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HMS Bounty abandoned amid Hurricane Sandy HMS Bounty abandoned amid Hurricane Sandy
(about 2 hours later)
The US coastguard has rescued 14 of 16 people forced to abandon replica tall ship HMS Bounty off the coast of North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy. Two people are still missing after the 16-strong crew of the replica tall ship HMS Bounty was forced to abandon ship as Hurricane Sandy approached.
The captain gave the order for the crew to enter the lifeboats at 04:30 local time (08:30 GMT). The US coastguard said it had rescued 14 crew members, after the ship started taking on water off the coast of North Carolina.
The US coastguard said it was still searching for two more crew members. The search for the two remaining crew members is continuing.
HMS Bounty is a replica of the original Bounty, famous for its ill-fated trip to Tahiti and the West Indies in 1789, and has appeared in several films. HMS Bounty is a replica of the ship of the same name famous for the mutiny of its crew in the 18th Century.
It was initially reported that 17 people were on board, but the coastguard later revised the figure to 16. Built for the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, it was on its way from Connecticut on the north-east coast of the US to Florida, taking it through the path of Hurricane Sandy, when it began taking on water on Sunday night.
Tracie Simonin, director of the HMS Bounty Organisation, said that the ship began to experience difficulties at about 19:30 on Sunday when it lost power and was unable to continue "de-watering". 'Suddenly capsized'
"At that time we contacted the US coastguard for assistance," she said. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Lt Kevin Sullivan, command centre chief for the North Carolina coastguard, said the crew were able to keep the ship afloat for most of the night before deciding to abandon ship in the early hours of the morning.
"A C-130 plane was sent to their position, which was 90 miles south-east of Cape Hatteras, and then... this morning the captain ordered all hands to abandon ship." "Our understanding is that as [the crew] were preparing to get into the life rafts the boat suddenly capsized on them," he said. "They had to swim clear of the boat and try to get in the life rafts from there."
'Still upright' He said it appeared two crew members had not made it into the life rafts. The 14 who did were later picked up by coastguard helicopters and suffered only minor injures.
Canadian broadcaster CBC has reported that the ship sank several hours after the evacuation, but Ms Simonin told the BBC that she had not been told this by the coastguard. Lt Sullivan said the search for the remaining two crew members would continue with planes and helicopters until nightfall, and would resume again in the morning with the deployment of several coastguard ships.
"The last we heard the ship was still upright," she said. "The two missing folks are in survival suits - that's the report we have from the other survivors. That should give them a very good chance to stay alive, afloat and stay warm in that water," he said.
HMS Bounty has featured in a number of Hollywood films since it was launched in 1960, including Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962 and Pirates of the Caribbean. He added that the ship itself is believed to have sunk.
It was on its way south from Connecticut on the north-east coast of the US to Florida, taking it through the path of Hurricane Sandy. The Bounty was approximately 160 miles (250km) west of the eye of Hurricane Sandy when it got into trouble.
The ship was approximately 160 miles (250km) west of the eye of the hurricane when it got into trouble.
According to the coastguard all 16 crew members were able to put on cold water survival suits and abandon the ship in two 25-man life boats with canopies.
Two helicopters hoisted the 14 people to safety in the early hours of the morning. Another plane is continuing the search for the two members of crew still missing.