HMS Bounty Sails to Reunion of Sailors

A famous ship that once served as the setting for a big-budget Hollywood movie spent most of Wednesday sailing in the waters of Newport Bay.

The HMS Bounty, which was built for the 1962 MGM film “Mutiny on the Bounty,” arrived in Orange County around noon to give the ship’s 16-member crew the chance to attend a private dinner at the home of Newport Beach resident Dan Elliot.

“At 169 feet, it’s probably one of the biggest sailing vessels that’s ever been in this harbor,” said Elliot, a petroleum geologist.

Last March, Elliot discovered that the ship would be sailing through Newport waters following a promotional stop in San Pedro. Elliott, who sailed in yacht races for 45 years, thought the ship’s arrival offered the occasion for a reunion of old sailing friends.

“We thought this would be a good way to bring a lot of old sailing friends together who have drifted apart over the years. More than 200 people have come from as far as San Francisco and San Diego to be here,” Elliot said.

The ship, now owned by media mogul Ted Turner, is a re-creation of the ill-fated ship that left its mark on maritime history more than 200 years ago when a small group of its crewmen didn’t want to leave Tahiti and mutinied.

The replica cost $700,000 to build and is now valued at an estimated $6 million.

The famous vessel was scheduled to leave the bay at sunrise today and will next sail to San Diego, where it is expected to remain for two months for repairs, Elliot said.

Turner acquired the boat in 1986 when he purchased MGM’s properties. He has since put the ship and its two 220-horsepower engines to work on promotional tours across the country, including a just-completed 20-city tour of the West Coast.

In addition to appearing in “Mutiny on the Bounty,” the HMS Bounty was also featured in the 1983 film “Yellowbeard,” which starred the late Marty Feldman and members of the Monty Python comedy troupe and in a 1990 remake of “Treasure Island,” which starred Charlton Heston.