For cleanliness, this post will continue where yesterdays left off.
To Recap, The Bounty ran into trouble Sunday night, Monday morning the crew took to life rafts, and the Bounty Sank. 14 of 16 were resuced by the Coast Guard. Claudene Christian Was found later in the day, and died yesterday evening. The Captain Robin Walbridge is still missing.
USCG Released Photos of Bounty.
Photos by U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tim Kuklewski.
Update 1111ADTVIA Gcaptain A Search Update:
The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Elm, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Atlantic Beach, N.C., arrived on scene at approximately 7:15 p.m. Monday and began searching for Walbridge.
The crews aboard the HC-130 Hercules aircraft and the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., secured their searches for the night at approximately 7:30 p.m. Monday.
A crew aboard an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., began a four-hour search at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, and a Hercules aircrew from Air Station Clearwater began a morning search at approximately 7:15 a.m.
The Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter homeported in Charleston, S.C., is en route.
The Coast Guard’s is searching an area approximately 1,350 square nautical miles.The water temperature is 77 degrees, air temperature is 67 degrees, seas are 15 feet, and the winds are 42 mph.
UPDATE 1127ADT HMS Bounty Facebook Page:
We are mourn the loss of Bounty’s crewmember Claudene Christian and Pray for the continued efforts to rescue our Beloved Captain, Robin Walbridge.
A RELIEF FUND has been established by past crew members for donations to the families of Claudene Christian and Captain Robin Walbridge, along with the 14 surviving members of the crew, who lost everything in the tragic loss of the HMS Bounty.
Much Appeciated Donations can be sent to via PayPal
HMSBounty2012@Yahoo.com
UPDATE 1130ADT: Tallshipbounty.org website is down – Probably exceeded their bandwith from their WEBHost.
Note On Captains Qualifications:
Captain Walbridge holds a Master 1600 Ton License and has been involved with square rigged ships since 1993. A USCG 1600 Ton Certificate requires the following experiance 1440 days with 720 days on vessels over 100 gross tons and 720 days as master, mate or equivalent while holding license with 360 days as licensed master, mate or equivalent on vessels over 100 gross tons.
UPDATE 1427ADT
TODAY Show interviewed the Rescuers Coast guard Lieutenant Commander Steve Bonn, Lieutenant Jenny Fields and Petty Officer Daniel Todd discuss the daring rescue mission.
A RELIEF FUND has been established by past crew members for donations to the families of Claudene Christian and Captain Robin Walbridge, along with the 14 surviving members of the crew, who lost everything in the tragic loss of the HMS Bounty.
Much Appeciated Donations can be sent to via PayPal
HMSBounty2012@Yahoo.com
UPDATE 1130ADT: Tallshipbounty.org website is down – Probably exceeded their bandwith from their WEBHost.
Note On Captains Qualifications:
Captain Walbridge holds a Master 1600 Ton License and has been involved with square rigged ships since 1993. A USCG 1600 Ton Certificate requires the following experiance 1440 days with 720 days on vessels over 100 gross tons and 720 days as master, mate or equivalent while holding license with 360 days as licensed master, mate or equivalent on vessels over 100 gross tons.
UPDATE 1427ADT
UPDATE 31/10 0900ADT – No New updates. USCG Continued Searching last night.
Also, Tall Ships America (Sailtraining.org) Released a Statement Yesterday:
30 October 2012
To the Membership of Tall Ships America:
Certainly everyone in the sailing ship community will have heard that HMS BOUNTY has been lost off Cape Hatteras. Of the sixteen persons reportedly aboard at the time, we understand that one individual has perished, and that fourteen others were rescued, thanks to the exemplary courage and skill of Coast Guard search and rescue personnel. It appears that the vessel’s master, Robin Walbridge, is missing, and the search continues.
We are certain that everyone in the in the community sends their thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to the family of the individual who perished, to the rescued members of the ship’s company and their families, and to the brave Coast Guard team who carry our hopes for Captain Walbridge.
There is currently much speculation about the loss of the vessel. We believe that further speculation is not helpful, especially in view of the respect that is due to the individuals whose lives are directly affected by these tragic events. Tall Ships America does not have any factual information to add, but notes that there will surely be an official inquiry that will assemble much more complete information than is available to anyone now. We are confident that our membership, if called upon, will cooperate with that inquiry in the full spirit of professionalism upon which the sail training movement depends.
