History

The three-masted wooden sailing ship was built in 1960 for the MGM film Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. It has also appeared on-screen in Pirates of the Caribbean.

The original Bounty was built at the Blaydes shipyard on the River Hull in 1784. It was used as a coal transporter until it was bought by the Royal Navy and refitted in 1787.

It was sent to the South Seas under the command of Lieutenant William Bligh to collect breadfruit plants. The idea was to try and grow the plant in the West Indies, where it would be a cheap source of food for slaves working on the sugar plantations.

The ship arrived in Tahiti in 1788, after an arduous 10-month journey. The crew spent five-months on the island gathering the plants. During this time many of the sailors began relationships with the local women.

The Bounty set sail on the second-leg of its mission in the spring of 1789. Three- weeks later some of the crew mutinied under the leadership of the second-in-command Fletcher Christian.

Bligh, and those that remained loyal to him, were set adrift in an open boat. The mutineers sailed the Bounty across the south Pacific, picking-up some of the women from Tahiti, before settling in the Pitcairn Islands; where many of the crews’ descendants still live.

Bligh, in an amazing feat of seamanship, navigated his seven-meter open boat to safety to Indonesia; a journey of over 6,000 kilometres, without charts or compass.

After the mutiny Bligh was cleared of wrong doing at an Admiralty court-martial
He was made Captain and conducted a mapping survey of the Humber Estuary in the 1790s.

The replica Bounty is used as an educational and training resource. The ship is coming to the city as part of a world tour, taking in places connected to the original navy warship.

The Bounty's schedule

You can visit the boat over the weekend from Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September at Hull’s Albert Dock.

Visits are by ticket only and must be bought from the Hull Tourist Information Centre at Victoria Square, Hull. Telephone 01482 223559.

Arrangements can be made for disabled access by calling 01482 613500.

All under 16s must be supervised. Buggies are permitted but will limit access to certain areas.

All details and times are subject to change.