Coast Guard Rescues Crewmembers from Vintage Ship in Hurricane Sandy; One Dead

A woman was rescued in the Atlantic Ocean after she abandoned ship in the rough waters from Hurricane Sandy, according to MSN.com. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Claudene Christian, 42, from the Atlantic in the midst of the storm—she was reportedly unconscious when she was rescued. Christian was rushed to a hospital in North Carolina, where she died from her injuries.

Christian was on the HMS BOUNTY, a replica of an 18^th century sailing vessel from the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty” with 14 other crewmembers. The other crewmembers stayed aboard the ship and were rescued by the Coast Guard via helicopter. The crew was aware of the dangerous task, but took the HMS BOUNTY out to sea to protect it from Hurricane Sandy.

“This will be a tough journey for Bounty,” read a post from the HMS BOUNTY’s Facebook page. “Rest assured that the Bounty is safe and in very capable hands. Bounty’s current voyage is a calculated decision…NOT AT ALL…irresponsible or with a lack of foresight as some of suggested. The fact of the matter is…A SHIP IS SAFER AT SEA THAN IN A PORT!”

The ship may have been safer at sea, but the same cannot be said for the crew. It is extremely unfortunate that a woman lost her life and many more were put at risk to potentially save this ship. We are thankful for the brave men at the US Coast Guard who located the HMS BOUNTY when they did, preventing more deaths.

Through the years, Latti & Anderson LLP has represented many families who have lost their loved ones in vessel sinkings.  In these types of cases, the investigation focuses on whether the vessel should have even gone out in the storm, knowing the bad weather was approaching and, once out at sea, what was done to protect the crew from the storm. In this sinking, the United States Coast Guard will investigate the different factors leading up to the decision to leave port and then what occurred once the HMS BOUNTY left port.

Please visit our site for more information on vessel sinkings and contact our firm for a free consultation.

Latti & Anderson LLP—Boston maritime trial lawyers.