Something looks different at the City Dock in Annapolis. The iconic Haarbor Queen has been dwarfed by the appearance of the HMS Bounty. The HMS Bounty pulled into the Annapolis harbor on Wednesday and is poised to accept visitors for tours today, Saturday and Sunday. The cost (which goes to the upkeep of the ship) is $10 for adults, $5 for children and the little guys under 6 are free!
The HMS Bounty is one of the most famous ships in the world. Known for the storied mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789 on board the British transport vessel, the current Bounty, a replica, has survived to tell the tale. Built for the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Marlon Brando, HMS Bounty sails the country offering dockside tours in which one can learn about the history and details of sailing vessels from a lost and romanticized time in maritime history. Since her debut in Mutiny on the Bounty, HMS Bounty has appeared in many documentaries and featured films such as the Edinburgh Trader in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest with Johnny Depp.
History
The original Bounty was burned on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific in what is now known as Bounty Bay.
This Bounty was built in 1960 for MGM studios’ Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando. Since then, the new Bounty has starred in several feature-length films and dozens of TV shows and historical documentaries.
The studios commissioned the ship from the shipwrights of Smith and Ruhland in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to commission a new Bounty to be built from scratch. Completely seaworthy and built just the way it would have been 200 years before, the new Bounty was constructed from the original ship’s drawings still on file in the British admiralty archives.
After filming and a worldwide promotional tour, MGM berthed the ship in St. Petersburg as a permanent tourist attraction – where she stayed until the mid-1980s. In 1986 Ted Turner acquired the MGM film library and the Bounty with it. He used it to promote his enterprises, and filmed Treasure Island with Charlton Heston in 1989.
In 1993, Turner donated the ship to the Fall River Chamber Foundation, which established the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation to operate the ship as an educational venture.
In February of 2001 H.M.S. Bounty was purchased from the Foundation by HMS Bounty Organization LLC. She was in dire need for repairs at the time. It was decided to take her to Boothbay Harbor Maine “Samples Shipyard” Later to be known as Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. When we were ready for the final refit it was only fitting to bring her “home.” where Bounty was “on the rails” once again preparing for “A Round The World Voyage” – her first stop would be the United Kingdom.
The HMS Bounty Organization LLC is dedicated to keeping the ship sailing and using her as a vehicle for teaching the nearly lost arts of square rigged sailing and seamanship.
The Organization operates a variety of programs on board including sail training programs for the general public, group leadership and teamwork training, a Sail Away Summer Camp program, and dockside educational programs for elementary and secondary school children.
Statistics
- 180′ in length
- The talles mast is 115′
- She has 18 sails and a total area of 10,000 sf
- 10 miles of ropes and rigging
- 4 4-pound cannons to defend herself
While this Bounty seems roomy enough, Hollywood had something to do with that. It is one-third larger, built from the original’s plans, to accommodate filming and modern amenities. However, as you tour the ship, you can imagine just how cramped the original 46 men were with 33% less space.
And no use looking in the footlockers for Johnny Depp–he’s not there!
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