2010 file photo of the tall ship HMS Bounty. The crew had to abandon her to the waves as Hurricane Sandy hit them off the coast of North Carolina. Photo / AP

2010 file photo of the tall ship HMS Bounty. The crew had to abandon her to the waves as Hurricane Sandy hit them off the coast of North Carolina. Photo / AP
 
A monster hurricane off the US coast forced the 17-member crew of the HMS Bounty to abandon the famed three-mast tall ship and lower lifeboats into stormy seas, a Coast Guard statement said.
The crew donned cold water survival suits and life jackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies after getting caught up in stormy seas144 kilometres southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina.

The owner of the vessel, which was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and has also featured in Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, said he lost contact with the crew late Sunday.

The US Coast Guard command center in Portsmouth subsequently received a distress signal, confirming that the ship was in distress and locating its position.

"The vessel was reportedly taking on water and was without propulsion," the statement said, noting that weather at the scene consisted of 40 miles-per-hour (65 kilometers-per-hour) winds and 18-foot (five meter) waves.
The current HMS Bounty is a replica of the eponymous British vessel known for the mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789.

The Coast Guard's latest statement said they were monitoring the situation to "determine the soonest" time that aircraft or boats can be deployed to make a rescue.
- AFP 

Update:  14 crew members have been rescued from life rafts in the midst of the stormy sea. The coast guard is searching for the two men who are still missing.   One of the two lost men is Captain Robin Walbridge.

Also see the yahoo news item on the loss of this replica of the iconic ship.