Fletcher Christian leads a mutiny on HMS Bounty
Christian Fletcher was a master’s mate, aboard the HMS Bounty on its voyage to Tahiti under Lieutenant William Bligh, in 1787.
It’s a tale that has inspired Hollywood blockbusters, and one that still has a great many questions unanswered to this day.
What drove Fletcher Christian to commit the shocking act of mutiny against his ship’s captain?
Fletcher Christian was born in the small village of Eaglesfield, just outside of Cockermouth, on 25th September 1764.
Christian joined the Royal Navy when he was 17.
When he completed his navy service in 1785, he joined the merchant navy, accompanying William Bligh, who was then Captain of the Britannia.
Christian impressed Bligh with his hardworking attitude, and consequently, when Bligh was tasked with taking HMS Bounty to the pacific for trade in 1787, he made Christian his Master’s Mate.
He was later promoted to Acting Lieutenant.
In October 1788, the ship arrived at Tahiti.
The crew spent around five months here, cultivating plants to bring back to the UK.
During that time, Christian met and fell in love with a Tahiti native, whom he named Isabella.
After leaving Tahiti, on 28th April 1789, Fletcher Christian along with 18 mutineers, took control of the Bounty.
This would see Bligh and several other members of crew, forced off the ship, and onto a small boat.
Bligh would eventually return to the UK, whilst Christian fled to the then uninhabited island of Pitcairn.
He took with him several crew members, and some Tahitian women, including Isabella.
He was reportedly killed in September 1793 by a group of disgruntled Tahitians.
There remains some mystery surrounding Christian’s death, with a grave never being identified.
There were apparently some sightings of him in Plymouth, after his reported death, suggesting that he may have returned to the UK.
Christian’s motivations for the mutiny on The Bounty, has inspired storytellers to put their own spin on the tale.
Books, movies, and even a musical took inspiration from the events.
Some commentators have suggested that Christian was inspired to mutineer as a result of his reluctance to leave Tahiti, and return to the strict regime of the ship.
Others suggest that it was in response to Bligh’s increasingly harsh punishments and unrealistic expectations regarding the work his crew could do.
As a result, Fletcher Christian has been portrayed as both a villain and a hero.
Today, the island of Pitcairn is still largely inhabited by the descendants of the mutineers and Tahitians.
Those that bear his name, are descendants of Fletcher Christian and his Tahitian wife, Isabella.
Fletcher Christian was portrayed in films by:
* Wilton Powers in ‘The Mutiny of the Bounty’ (1916)
* Errol Flynn in ‘In the wake of the Bounty’ (1933)
* Clark Gable in ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ (1935)
* Marlon Brando in ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ (1962)
* Mel Gibson in ‘The Bounty’ (1984)
⚓️ Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian in ‘The Bounty’ 1984