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At dawn on April 28, 1789, Captain William Bligh and eighteen men from HMS Bounty were herded onto a twenty-three-foot launch and abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Thus began their extraordinary journey to Java. Covering 4,162 miles, the small boat was battered by continuous storms, and the men on board suffered crippling illness, near starvation, and attacks by islanders. The journey was one of the greatest achievements in the history of European seafaring and a personal triumph for a man who has been misjudged by history. Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare reveals Bligh's great mapmaking skills, used to particular effect while he was exploring with Captain Cook. We discover his guilt over Cook's death at Kealakekua Bay. We learn of the failure of the Bounty expedition and the myths that surround the mutiny led by Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, the trials and retributions that followed Bligh's return to England, his successes as a navigator and as a vice admiral fighting next to Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen. Combining extensive research with dazzling storytelling, John Toohey tells a gripping tale of seafaring, exploration, and mutiny on the high seas, while also dismissing the black legend of the cruel and foulmouthed Captain William Bligh and reinstating him not just as a man of his times but as a true hero.… (más)
"A voyage of the most extraordinary nature that ever happened in the world" By sally tarbox on July 25, 2017 Format: Hardcover Until I watched the recent 'Mutiny' TV series, I only had a vague impression of Bligh as a cruel and sadistic captain. In actual fact he was a master mariner par excellence, taking his crew of eighteen over 4000 miles in a 23 ft launch, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to Timor. After an unfriendly reception in the Friendly Islands (where one man died), Bligh resolved to try to sail directly to Timor and civilisation. On minimal rations, there were plenty of tensions, not least from resentful Second in Command, John Fryer - and as hunger kicked in, many men supported him against the strong-willed captain who was determined not to exceed the daily food allowance.
The author vividly recreates the 6 weeks at sea: "For three weeks since leaving Tofoa they had been hounded by storms, they were utterly exhausted, no one had slept a full night since fleeing the island, their clothes had rotted under the stinging force of the rain, they were starved, gaunt and filthy, the pork was spoiling and the bread was damp and mouldy grey."
Slightly 'fictionalized' at times as the author imagines the feelings of the protagonists; but a fascinating read. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Continue O Lord we beseech thee. through the mediation of our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, this thy goodness towards us, - strengthen my mind and guide our steps - Grant unto us health and strength to continue our Voyage, and so bless our miserable morsel of Bread, that it may be sufficient for our undertaking... - BLIGH'S PRAYER
Dedicatoria
Primeras palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
All but naked, William Bligh stood on the decks of the Bounty just before dawn on 28th April, 1789.
Citas
Últimas palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
As though they themselves cowered before it, the cordon of Danish ships broke apart, and a few minutes later they surrendered.
At dawn on April 28, 1789, Captain William Bligh and eighteen men from HMS Bounty were herded onto a twenty-three-foot launch and abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Thus began their extraordinary journey to Java. Covering 4,162 miles, the small boat was battered by continuous storms, and the men on board suffered crippling illness, near starvation, and attacks by islanders. The journey was one of the greatest achievements in the history of European seafaring and a personal triumph for a man who has been misjudged by history. Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare reveals Bligh's great mapmaking skills, used to particular effect while he was exploring with Captain Cook. We discover his guilt over Cook's death at Kealakekua Bay. We learn of the failure of the Bounty expedition and the myths that surround the mutiny led by Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, the trials and retributions that followed Bligh's return to England, his successes as a navigator and as a vice admiral fighting next to Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen. Combining extensive research with dazzling storytelling, John Toohey tells a gripping tale of seafaring, exploration, and mutiny on the high seas, while also dismissing the black legend of the cruel and foulmouthed Captain William Bligh and reinstating him not just as a man of his times but as a true hero.
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By sally tarbox on July 25, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Until I watched the recent 'Mutiny' TV series, I only had a vague impression of Bligh as a cruel and sadistic captain.
In actual fact he was a master mariner par excellence, taking his crew of eighteen over 4000 miles in a 23 ft launch, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to Timor. After an unfriendly reception in the Friendly Islands (where one man died), Bligh resolved to try to sail directly to Timor and civilisation. On minimal rations, there were plenty of tensions, not least from resentful Second in Command, John Fryer - and as hunger kicked in, many men supported him against the strong-willed captain who was determined not to exceed the daily food allowance.
The author vividly recreates the 6 weeks at sea: "For three weeks since leaving Tofoa they had been hounded by storms, they were utterly exhausted, no one had slept a full night since fleeing the island, their clothes had rotted under the stinging force of the rain, they were starved, gaunt and filthy, the pork was spoiling and the bread was damp and mouldy grey."
Slightly 'fictionalized' at times as the author imagines the feelings of the protagonists; but a fascinating read. (