How many times did Captain Bligh flog his crew?
I haven't seen this but at the inquest they had, someone said he only hit the crew six or seven times, and that Cook would do it too.
shareOk, I did a paper on the Mutiny my freshman year of college, here's an excerpt of what I wrote about it:
"Bligh issued 217 lashes, ten dozen of which were punishment for three members who deserted the ship. The captain of the Hermione, Hugh Pigot issued 1,392 lashes during the course of thirty-eight weeks. Pigot gave nearly a dozen lashes for every one given by Bligh. Pigot’s crew later mutinied and killed him rather than sustain any more punishment." (And like a good little history major, here's the citation for the stats I used: Kenneth S. Allen, That Bounty Bastard, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1976), 85.) I'm not sure what the average of the Royal navy was, this Pigot guy was probably just a big jerk.
I think all captains flogged their crew, and some believed that if you were too nice to the crew you'd have more problems than if you were harsh to them...most were impressed criminals afterall and that was the view of the day.
Hope the stats help you...
Jamie
217 lashes, 120 for desertion, doesn't seem too bad. 93 lashes over how long? How many in the film too? I'll bet they really milked the lashings aspect of the voyage to show Bligh as a villian, when every captain lashed their crew. As his great great grandson, let me tell you I still lash my children and pets, and even the postman sometimes. Best way to discipline the blighters.
shareNo, it wasn't bad at all, flogging is probably the least likely reason for mutiny. I mean 120 for desertion, I thought the articles of war usually dictated death as a penalty for this offense. The Bounty's voyage was from Decemember 1787 to April 1789 if my dates are correct. So that's a considerable bit longer than the voyage was that I gave you the unreasonable number of floggings for. Ofcourse Hollywood dramatized Bligh being cruel, I mean what audience would root against Gable, Brando, and Gibson? Bligh had bad luck with being at the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to mutinies.
That's funny, but you better watch they don't mutiny against you, especially the postman, he may not deliver you letters. That's really cool that you're actually related to Bligh. I thought you were just a huge fan because of the screen name. My family is part British, but I don't have any connection to the bounty that i know of.
Jamie
Flogging was a standard punishment in the Royal Navy at that time. Bligh, however, actually used it far less than generally depicted in the film.
As for the men who attempted to desert the ship, they actually got off lightly. Bligh could have had them court martialed upon arrival in England (after spending the entire trip back in irons) and thereafter hung. Bligh, instead, had them flogged and considered the matter resolved.
when the legend is more entertaining than fact, print the legend- to misquote an earlier observer of literature. apparently f.christian sailed with bligh before the tahiti trip. by the time of this expedition, the admiralty had concluded that all crew should be well treated, well fed, as this made for a more efficiently-run ship. bligh's record as a professional mariner was/is good. a decendant of bligh has recently hsd some publicity here in uk, to the effect that he would like to clear hisrelations bame-correct the bad press.
after 300+ years lol and the legend. also, perhaps for another thread
a truly great film, my brother remembers a great hoo-hah in the uk press
concerning 'invisible' bras worn by the tahitian girls during filming.
of all the theories, conjecture, i think the one that explanation stands up best is the tahitian girls and the paradise the crew found welcoming them in contrast to being cooped-up aboard ship[because there WAS a mutiny for some reason(s)] - it appeals to me i guess.
also a great recommendation for large format-high definition systems- studios spend less on stars campers and bring back 65/70mm or modern-day equivalent to
ultra/super panavision 70 systems.- theaters drop some multiplexes and provide at least some wide screen biggies. or imax could re-master it.
[deleted]