HMS Bounty Abandoned Amid Hurricane Sandy

The HMS Bounty starred in Hollywood blockbusters Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. But amid Hurricane Sandy, its crew has abandoned the famous ship off the coast of North Carolina.

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The captain of the HMS Bounty gave the order for the crew to enter the lifeboats at 4:30am EST Monday, and a rescue attempt by a U.S. coastguard helicopter is under way, according to the BBC.

The HMS Bounty Organization said it would assess whether the ship, whose latest location and state wasn't immediately clear, could be saved, but its main concern was for the crew. The ship is a replica of the original Bounty, famous for its ill-fated trip to Tahiti and the West Indies in 1789.

Tracie Simonin, director of the HMS Bounty Organization, said that the ship began to experience difficulties at about 6:30pm EST on Sunday when it lost power and was unable to continue "de-watering." "At that time we contacted the U.S. coastguard for assistance," she said.

A plane was sent to the Bounty's then-position, which was 90 miles south-east of Cape Hatteras, and at 04:30am EST, its captain ordered all hands to abandon ship. "All 17 crew were accounted for in the life rafts, and a U.S. coastguard helicopter is on the scene rescuing them now," said Simoin

She added: "As far as we know the ship is still upright and we're going to assess the situation to see if anything can be done to save the ship."