Bligh, William (blī), 1754–1817, British admiral. He is chiefly remembered for the mutiny (1789) on his ship, the Bounty Bounty, British naval vessel, a 220-ton (200-metric-ton), 85-ft (26-m) cutter, commanded by William Bligh . She set sail for the Pacific in Dec., 1787, to transport breadfruit trees from the Society Islands to the West Indies. On Apr.
..... Click the link for more information. , but he had a long and notable career. He was sailing master on Capt. James Cook's last voyage (1776–79). Later he was a commander in the French wars, then (1805–8) governor of New South Wales, where he was briefly imprisoned (1808) by army mutineers in the so-called Rum Rebellion. Bligh was made a rear admiral in 1811 and a vice admiral in 1814. A brave and able officer, he was handicapped in dealing with men by his difficult temper.

Bibliography

See J. Barrow, The Mutiny of the Bounty (1989); S. McKinney, A True Account of Mutiny Aboard His Majesty's Ship Bounty (1989).

Bligh, William

(born Sept. 9, 1754, county of Cornwall, Eng.—died Dec. 7, 1817, London) English admiral. He went to sea at the age of seven and joined the Royal Navy in 1770. After serving as the sailing master on Capt. James Cook's final voyage (1776–80), he was named to command the HMS Bounty in 1787. While en route from Tahiti to Jamaica, the ship was seized by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate, and Bligh and loyal crew members were set adrift; some two months later, they reached Timor. The mutiny made little difference to Bligh's career, though he had two more encounters with mutineers, including one while he was governor of New South Wales, Australia (1805–08). Described as overbearing, he was unpopular as a commander but was also courageous and a greatly skilled navigator.

Bligh, William

(1754–1817) naval officer accused of practising unfair and illegal cruelties. [Br. Hist.: EB, II: 82; Am. Lit.: Mutiny on the Bounty]

See : Injustice