Much is written about the HMS BOUNTY and most of her history you can find on the web or in the many books written on this vessel and her unlucky voyage.
She is also depict on many stamps, and many will follow.
The latest stamps of her are issued by Pitcairn Island in 2007, which depict the raising of one of her anchors by the brigantine YANKEE in February 1957, 50th years ago. The HMS BOUNTY is not depict, only her anchor is on one of the stamps, and the bow of the YANKEE.
Pitcairn Post gives the following info by this set of stamps.
http://www.stamps.gov.pn/Anchor50th.html
In January 1957, Luis Marden, a writer and photographer for National Geographic was the first person to discover the exact location of the burnt remains of the HMAV BOUNTY.
Captain Jones (of the YANKEE) and Parkin Christian had on separate occasion’s grappled timbers and the rudder to the surface, but the whereabouts of the remains in the rough seas of Bounty Bay was still unknown.
Entitled “I found the Bones of the BOUNTY” in the December 1957 edition of National Geographic (Vol. CXII, No 6), Marsden’s storey outlines how with the local help and self-contained diving apparatus, he estimated the ship’s position from a known group of iron ballast close to the shore and then by searching for unusual limestone-encrusted shapes on the sea floor. With up to 40 feet of turbulent water above, the six-week search was dangerous but fruitful. Along the line of the ship’s keel were found rudder pintles, crescent-shaped oarlocks, bronze sheathing nails, copper sheathing for the hull and later in February 1957, the prized BOUNTY anchor.
The brigantine YANKEE owned by Captain Irving Johnson circumnavigated the globe many times during their “World Cruises” where they took on board paying “helpers” who wanted to seek adventure.
Visiting Pitcairn over a period of twenty-three years on seven world voyages, the YANKEE called on Pitcairn in February on her final call.
The ship anchored on the outer limits of Bounty Bay as the weather was calm and it was by change that one of her crew spotted the anchor fluke while diving using aqualung apparatus. The fluke is in the Admiralty pattern V-shaped that distinguished it from rounded flukes, which came into use from 1810. The location at this site is probably due to the fact that Fletcher enter the rocky inlet of Bounty Bay.
The twelve four anchor would not give up without a fight, however. Captain Johnson manoeuvred the 98 foot long YANKEE into position then lowered his own anchor to enable divers to tie cables to both anchors. Using the (anchor) winch from the YANKEE they took the strain but noting budged. The Captain then pulled from alternate sides until after some time the anchor rose to see the light of day once more.
While the BOUNTY is thought to have had up to five anchors (two of which were left in Tahiti) this anchor is the most significant and now stands proudly in The Square in Adamstown.
The YANKEE was built as a steel hulled two masted fore-and-aft schooner under yard No. 18 by Nordseewerke at Emden, Germany for the German pilot station Westerems, the entrance from sea to the River Ems.
29 October 1912 keel laid down
Launched under the name EMDEN.
Tonnage126 grt. Displacement 200 ton, dim. 29.3 x 6.50 x 3.45m. (draught).
10 January 1913 trials, she needed some modifications and returned to her builder.
14/15th January she made her final trials; thereafter she was delivered to her owners.
15 February 1913 in service as a pilot boat.
1919 Transferred after World War I to the pilot-station at Cuxhaven and renamed DUHNEN, named after a beach resort near Cuxhaven.
When engine powered pilot-boats were used she was taken out of service, and used as training vessel by aspirant pilots.
1933 Taken over by the Sailschooner Society of the German Navy after the loss of there training vessel NIOBE
11 September 1936, she became a sail training vessel for the German Naval Sturmabteiling (SA) and with a permanent crew of 6, she carried 18 of these special troops for periods of from three to four weeks.
18 January 1937 she stranded near Fehmarn during bad weather.
Was refloated and returned to the German Pilot Association, who sold her on 13 May 1939 to the SA-Gruppe (Group) Nordmark.
September 1939 she became the personal quarters for the officer in charge of the Canal Guard for the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal at Kiel.
07 January 1943 transferred to the German air force as school-ship of the Nautical College Laboe. An auxiliary engine fitted and electric lighting installed.
May 1945 when at Schleswig she became a British prize, did then belong to the British Air Force base Calshot near Southampton, and used as a club yacht.
When Commander Irving Johnson got news that the R.A.F not actually used the vessel, and he was looking for this kind of vessel, he decided to make every effort to buy her.
After many months of negotiation at least he got his ship.
She was re-rigged as a brigantine by the yard of J.W. and A. Upham at Brixham, and fitted out with a complete new set of spars.
After re-rigging she could carry 7775 square feet of sails.
Two engines, 110 hp., and generating sets were brought over from the States. Twin screws, speed 6.5 knots.
The vessel was completely rebuilt internally to make her suitable for her new duties.
In the middle of 1947 she sailed across the North Atlantic to her new homeport Gloucester, U.S.A. under her new name YANKEE.
There she took on board stores and putting the final touches to her equipment and accommodation.
07 October 1947 she sailed from Gloucester for her first cruise around the world, with trainees as crew, she circumnavigated the world a voyage of 45.000 miles which she completed in 1949.
Johnson sailed the YANKEE four times around the world on 18th month cruises with a crew of trainees.
1958 Sold to the yachtsman Reed Whitney, Nantucket, who wanted to use her also as a training ship for young people.
She made voyages from the Bahamas, but when Whitney passed away the YANKEE was sold by the estate to Windjammers Cruises Inc. Miami.
First she continued her 10 day’s cruises from the Bahamas.
10 February 1964 she left from Nassau, Bahamas under command of skipper Arthur M. Kimberly on another world cruise.
11 July 1964 while at anchor off the reefs at Raratonga, Cook Islands, a severe gale parted her anchor cable, and before the engine could be started she drifted stern first onto the reef. Other source gives that the crew was having a party below and after the wind shifted she drifted on the reef.
Efforts to refloat her were unsuccessful and she was abandoned, without loss of life.
The only thing what today exist of her is the rusting hull still on the reef, and the ships-bell and the compass, which you can find in the Cook Island Library and Museum.
Pitcairn Island 2007 $1.20 sg?, scott?
Source: Historical Sketches of Watercraft on Stamps Vol. Sb-Z.
http://www.janmaat.de/ersatz.htm
Sail Training and Cadet Ships by Harold A. Underhill.