Bounty mutineers reach Pitcairn

1790 The Bounty mutineers arrived at Pitcairn Island which had been misplaced on the Royal Navy's charts. On January 23, 1790, they burned the ship in what is now Bounty Bay.

When the American sailing ship Topaz, commanded by Mayhew Folger, discovered the island in 1808, only John Adams, ten women and some children were still alive. Murder accounted for most of the deaths, though suicide, accident, and disease played parts. Fletcher Christian, the chief mutineer, was one of the murder victims.

See also Pitcairn rape trial of 2004 for recent developments on the island.

Categories: history, uk