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Subscribe to RSSA ship that left New London, Conn., last Thursday en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., got caught in a dangerous Hurricane Sandy while 90 miles off Cape Hatteras. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
Updated at 11:43 p.m. ET: Searchers on Monday evening found the body of one of two missing crew members of the stricken ship HMS Bounty, which sank off the coast of North Carolina after it was caught in Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Claudene Christian, 42, was pulled from the water unresponsive and transported to Elizabeth City Hospital, the Coast Guard said. She was later pronounced dead. Crews continue searching for the remaining missing person, identified as the ill-fated ship's captain, Robin Walbridge, 63.
Earlier Monday, two Coast Guard helicopters rescued 14 people from life rafts after they were forced to abandon ship.
Coast Guard rescue pilot Lt. Jenny Fields told NBC News that the rescue operation was a "challenging hoist" but that she was lucky to have a "skillful crew" on her Jayhawk helicopter.
Fields said those rescued appeared in "good spirits" and were "happy to be able to relax."
Hurricane Sandy sunk a tall ship off the coast of Hatteras, N.C. The Coast Guard was able to rescue 14 people but two remain missing. Watch raw video of the rescue.
'It was huge out there'
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Randy Haba helped pluck several crew members off a 25-foot rubber life raft. He was also lowered to a crew member floating in the water alone. He wrapped a strap around his body, and raised him to the chopper.
"It's one of the biggest seas I've ever been in. It was huge out there," Haba told The Associated Press.
The two crew members who went missing were wearing survival suits designed to help keep them afloat and protected from cold waters for up to 15 hours.
The 180-foot, three-mast ship issued a distress signal late Sunday after taking on water, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release.
The director of the HMS Bounty Organization, Tracie Simonin, said the ship -- which was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty" -- had left Connecticut last week en route for St. Petersburg, Fla.
"They were staying in constant contact with the National Hurricane Center," she said. "They were trying to make it around the storm."
After receiving the distress signal, the Coast Guard sent out an aircraft to speak with the crew, which reported that the vessel was taking on water and had no propulsion.
The rescue took place in winds of 40 mph and 18-foot seas about 90 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Jeff Haynes / AFP - Getty Images, file
The HMS Bounty, a replica used in the Marlon Brando movie "Mutiny on the Bounty," sails past the Chicago skyline in this image from July 2003.
Those rescued were taken to Elizabeth City, N.C. None had life-threatening injuries. The Coast Guard identified them as: Daniel Cleveland, 25; John Svendsen, 41; Matthew Sanders, 37; Adam Prokosh, 27; Douglas Faunt, 66; John Jones, 29; Drew Salapatek, 29; Joshua Scornavacchi, 25; Anna Sprague, 20; Mark Warner, 33; Christopher Barksdale, 56; Laura Groves, 28; Jessica Hewitt, 25; and Jessica Black, 34.
The vessel reportedly sank, but the mast was still visible, the Coast Guard said.
Anxious family members
Mary Ellen Sprague said she talked to her daughter, Anna Sprague, after the rescue. She said her daughter had been aboard the HMS Bounty since May. The ship was going to spend the winter in Galveston, Texas.
Sandy strengthens as it bears down on eastern US
"She was probably the youngest member of the crew," Mary Ellen Sprague told the AP.
She said she had not learned many details yet because her daughter, normally talkative and outgoing, was being uncharacteristically quiet.
Glimpse into maritime history
The Bounty makes frequent trips around the country, offering a glimpse into maritime history, according to the ship's website, which appeared to be down Monday. It was originally a British transport vessel, and the replica has appeared in several films, including the 2006 movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," with Johnny Depp. Its last stop before its winter hiatus in Galveston, Texas, was to be in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Nov. 10.
BreakingNews.com's coverage of Hurricane Sandy
It is unclear why the boat set out to sea with Sandy bearing down. Sandy could be the largest storm ever to hit the United States, according to NOAA's website.
The Associated Press and NBC News' Rachel Elbaum and Jim Miklaszewski contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Arrogance
I love adventurous maritime stories. They awaken my imagination and all my senses...I can almost feel the wind and smell the air. It happened as I read this story...perhaps more than usual. The more I read...the more I smelled something 'fishy'.
