Tall Ship That Visited Greenport Sinks off N.C. due to Hurricane Sandy

The U.S. Coast Guard has reported that The HMS Bounty, which visited Greenport Harbor (I took the above photo then) earlier this year sank off the coast of North Carolina. The 180-foot, three-mast ship — which was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty" — had issued a distress signal late Sunday after taking on water about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.

The tall ship sailed out of Connecticut last week for St. Petersburg, Fla. Now it is gone. Concerning it crew and their rescue I can only forward these U.S. Coast Guard reports. “The 16 people donned cold water survival suits and life jackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies," as the ship was surrounded by 18-foot seas and 40 mph winds as Hurricane Sandy was moving through the area. 

Then earlier today, two Coast Guard sent helicopters that rescued 14 people from life rafts after they were forced to abandon ship. Two are still missing as of 11 a.m. Monday. The helicopters flew the survivors to Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina where they were met by awaiting emergency medical services personnel. A "Jayhawk" helicopter has now been dispatched to assist in locating the other two missing crew members.The original HMS Bounty was a British transport vessel, the replica that is now sunk had appeared in a few motion pictures, most recent being the 2006 Johnny Depp movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." It will live forever in that popular film.