HMS Bounty in trouble...

[smurphny]

Anything is possible as far as why she was leaking. There is all sorts of stuff in the water that can stove in a plank. I've seen it happen more than once. A "deadhead" piling (and there are PLENTY of them) can sink you in a heartbeat. In a boat that large, finding a major leak could be next to impossible for a small, green crew. It could be that the leak was so severe that the CG could not even lower crash pumps in time. All the facts are not in yet but the one rock-solid rule the captain forgot when he decided to try to beat the storm was Murphy's Law. I know it's chic, in style nowadays to cut every bloody thing down to the last second but you just cannot cut things that close with any boat.

[LinekinBayCD]

This article from a Portland ME newspaper provides a little more info on the nature of the work done in Boothbay Harbor ME shortly before the voyage south. There was a major overhaul in 2007. The recent work sound pretty minor.

1 dead, 1 missing after Sandy sinks Maine-linked ship | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

[casey1999]

For what it is worth:
HMS Bounty: the inside story of its final days (+video) - CSMonitor.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...8_story_1.html

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by JulieMor

Christian Science Monitor

"We had a new crew, most with no experience on BOUNTY, and we're a bit short-handed," Faunt wrote. "The crew has shaken down well."

Great - take on an undersized and green crew on a 50 year old movie prop, head for, and try to sail around a hurricane.

[Ninefingers]

Originally Posted by SloopJonB

Great - take on an undersized and green crew on a 50 year old movie prop, head for, and try to sail around a hurricane.

Why did they try to sail around the hurricane? We're they actually sailing or under motor? How fast does that ship motor btw? Or sail?

[Brent Swain]

We have learned a lot about boat building since the time of the Bounty. Back then, crossing oceans was considered very dangerous, due to the boat building technology and inferior materials of the time. They switched to metal hulls as soon as possible for good reason.
Nothing more fool hardy than using such outdated material ( dead vegitation) and technology, when so much better technology and materials are available. That was just plain bad seamanship.

[rockDAWG]

They asking for donations for the crews and the two victims. I wonder where is the owner and how come he does not step up to take care of the victims. I think it is a right thing to do. He can't be poor and the insurance pay out must be huge.

[casey1999]

Previous poster said the boat was still floating and would be salvaged? Is this true or has it sunk completely?

[PCP]

Originally Posted by casey1999

For what it is worth:
HMS Bounty: the inside story of its final days (+video) - CSMonitor.com

HMS Bounty: A tall ship’s final hours in hurricane-ravaged seas - The Washington Post

They talk about power failure that shut down the pumps. On the article they talk about the failure of a generator

It is needed a generator to make the pumps work? The engines cannot produce enough electrical output to have the pumps working through the batteries? The pumps relied on only a generator?

Regards

Paulo

[Minnewaska]

Not following what the crew needs money for? To get home? That should clearly be the owners tab. I can see compassion for those that lost family, but again, not sure it's clear what the money would be for.

I've also read one of the news links above that maintains they were trying to get east of the storm. I don't see on their track that they ever made that effort. Based on models when they left, the storm could have landed anywhere in New England or the Mid-Atlantic and it was clear that it would extend hundreds of miles from shore until it did. I wonder where the heading East info originated.