Having been in 50' seas from Perfect storm in 91, Hurricane Hugo, Andrew and too many more to list, I was always amazed at how many ships are out in these horrific conditions. We went as far inland for Hugo and got our butt whipped, so every storm after that was to evade and follow the path for first assistance. The waters off of Hatteras are the nastiest waters anywhere and pray for the family and friends of the crew, safe and those still looking. I think the captain did the right thing. I was a part of hundreds of rescues like this one while I was in and always thankful I was able to live and tell the stories afterward. Semper Paratus!
I wouldn't have chosen to be aboard for this ordeal but I think they were past the worst of it. When you're taking on water and can't stop it though, it's time to abandon ship. Sounds to me that they were just unlucky. Having been through severe weather myself, including Andrew and 60 footers in the Gulf Of Alaska, I can imagine the beating they took. It's too bad the ship was lost but I'm still hoping for the two missing sailors are found alive and well.
You mean those ucking fidiots didn't get the ship to shore knowing a hurricane was on its way?
"It is unclear why the boat set out to sea with Sandy bearing down." That just about says it all, doesn't it?
Someone, either the captain or the owner, is in DEEP doo-doo! I hope this case comes to prosecution and the guilty party is never to have anything to do with being responsible for a ship again. I feel sorry for the crew. I'm sure that they didn't make this decision and they went along - although apprehensively.
I'm surprised this boat didn't sink when Brandos' big butt was aboard during the filming.Maybe after that,they thought the ship was unsinkable!
Anyone notice that the unresponsive crew member's last name was Christian??As in Fletcher Christian?BIZARRE!
Not easy (read:impossible) for the Coasties to drop aux pumps onto a 3 masted square rigger.....but the "abandon" order had already been given so that's a moot point anyway. She could have come out of Conn. and headed a very short distance North into Buzzards Bay, Mass where she would have found a relatively sheltered harbor with much larger and far stouter commercial fishing vessels which would have been more than happy to 'tuck-in' the Bounty till the storm had subsided. Fellow mariners never turn their back in times such as these.
I'm sorry she didn't do that. I stood on her decks last month in Eastport, Maine....such a beautiful vessel.....such a tragic loss of life.
Presumably that was the case before the sailing trip as well. Only someone not in his right mind would go out to sea that day.
Probably went down very near the Andrea Gale. Can't fight the perfect storm II.
I own a Commercial fishing boat and fish Alaskan waters where it can get down right Nasty. We always had a safe place, protected anchorage in mind to run to in case it got sloppy. It is common knowledge that some Skippers would intentionally consider a way to get rid of their Vessel if they got in trouble financially, some for insurance purposes and some just to get out from under a costly high maintenance vessel. A common saying among some skippers was, "Find some deep water and pull the plug".
With today s Technology and forecasting, it is almost impossible not to know beforehand weather you should stay put or head out to sea.
For all you second guessers out there, I suspect that there will be a Board on Inquiry into the loss of the vessel. This will include testimony from all survivors on board, the owners, the Harbor Master in Connecticut, the repair facility where she had been the previous two weeks, even the Coast Guard rescuers with regard to sea conditions.
Also be aware that rogue waves, long though sailors' myths but now proven, can exist in large storms like Sandy. These waves seem to be a conjunction of normal wave, wind-intensified and reinforced by tidal action. With heights of 60' to over 100', even a super-carrier would be in danger.
Mr. Marvell.....I wasn't "second guessing", merely suggesting an alternative course of action. I'm not a Monday morning quarterback and have NO facts upon which to base my opinion....but I have an opinion none the less......and that is that 'schedule' trumped 'safety'.
Hey I have an idea! Let's take the Bounty down the coast to Florida while Sandy makes her way up the coast. Go around the storm? What a boneheaded idea.
Great ship! It came to my town. Sad to hear this. At first I thought it was RMoneys pleasure boat trying to slip the booty down to the Caymen Islands.Wrong sinking ship.
