THUNDER BAY – “Our thoughts are with the crew and families of the HMS Bounty this evening and we’re saddened to learn that Captain Robin Walbridge remains missing. We fondly remembering playing host to the vessel in 2010 and meeting such a dedicated and passionate captain and crew. Captain Walbridge and his crew shared their passion and made thousands of visitors smile that August day in our port”. Those are the words shared by Paul Pepe and the team from the City of Thunder Bay tourism department.
The HMS Bounty was in Thunder Bay last year. Today that tall ship could not survive the pounding waves and winds from Hurricane Sandy.
“We received a distress call for Bounty at 1830 Sunday evening October 28th that the Ship lost power and the pumps were unable to keep up with the dewatering. At that time we immediately contacted the USCG for assistance. A C130 was sent to there position approximately 90 miles SE of Cape Hatteras. Sunday morning approximately 0400, the Captain ordered all hands to abandon ship. There were 16 Crew on board. The USCG dispatched helicopters to rescue the brave crew. At this time, 14 of the 16 crew members have been safely returned to land and are in good health. We are saddened to report that there is still one crew member missing and one crew member that did not make it. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the crew member that is no longer with us. The USCG is continuing their efforts to search for the missing crew member and we are praying for a safe return. Please keep them in your prayers! We will keep everyone informed as info becomes available”. Message posted on tallshipbounty.org
