National Network for Equitable Library Service

On October 23, 2012, with Superstorm Sandy fast approaching, Captain Robin Walbridge made the fateful decision to sail the HMS Bounty from New London, Connecticut, to St. Petersburg, Florida, believing the wooden ship, a replica of the original, famous Bounty, would fare better at sea than at port. Four days into the voyage, Superstorm Sandy made an almost direct hit on the Bounty, sending the crew tumbling into the ocean filled with crashing thirty-foot waves. What ensued was one of the most complex, dangerous, and massive Coast Guard rescue missions in history.