HMS Bounty in Hurricane Sandy path: 2 missing as 16-strong crew on replica forced to abandon ship

The crew of the iconic HMS Bounty were forced to abandon ship off the east coast of America today as it became caught in raging seas near the eye of Hurricane Sandy.

The world-famous vessel - which featured in Hollywood blockbusters Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and two Pirates of the Caribbean films, starring Johnny Depp - became stranded on Sunday night about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina.

As six-metre waves and ferocious gales battered the decks of the 180-foot, three-masted ship - knocking out its power - 16 terrified crew-members clambered into life boats to watch their floating home shrink unmanned into the darkness.

But two are still missing as the Coastguard searches the waters for them. Two rescue helicopters were used in the rescue of the 16 and a third is on its way.

 

Alone at sea: She is now a ghost ship, bobbing unmanned towards the chuing epicentre of what experts believe could be the worst hurricane ever to hit America

HMS Bounty is now a ghost ship, bobbing slowly towards the chuing epicentre of what experts believe could be the worst hurricane ever to hit America, raising fears she may never be seen again.

The crew were picked hours later up by a search and rescue team who were dispatched by helicopter to bring them to safety.

But conce is now growing that this may be the final voyage of the historic replica after the coast guard said it may not have time to retrieve her before it becomes too dangerous.

Starring role: The Canada-built replica of HMS Bounty feature in two Pirates of the Caribbean films. Pictured left to right in 2007: Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)

World famous: The replica ship was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty that starred Marlon Brando, pictured on set with co-star Trevor Howard

'The 17 person crew donned cold water survival suits and lifejackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies,' the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The ship was built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty that starred Marlon Brando.

It is a replica of the British Navy's original HMS Bounty on which the famous mutiny took place in Tahiti in 1789 and is now used as a sailing school for prospective seafarers.

It was built using the original ship drawings from files in the British admiralty archives, but its dimensions were enlarged by around a third to fit the enormous 70 mm cameras used in the filming.

Some 400,000 feet of lumber were used, 10,000 square yards of canvas were sewn by hand and 10 miles of rope were rigged before it was ready for the silver screen.

Bad bearings: The ship ran into trouble some 90 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Eye of the storm: The world-famous vessel became stranded on Sunday night about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina

Testing: U.S. Navy sailors from the submarine USS Mississippi test the wheel earlier this month during a sail aboard the square rigged sailing ship HMS Bounty

The plan was to bu the ship in a dramatic final act, but Marlon Brando had become so attached to the vessel that he threatened to walk out in protest so, rather than lose their star, its owners MGM agreed to keep it in service.

It has since become one of Hollywood's most famous ships and was used in filming for the 1989 film Treasure Island with Charlton Heston and also appeared in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, both starring Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley.

This year it was put up for sale by its current owners for $4.6 million.

'Bounty': It is an exact replica of the British Navy's original HMS Bounty on which the famous mutiny took place in Tahiti in 1789

The mutiny that took place aboard the original Bounty is one of the most famous of all seafaring tales.

It was led by Fletcher Christian, played in the 1962 film by Marlon Brando, against commanding officer Lieutenant William Bligh, played by Trevor Howard, on 28 April 1789.

According to most reports, the crew had become fed up with the rod of iron with which Lt. Bligh commanded the ship and decided overthrow him to start new lives on the Pacific Islands.

They rounded up Lt Bligh and a handful of his loyal seamen and set them afloat in a dinghy leaving them to their fate.

The men then settled in on Pitcai Island and in Tahiti before buing HMS Bounty to avoid detection where many of their descendants remain to this day.