Comments on: Rescue video: Sandy sinks tall ship HMS Bounty replica off NC; 14 saved, 2 missing (updated)

By: Cowicide

Cowicide — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:48:00 +0000

I was thinking of the same thing. I used to surf there many years ago and it very nearly took my life off that turbulent coast one dark and stormy day when I was swept out into seas the size of large hillsides. I was convinced I was going to die in the ocean that day and I wouldn’t wish that dark feeling on anyone. I heard on the radio another surfer died in those seas earlier but I went out there anyway. That place is most certainly a graveyard and I have lots of respect for it. Even knowing the risks I went out there and it’s probably too difficult to explain to a land-lubber why.

I’ve never shared these photos online before, but feel compelled to do so now. I took them with a little yellow waterproof camera a very long time ago very near the time I was almost buried there myself weeks later. Hatteras Island is one of the loves of my life, but I’ve known for a long time that she’s as dangerous as she is beautiful.

By: ferd

ferd — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:56:00 +0000

The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

By: Alan Wexelblat

Alan Wexelblat — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:53:00 +0000

This. I kept thinking I’d just watch a minute or two of the video but couldn’t look away. Those guys are amazing.

By: DevinC

DevinC — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Thanks for the correction. I’d forgotten that one wouldn’t necessarily need peak efficiency in all cases.

The crew complements on age-of-sail ships were highly variable; not every ship could get enough men to fight both sides of the ship at once.

By: Alex Kerney

Alex Kerney — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Two pics from when she was still on the hard on the 12th.

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:19:00 +0000

Like Xeni, I’m going to trust the captain’s judgement on this until I hear more. I think you might be overestimating how fast a sailboat (even a tall ship like this) can move. At a certain point, if you were already out at sea, trying to get over and skirt the edge of the storm as much as possible might have been your only option.

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:16:00 +0000

GPS and computerized charts (I believe). The boat was a rental, but I don’t think it had sonar.

By: Carol Sundahl

Carol Sundahl — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Planning to “squeeze by” a hurricane is madness.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:17:00 +0000

The original HMS Bounty was equipped with four 4-pounders and ten swivel guns, had 46 officers and men.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:59:00 +0000

Uhh yeah, why snap to judgement when Captain Wallbridge took seven days, from launching her on 22 October 2012 from the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard drydock in Maine, to put her on top of the edge of the continental shelve, out between Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and what had been announced to be the biggest storm ever to hit the U.S., and deliberate if that was a good idea.
It had to have been obvious to anyone on board that then and there was going to be an exiting place and time for at least last week.
I’m all for taking risks, would even have sailed along.
Whoever was in charge of the Bounty’s course was not playing safe by crossing Sandy’s T to inshore. The crew knew this was going to be extreme sport.
Sad that it went bad.

There is no point in reserving judgement when the facts are on the table.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:34:00 +0000

And we really can’t afford it. Like FEMA, too expensive and it’s immoral.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OhXyJeKaj8E

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:31:00 +0000

you said merely, nobody else said merely. I’m sorry for your loss.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:30:00 +0000

I hear a lot of sailors were ‘impressed’ by the original Bounty.

By: Dave Pease

Dave Pease — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:05:00 +0000

glass bottom.

By: ocker3

ocker3 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:52:00 +0000

Plus replacements

By: parks4242

parks4242 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:28:00 +0000

Starting an article like this by delineating this ship merely as a “replica” is demeaning and misrepresentative. Along with the loss of crew and the great distress of their ordeal, the ship itself is no minor loss. I walked on its deck, as did many of the readers who are commenting and I assure you, she was a great sailing vessel and a tremendous loss to all who manned her and those who were privileged to visit.

By: jerwin

jerwin — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:22:00 +0000

Acoording to the classic Seamanship in the age of Sail, The HMS Victory's chain pumps could be crewed by 30 men, delivering 120 tons of water per hour. The chain pump was far more effective that the "elm-tree pump".

By: mike k

mike k — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:28:00 +0000

I toured the ship in the 80′s while it was docked in St. Pete Florida. Even as a kid, I thought it was just a beautiful ship. Sad to see her go.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:56:00 +0000

Prayers for all crew from gunners mate brian, Bill of Rights

By: Incipient Madness

Incipient Madness — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:33:00 +0000

How’d you know the water was too shallow from below deck. Sonar? GPS and computerized charts?

By: Incipient Madness

Incipient Madness — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:30:00 +0000

it’s not just the internet. It’s bOING bOING.

By: TacoChuck

TacoChuck — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:22:00 +0000

Says you. It helps to point out what may be obvious to you, but to others, they forget how things work and why some things are important (like the Coast Guard) and just how idiotic some ideas are (eliminating FEMA).

By: mindfu

mindfu — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:19:00 +0000

I know it was a beautiful ship.

I would rather hear it was smashed into kindling than hear a single human life was lost trying to save it.

By: Quaternion

Quaternion — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:14:00 +0000

Sad. Thanks for the link.

By: trackofalljades

trackofalljades — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:54:00 +0000

http://5newsonline.com/2012/10/29/claudine-christian-missing/

By: Quaternion

Quaternion — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:44:00 +0000

The summary is incorrect. I can’t find any confirmation of her death. [Edit: Nevermind,] The ‘confirmed dead’ link above only describes her as “unresponsive.” Reuters currently says she’s “in critical condition.” According to the coast guard’s website, there were 14 crew members rescued, one unresponsive person recovered, and one person remains missing — the captain.

By: marilove

marilove — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:36:00 +0000

You know, sometimes it’s okay to keep the irrelevant sarcasm to yourself.
We get it. Everything and anything can be turned into a political joke. Har Har.

Sometimes, making a joke can come off as insensitive and attention-seeking, rather than clever. This is one of those times.

By: trackofalljades

trackofalljades — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:09:00 +0000

Now that Christian is dead, is the search for “two” crew members continuing…or just the captain? (see update text)

By: oasisob1

oasisob1 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:59:00 +0000

A replica with plenty history of her own.

By: rocketpjs

rocketpjs — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:49:00 +0000

My understanding from the radio report was that there was some complication – they needed to get away from land and had to make some quick decisions.

I rode through a couple hurricanes in fish boats (trawlers) and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Minor breakages and mistakes that are cause for nothing more than a bit of swearing in light seas can become utterly catastrophic in a major storm.

I imagine the cause of the sinking is going to be a combination of factors. Usually one thing can go wrong and be handled, but if 2 or 3 things happen at once things can get ugly very quickly – even if they are minor problems on their own.

Mental note – must give my little 28 footer a going over before next summer’s sailing trip.