HMS Bounty Sinks Off Coast; 14 Rescued, 2 Still Missing
Coastguard Video:
Elizabeth City, NC -- Fourteen people are safely back on land after their ship sank as Hurricane Sandy skirted the North Carolina coast.
The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot, three-mast tall ship, was last marked about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras.
The ship has sunk, according to the Coast Guard at 8:45 a.m. Monday.
The Coast Guard continues to use a helicopter and an airplane to search for the two remaining crew members.
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http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Coast-Guard-Rescue-Underway-Now-16-People-In-Lifeboats-Off-NC-Coast-176228331.html#.UI55UccYuR0.facebook
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The Pirates of the Caribbean. 
the replicas let you touch history. They were part of The Tall Ships around the country. We were able to board The Bounty when it came to Duluth.
Unfortunately, I discovered that my "personality" wasn't at all compatible with the military -- which didn't prevent me from getting drafted (in '68) and doing a tour in Viet Nam. Nonetheless, I still hold a special place n my heart for the USCG ... the hard nucleus about which the Navy forms in time of war. I had two family members who served in the USCG and I've always found the quality of the people topnotch.
I had the experience of sailing the USCGC Eagle (under full sails) off the coast of Cape Hatteras in the summer of '62 (training voyage) during a full gale. We set a speed record in the White Bitch. Her starboard gunwales were awash ... normally a 12' freeboard. Mess deck portholes were 100% submerged. We rigged lifelines fore & aft amidships. Before it got crazy dangerous, riding the forecastle just aft of the bowsprit (think "Titanic"
was thrill of a lifetime. We blew a mainsail. It was AWESOME!
Mine was the last class of 250 cadets without an African-American ... and one of the last without females. The early 60s was still in the full throes of the "Leave It To Beaver" 50s ... required chapel attendance, classes in etiquette, ballroom dancing, the whole thing.
"Conformity" doesn't even come close to describing the Life of a Cadet. EVERY article of clothing had to be stowed in a very specific way and location. Shoes had to be tied and in specfic order in the closet. Every shirt and pair of trousers had to be buttoned and facing in a specific direction hanging in the closet. Every pair of socks and piece of underwear had to be folded in the prescribed manner and stowed in a specified drawer. EVERY cadet's room looked exactly the same ... and there were formal inspections every Saturday. And THAT'S just scratching the surface. Time management was obsessive. Every fraction of a minute of every weekday was allocated and there were very few deviances allowed. It was an enormous "learning experience."
And then there was the hazing. There's no way that hasn't been changed. Stuff that makes the news these days would have gotten a shrug if noticed at all in my day. The emotional toll it took could be HUGE. Suffice it to say that Army Basic Training and fraternity hazing in college were almost laughable "walks in the park" for me. As a matter of fact, my own inability to "dish it out" as an upperclassman was a prominent factor in my determination that I wasn't a good "fit" for the military. Too empathic, I guess.
All that said, I have great respect for Coasties, in particular. When I planned on a career in national service, the various missions of the Coast Guard made all sorts of sense to me. Rather than sit around waiting to kill the "enemy" (as my Army experience confirmed), Coasties are busy saving lives and making the seas safer for everyone on them. In "my day" over 75% of the aids to navigation in the entire world were placed and maintained by the USCG, from channel markers to LORAN.
THAT'S a worthwhile National Service.
COASTIES ... eat Post Toasties!
And major mojo for the missing - I hope that they are found safe, although I know the chances are slim.
It must have been terrifying. I remember my family's transatlantic voyages - I spent a major part of my childhood vomiting. I don't like the open sea!