The US Coast Guard (USCG) is reporting that they have found a missing female member of the Bounty’s crew and recovered her from the storm tossed ocean off North Carolina.
Her condition was described by the USCG as “unresponsive”, and she was being transported to Albemarle Hospital in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The HMS Bounty replica ship, recently in for repairs at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, was sunk offshore of North Carolina caught in the fierce seas generated by Hurricane Sandy, according to the USCG.
The woman was identified by the USCG as Claudene Christian, 42. In an ironic twist, she had written on her Facebook page that she is a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, the First Officer of the original HMS Bounty who led the infamous mutiny. The Lincoln County News has been unable to verify this claim.
Her hometown is unknown. Her parents live in Oklahoma. She recently told Damariscotta resident Vincent Frazzetta that she was from Alaska.
Frazzetta met her as he took photos of the ship while it was in Boothbay Harbor just over a week ago.
“We talked about Boothbay Harbor and how much she loved the area and loved being on the crew of the Bounty,” Frazzetta said. “She was a beautiful and intelligent woman.”
A second crew member, identified by the USCG as the ship’s captain Robin Walbridge, 63, is still missing. The USCG reports that their mission is still a rescue and that their search efforts are ongoing.
The USCG had earlier rescued the other 14 crew members.
For additional information on this story, including a dramatic video of the rescue, please check the link below to an earlier posting on lincolncountynewsonline.com.
The Lincoln County News website will continue to follow the progress of this event, with constant coverage beginning Monday, extending into the night-time hours, and continuing on Tuesday. Any additional information will be posted here as soon as it becomes available. Anyone with information on the storm or Bounty crew members is encouraged to contact Greg Latimer directly at 207-380-9912 or greglatimer@yahoo.com.