Why was a three-masted wood sailing ship out at sea in a hurricane? The Captain needs to be charged with manslaughter. Even Landlubber's know you're not supposed to do that!
Perhaps, and more likely than not, this has already been said:
But WTF were they doing out there in the first place?
Hell, I live in Oregon. I knew the damm thing was coming several days ago.
Will Gordon Lightfoot compose a song about these idiots?
"It is unclear why the boat set out to sea with Sandy bearing down."
Uummm .... actually that reason is VERY clear. But being as I try very hard to respect victims, dead, injured, relatives & loved-ones, etc., I'll refrain from stating that reason here.
If you just absolutely need a hint .... it's the same reason why 8 college buddies, including myself, decided it was a good idea to have a 3-day Hurricane-Party, which involuntarily evolved into 5 days, at Cape Coral, Florida in 2004 during Hurricane Charley.
Hey, it WAS just going to side-swipe the place, so why not a party?
Yeah, the reason we did that was the same identical reason someone decided it was cool to sail a boat into a SuperCane.
I wonder if Claudene Christian is a descendant of Fletcher Christian. I hope the Captain is found alive.
I am a lifelong merchant sailor, a licensed deck officer. I first went to sea in 1977 and am still at it. I don't doubt that I've spent more time at sea than some reading this have been alive.
For all you twits who are calling the captain and crew names and either implying or outright saying that they were stupid for being where they were I have this to say to you:
You don't count, and neither do your ignorant opinions.
There will be an investigation. Anyone with half a brain knows better than to make a fool out of himself by mouthing off about something he knows absolutely nothing about.
I guarantee that none of you prattleling sissyfied blowhards would last a week on my crew.
One more thing. The worst place to be in a hurricane is in port.
Take a look at what men do. Might help you grow a pair.
Thank you to the USCG. You ROCK! Rescue swimmers rule!
http://gcaptain.com/coast-guard-helicopter-crews-save/
You are right. I wouldn't last a week on your crew.
That's because I'd never set foot on a boat operated by someone who obviously doesn't give a crap about the welfare of the people working for him/her.
Your words, not mine.
If that is what you interpreted my statement to mean, you've got bigger issues than I'm willing to put up with.
All prayers to the crew and their families.... I have little to add, as I don't know all the circumstances of the tragedy, but having sailed through hurricanes rounding Cape Horn, 50' seas for a week, etc, aboard the HM Bark Endeavour out of Australia, I know these ships can handle the conditions listed if handled properly. It does require a great deal of experience on the part of the crew who, to perform the necessary sail-handling, will be put in extreme danger. I suspect she was under-manned for the conditions. The captain, with loss of power and so on, may not have felt it safe or wise to send the crew aloft. They may not have had the necessary experience, which not only exposes them to danger, but the ship as well.
I never sailed aboard the Bounty, but had been aboard many times and had several friends who'd sailed her over the years. None commented as to her seaworthiness -- she was, after all a floating movie set, but it had been common knowledge before the current owners bought her that she'd always had money issues, ergo repair and maintenance issues. The last time I was aboard was in Halifax in 2007 and she seemed shipshape, certainly compared to what she had been previously. I have never met her captain.
The decision to put to sea, all things considered, is a curious one. With the right crew, there should have been no problems if the conditions were as listed -- but we don't know, and on the sea things go from bad to deadly in seconds. Additionally, though, the scheduling of these ships is often decided by a controlling foundation and sadly is often forced by wealthy patrons, fundraising parties, and matters such as these, and NOT on good seamanship and prudence.
I hope the final investigation will reveal what took place and why. If there is fault, those responsible should be held accountable in full. In the meantime, I pray for those still missing and for the soul of yet one more mariner claimed by the sea. And a proper salute to the Coast Guard.
I do know the HMS Bounty was for sale. I have been told that the current owners can not afford the upkeep. It does a tour every summer, that is how I have been able to visit the ship. The tour fee does not generate enough income to support it. Could this ship may have been intentionally scuttled? I can't believe anyone would risk the possible loss of life.
BUT, you can bet your butt, the owners will not be crying about the ships loss. Only the loss of life.