Captain William Bligh
1754–1817 · British (Plymouth, Devon) · Age of Sail
Known for: Captain of HMS Bounty whose crew mutinied—then navigated an open boat 3,618 miles across the Pacific in one of history's greatest feats of seamanship
Bligh served under Cook and was an excellent navigator. After Fletcher Christian led the famous Bounty mutiny, Bligh and 18 loyal men were set adrift in a 23-foot open launch. Over 47 days, he navigated them across the Pacific with minimal supplies, losing only one man.
His navigational skill was extraordinary, but his volatile temper and sharp tongue provoked the mutiny in the first place. He later survived a second mutiny as Governor of New South Wales. He was brave, skilled, and impossible to work for.
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