For now, we appeal to our members to lend their thoughts and support to the people of BOUNTY and their families, to join us in thanking the Coast Guard rescue team for their heroism on behalf of our colleagues, and to sustain hopes for Captain Walbridge’s safe return.
| Michael J. Rauworth, Chairman | Bert Rogers, Executive Director |
UPDATE 0927ADT: VIA Chronicle Herald
USCG confirms Search for Captain is Ongoing. One of the rafts flipped, dumping 3 in the water. One was able to stay with the raft and be rescued, the Captain and Christian were seperated.
Update NOV 1: USCG Release – Search Continues
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard continues its search Thursday for the missing captain of the HMS Bounty approximately 200 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.
Missing is Robin Walbridge, 63.
The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter homeported in Charleston, S.C., along with an HC-130 Hercules crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., continue to search for Walbridge.
“As of now, our intent is to continue searching for the missing person,” said Capt. Doug Cameron, the chief of incident response for the Coast Guard 5th District. “This is still an active search, not a recovery effort. Factors such as fitness of the member, weather conditions, survival equipment and the results from previous searches are taken into consideration to determine how long the Coast Guard will search.”
The Coast Guard is searching an area approximately 1,200 square nautical miles.
The water temperature is 79 degrees, air temperature is 62 degrees, seas are 4 feet, and the winds are 30 mph.
(Image bellow Shows USCG Search Area)
UPDATE NOV1 2045ADT
The search for Capt Walbridge of HMSBounty has been suspeneded pending further information.
USCG Release:
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday for the missing captain of the HMS Bounty 200 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.
Missing is Robin Walbridge, 63.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Walbridge and Christian families,” said Capt. Doug Cameron, the chief of incident response for the Coast Guard 5th District. ”Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the hardest decisions we have to make.”
The following Coast Guard assets assisted in the search:
- HC-130 Hercules aircrews from Elizabeth City, N.C. and Clearwater, Fla.
- MH-60 Jayhawk crews from Air Station Elizabeth City
- Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry crews from Miami, Fla.
- Crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Elm, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Atlantic Beach, N.C.
- Crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter homeported in Charleston, S.C.
Coast Guard crews searched more than 90 hours, covering approximately 12,000 overlapping square nautical miles in the Atlantic Ocean since the Bounty’s crew abandoned ship Monday morning.
UPDATE Nov 2: 0845
Chronicle Herald Article “Bounty Captain Talked about chasing Huricanes” Includes a Video of the Interview. In It, Lightner then asked him if he’d ever run into stormy seas.
“We chase hurricanes,” Walbridge answered. “You try and get up as close to the eye of it as you can, and you stay down in the southeast quadrant. And when it stops, you stop.”
“You don’t want to get in front of it, you want to stay behind it, but you’ll also get a good ride out of a hurricane.”
UPDATE NOV 2: 0947 ADT – US Coast Guard to conduct investigation into HMS Bounty sinking
USCG Release:
A district formal investigation consists of a Coast Guard investigating officer who will receive evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures and is convened when the information to be derived has considerable regional significance, or may indicate vessel class problems or areas of technical importance.
The district formal investigation will probe every aspect of the accident and will determine as closely as possible:
- the cause of the accident;
- whether there is evidence that any failure of material or equipment was involved or contributed to the casualty;
- whether there is evidence that any act of misconduct, inattention to duty, negligence, or willful violation of the law on the part of any licensed or certificated person contributed to the casualty;
- whether there is evidence that any Coast Guard or other government agency personnel caused or contributed to the casualty; and
- whether the accident should be further investigated by a Marine Board of Investigation.
The Investigating Officer, Cmdr. Kevin M. Carroll, is the chief of the Coast Guard 5th District Marine Inspections and Investigations Branch and will be assisted by investigating officers from Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington, N.C.
Coast Guard investigations of marine casualties and accidents are for the purpose of taking appropriate measures for promoting safety of life and property and are not intended to fix civil or criminal responsibility.
A district formal investigation often takes several months to properly complete.
UPDATE: Nov 5 0852AST
Gcaptains Maritime Monday feature today is dedicted to the Bounty
1447AST
National Geographic video of her first voyage in 1960
UPDATE 06/11 1243AST – ABC’s Good Morning America Interview with Rescued Crew.
