Monday, October 28, 2013

A year after Sandy sank Bounty: Messages in a bottle

By Thom Patterson, CNN
October 28, 2013



(CNN) -- Sailing the Atlantic on a perfect blue-sky day, HMS Bounty survivor Jessica Hewitt knew this would have been a beautiful moment to share with Claudene Christian.

She looked down from the deck of the 125-foot Liberty Clipper to see dozens of playful dolphins swimming alongside the tall-masted sailing ship as it cut through the waves off North Carolina.

As the 26-year-old held a glass bottle filled with pictures and handwritten notes, Hewitt's eyes moved across the southeast horizon toward a painful spot she knew was about 25 miles away.

She couldn't help but picture what happened there aboard the HMS Bounty exactly a year ago Tuesday. The leaking, aging ship sailed into what would become the largest hurricane in generations. As the Category 1 storm churned about 100 miles off Cape Hatteras, Hurricane Sandy's battering winds and towering waves flipped the 180-foot ship sideways, spilling Hewitt and her shipmates into the water.
Photos: Hurricane Sandy then and now Photos: Hurricane Sandy then and now
Sinking of the HMS Bounty Sinking of the HMS Bounty
High-drama rescue on the high seas
Raw video: Rescue from sunken HMS Bounty

The body of Capt. Robin Walbridge, 63, was never found. Christian, a 42-year-old rookie sailor, died after Coast Guard rescuers were unable to revive her.

Their deaths and the sinking of perhaps the most famous tall ship in the world spurred an investigation that could still lead to new safety regulations and criminal charges.

Continue at:   (Story, video and photos of the rescue, sinking)

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/us/sandy-bounty-ship-sinking-anniversary/

 



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