HMS Bounty's captain still missing after ship sinks in Hurricane Sandy (VIDEO)

Oct 30 2012 By Cheryl Mullin

THE Captain of HMS Bounty, the tall ship made famous in Hollywood adventure films, is still missing following the ship’s sinking in Hurricane Sandy.

US Coast Guard helicopters rescued 14 others from lifeboats launched after HMS Bounty ran into trouble off North Carolina.

Just last week Robin Walbridge believed he could navigate around the storm, even posting  a message posted on the vessel’s Facebook site on Sunday, saying: “We are just going to keep trying to go fast.”

By Monday morning, the vessel had started taking on water, its engines failed and the crew had to abandon ship as it went down in the immense waves.

One crew member, Claudene Christian, was plucked unresponsive from the water and died later in hospital.

Mr Walbridge is still missing.

The ship was originally built for the 1962 film Mutiny On The Bounty starring Marlon Brando, and it was featured in several other films over the years, including one of the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies.

The vessel left Connecticut last Thursday with a crew of 11 men and five women.

“This will be a tough voyage for Bounty,” read a posting on the ship’s Facebook page which showed a map of its co-ordinates and satellite images of the storm. Photos showed the majestic vessel plying deep blue waters and the crew working in the rigging or keeping watch on the wood-planked deck.

As Sandy’s massive size became more apparent, a post on Saturday tried to soothe any worried supporters: “Rest assured that the Bounty is safe and in very capable hands. Bounty’s current voyage is a calculated decision... NOT AT ALL... irresponsible or with a lack of foresight as some have suggested. The fact of the matter is... A SHIP IS SAFER AT SEA THAN IN PORT!”