Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard5
Note that when the two German naturalists who were to ship out cancelled at short notice, Capt. Bellingshausen appealed to Sir Joseph Banks for replacements. Sir Joseph who? Oh yes, the one and the same who recommended William Bligh as Master on HMS Bounty.
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And a good choice it was. Lt. Bligh was an accomplished seaman as well as a cartographer of some note. He let 18
men to
safety in an open
boat over 3,600 nautical miles in 47 days. He was regarded as a capable officer and given command of other vessels after the mutiny. His is one of the great survival stories and probably up there with that of Shackleton.
He has been given a bad deal over
history as is often viewed as a tyrant however the reality is that he was a fair officer and often more lenient than the average officer of the day.