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Superstorm Sandy: Crew member of abandoned ship dies after being rescued
The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot sailboat, is seen submerged in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C., Oct. 29, 2012, in this picture provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. / AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tim Kuklewski
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. The Coast Guard says a woman who was rescued in the Atlantic after abandoning ship in rough weather churned up by Hurricane Sandy has died.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class David Weydert says 42-year-old Claudene Christian was unresponsive when she was pulled from the water Monday evening and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The Coast Guard rescued 14 other crew members by helicopter Monday. The ship was originally built for the 1962 film "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring Marlon Brando, and it was featured in several other films over the years, including one of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.
The Coast Guard is still searching for the ship's captain.
The vessel left Connecticut on Thursday with a crew of 11 men and five women, ranging in age from 20 to 66. Everyone aboard knew the journey could be treacherous.
"This will be a tough voyage for Bounty," read a posting on the ship's Facebook page that showed a map of its coordinates and satellite images of the storm.
The Bounty's Facebook page reads like a ship's log of her activities, with many photos of the majestic vessel plying deep blue waters and the crew working in the rigging or keeping watch on the wood-planked deck.
As Sandy's massive size became more apparent, a post on Saturday tried to soothe any worried supporters: "Rest assured that the Bounty is safe and in very capable hands. Bounty's current voyage is a calculated decision ... NOT AT ALL ... irresponsible or with a lack of foresight as some have suggested. The fact of the matter is ... A SHIP IS SAFER AT SEA THAN IN PORT!"
But as the storm gathered strength, the Facebook posts grew grimmer. By mid-morning Monday, the last update was short and ominous: "Please bear with us ... There are so many conflicting stories going on now. We are waiting for some confirmation."
Tracie Simonin, director of the HMS Bounty Organization, said the ship tried to stay clear of Sandy's power.
"It was something that we and the captain of the ship were aware of," Simonin said.
Watch: HMS Bounty crew member rescued by Coast Guard
Coast Guard video of the rescue showed crew members being loaded one by one into a basket before the basket was hoisted into the helicopter.
When they returned to the mainland, some were wrapped in blankets, still wearing the blazing red survival suits they put on to stay warm in the chilly waters.
"It's one of the biggest seas I've ever been in. It was huge out there," said Coast Guard rescue swimmer Randy Haba, who helped pluck four crew members off one of the canopied life rafts and a fifth who was bobbing alone in the waves.
A helicopter pilot said the waves appeared to be 30 feet high during the rescue. The Coast Guard said in a news release that waves in many places topped out around 18 feet.
The survivors received medical attention and were to be interviewed for a Coast Guard investigation. The Coast Guard did not make them available to reporters.
The mother of another crew member, 20-year-old Anna Sprague, said her daughter had been aboard the HMS Bounty since May.
Mary Ellen Sprague, of Savannah, Ga., said she had spoken with her daughter twice but didn't know many details because her daughter, normally talkative and outgoing, was being uncharacteristically quiet.
"She's very upset," Sprague said by telephone.
Sprague said her daughter told her the ship's diesel engines failed, and then it started taking on water.
The crew was eager to return to St. Petersburg — and to calmer waters.
"I know they were very much looking forward to being here," said Carol Everson, general manager of the pier where the vessel docks. "They were very excited about coming down."
The Bounty's captain, Robin Walbridge, was from St. Petersburg, she said.
Wallbridge learned to sail at age 10, according to his biography on the Bounty's website. Prior to the Bounty, he served as first mate on the H.M.S. Rose — the Bounty's sister ship.
A man who answered the door at a home listed as being owned by the captain and his wife said: "Not a good time," and closed the door.
Foster said the city on Florida's Gulf Coast always considered itself the ship's home.
"We're feeling a real sense of loss as a community," he said. "We grew up with the Bounty."
Foster, who was raised in St. Petersburg, remembered the ship as a family tourist attraction along the waterfront in the 1960s and 1970s. He recalled replicas of caves, a history display and pirate-themed exhibits near the Bounty. As a teenager, he attended dances on the ship.
About 10 years ago, the ship underwent a multimillion-dollar restoration.
The ship generally travels in the spring and summer. In August, large crowds greeted it when sailing into St. Augustine, Fla., Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C.
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Large vessels may be safer at sea. Vessels that may cause more damage to themselves or the pier when being expertly tied town may be better at sea. For an old wooden vessel of only 180' you need to strip down to a skeleton crew, inflate every fender in town, and secure her to the Pier with every line you can get your hands on. This catastrophe could have been avoided.
It's easy to be critical of decisions made. But the US Navy sent all their ships out to sea to ride the storm out as well. Please avoid arm chair criticsm. No one's life is worth more than another's. I can tell you this, the USCG was impressed with the Bounty crew for good reason. They have been under the leadership of a fantastic captain, and it shows.
I wrote about my time on the Bounty on my blog page. Photos from the sail are on the post. Feel free to share.
http://gypsyblondereport.blogspot.com/2012/10/tall-ship-sailing-aboard-hms-bounty.html
but we'll make out okay on the insurance
you know, you gotta wonder about meshuggenehs though
I am a very left-wing supporter of full equality in every sense... almost every sense. If you're a man, you make sure the women and children are taken care of first. Period. No argument.
People say that is a fairly recent tradition, and not some ancient nautical code of conduct, but I couldn't care less. Whether new or old, it's the right thing to do.
If Ms. Christian argued the point, she should have been forced. A man is genetically predisposed to be larger and more rugged, generally speaking... A man might have survived where a woman did not.
Eternal shame on each and every man that stepped before her in the rescue line.
Your fantasy of being a hero to the "weak and vulnerable" is clouding your judgment. The woman is there because she wants to be. She was not looking to be a damsel in distress in need of men to sacrifice their lives for hers, or she would have stayed home.
Her motives have nothing to do with my own.
Sorry to so enrage you, someone1776.
I went to sleep last night saying to myself "well, Sandy has been in the news so long, at least there won't be any stupid sailors out their endangering lives by needing rescue, like there were in "the perfect storm" ".
Unbelievable. Having had to race for Southhampton in the English Channel just as a huge hurricane was winding up that sunk more boats than any other in years, I can tell you that I would miss a plane and pay a whole new fare, rather than do that again. We made it and we were very lucky. I agree with all the others here who spoke about endangering others. Two lives likely lost and untold terror. Whoever is responsible has much to answer for.
It's also sad for us Nova Scotians, where the Bounty was built and launched in 1962, to see such a beautiful vessel sunk for no good reason. Such hard work (by hand) went into laying every timber. Lunenburg just launched another great vessel a few weeks ago - the new Bluenose II, a racing schooner.
Hats off to the bravery of the coast guard who rescue hapless sailors at such great personal risk.
Congratz on the whole 'psychic' thing... Must come in handy!