In November 1787, the H.M.S. Bounty, a British naval ship, set sail from England on a mission to collect breadfruit for the British West Indies. The ship was commanded by Captain William Bligh, known for his strict discipline, and carried forty-six men, including two botanists. The voyage was intended to be peaceful, with the Bounty sailing alone without the protection of another British ship. The Bounty arrived at Tahiti in October 1788 after a ten-day voyage under storm conditions. The island was described as paradisiacal, and the crew enjoyed themselves, establishing relationships with the Tahitians and engaging in trade. However, more than 40% of the men were treated for sexually transmitted diseases, likely introduced to the island by previous European explorers. When the Bounty set sail again on April 1, 1789, the idea of a mutiny had already taken root among the crew. Bligh's strict discipline and perceived mistreatment of his officers, particularly Fletcher Christian, contributed to the growing discontent. According to the writings of Sven Wahlroos, an author and expert on the history of the Bounty, Bligh was "critical, insulting, petty, and condescending," and made Christian a scapegoat, punishing him in front of the entire crew. On April 27, Bligh accused Christian of stealing the ship's supply of coconuts and punished the entire crew for the theft. On April 28, a group of rebels led by Christian armed themselves with muskets and went to Bligh's cabin to make him a prisoner. Christian reportedly told Bligh, "I have been in hell for months with you." The ship's crew divided into two factions: one loyal to Bligh and the other determined to desert. The twenty-three mutineers isolated the captain along with eighteen other men on a boat, giving them some rations and a sextant before sending them adrift. Christian and his crew, which included some hostages still loyal to Bligh, sought to establish a colony. They initially chose Tubuai, an island more than 600 km south of Tahiti, but encountered hostile native groups. They returned to Tahiti to seek workers and supplies, disguising their mutiny to avoid detection. The rebels returned to Tubuai with thirty Tahitians, but tensions with the islanders and internal divisions worsened. The men soon abandoned the struggle and settled on Tubuai. When the rebels returned to Tahiti, they discovered their deception had been uncovered. Thinking a new mutiny was being prepared, Christian lured a group of Tahitians aboard the Bounty for a party before making them prisoners and setting sail. Sixteen British sailors were abandoned on Tahiti. Meanwhile, Bligh and his loyalists continued their journey, first heading to an island in the Tonga, then to a Dutch colony on Timor, more than 6,000 km away. After forty-seven days, they landed and revealed the mutiny to the Crown. Several sailors perished on the return journey, but Bligh survived. He wrote to his wife before departing for the United Kingdom, stating, "I have lost the Bounty. My conduct has been exemplary, and I have shown to all that, devoted as I have been, I have defied all enemies who wished to do me harm." Upon arrival in England, Bligh was tried in a court-martial for abandoning his ship and acquitted. The H.M.S. Pandora set sail from England with the mission of capturing the mutineers. When the crew landed in Tahiti in March 1791, they captured fourteen mutineers, those that Christian had abandoned. The Pandora sank shortly after, after hitting the Great Barrier Reef, and four of the captives still chained drowned. In September 1792, the ten men returning to English soil were tried in a court-martial. Under English law, any man who remained on the ship was considered guilty of mutiny, whether or not he had actively participated. Four of the mutineers were acquitted, the other six condemned to death by hanging. Three of the six condemned were eventually pardoned. The remaining three, Thomas Burkett, John Millward, and Thomas Ellison, were hanged on October 29, 1794. Meanwhile, the rest of the mutineers and their Tahitian prisoners found refuge on the island of Pitcairn. The rebels burned the Bounty and settled there. However, tensions persisted, with Tahitians accusing the British of abusing their women. Tevarua, a Tahitian woman, may have committed suicide following the violence she suffered. In September 1793, the Tahitians killed four of the eight mutineers, including Christian. During the following decade, all the rebels died, except for John Adams. The descendants of the mutineers settled on Pitcairn, abandoning it multiple times before returning in search of provisions and land to cultivate. They still live on the small island today, considered a British overseas territory inhabited by about fifty people. In 1957, Luis Marden, an explorer from National Geographic, found the remains of the Bounty off the eastern coast of the island. The history of the Bounty remains in people's memories due to its notable place in the colonial past of Britain, but also for its dramatic character. Historian Diana Preston, speaking to National Geographic in 2017, noted that European explorers, including Christian's missionaries, contributed to the destruction of Tahitian culture through disease, sexual exploitation, and other factors.