Captain Bligh & the Mutiny on the "Bounty"

Joana Cordoba

William Bligh was born in Cornwall England in 1754.  He served as a sea captain and colonial governor for the British Empire.  He was also the sea master in the famous Captain Cook’s voyage to the Polynesian Islands where he discovered the breadfruit tree.  The plant was nicknamed “Breadfruit Bligh”.  Although he received lots of fame from the Breadfruit tree, he received even more--or, rather, notoriety-- from his ship the "Bounty."  After returning to England from Cook’s voyage, Bligh learned that the King was interested in experimenting with breadfruit as a cheap source of food for slaves in the British Empire.  Bligh’s mission of the "Bounty" in 1789 was to pick up breadfruit trees from the Polynesian Islands and to transplant them to British slave plantations.  The crew, however, became rebellious because of their ill treatment at the hands of Bligh and decided to mutiny.  They successfully mutinied, and then set Bligh and 18 crew members adrift in a small boat.  After enduring many hardships, Bligh was able to navigate the boat to safety; and soon Bligh returned to England, where an investigation about the mutiny and a search for the mutineers was immediately initiated.  Bligh was questioned about his disciplinary practices aboard the "Bounty."  Some of the mutineers successfully eluded British retribution by landing on and settling on the then obscure Pitcairn Island; others were captured and hanged or imprisoned.  As for Bligh: in 1806, he became very infamous because of his attempts in crushing the liquor trade in Australia.  He died in 1817.