. THE STORY WAS JUST BEGINNING.
A NEW SHIP. A NEW STORY. A NEW CHAPTER
THE 1978 BOUNTY
A NEW SHIP.
A NEW STORY.
A NEW CHAPTER.
Nearly two centuries after the original Bounty sailed into history, a new Bounty was built in New Zealand.
Constructed in 1978 as a full scale sailing replica, she was created to bring the world of the historic Bounty to life, a working vessel built to sail, not simply to sit on display.
BUILT TO SAIL
Over the decades that followed, the 1978 Bounty became a working sailing vessel in her own right. Built to recreate the historic ship for the screen, she was designed to sail and she did.
A LIFE AT SEA
She crossed oceans, carried crews and passengers, appeared in films and documentaries, and travelled far beyond New Zealand. Along the way, she became part of the lives of the people who sailed and worked aboard her. For them, she was not simply a replica. She was a ship with a character, a history and memories of her own.
THE JOURNEY CHANGED
But the life of a working tall ship is demanding. After decades of sailing, the Bounty entered a very different phase of her story. Her working life eventually came to an end, and she came to rest in Thailand, where she has remained for a number of years. Today, time and exposure have taken their toll. Before she can sail again, her condition must be properly understood, her structure, hull, machinery, rigging, systems and equipment.
SHE WAS BUILT TO SAIL. NOW SHE NEEDS A NEW FUTURE
THE STORY CONTINUES
HER STORY ISN'T FINISHED
Today, the 1978 Bounty stands at the beginning of a new chapter.
REVIVAL • VOYAGE • LEGACY
Her next chapter will take her from restoration and a new voyage to the Caribbean, to a future as a floating maritime museum and regional heritage circuit.