HMS Pandora
HMS Pandora was the Royal Navy warship dispatched to the South Pacific in pursuit of the infamous Bounty mutineers. Today, the mutiny on the Bounty remains one of the best-known stories in the history of seafaring. Few, however, are aware of the equally epic story of the Pandora. Few know of the extraordinary efforts of the Royal Navy to recover the “pirated” Bounty, and bring the mutineers to justice. And few appreciate the archaeological significance of the wreck remains being uncovered today in Australian waters.
In her day, HMS Pandora was a prized and proud member of the Royal Navy. Today the Pandora is one of the most significant shipwrecks in the Southern Hemisphere. The Queensland Museum has been excavating the wreck and piecing together the Pandora puzzle since 1983.
What is the full story of HMS Pandora? What did she look like? What was it like onboard? How did her crew live at sea? How did they locate and capture most of the Bounty mutineers? How did such a large ship and experienced crew come to be wrecked? How did so many mutineers survive as castaways on the beach in the South Pacific? How has the Museum excavated the wreck and conserved the artefacts it recovered? What happened to the ship’s cat? And who was “Harry”?
Dive in and find out!
This website presents a comprehensive overview of the Pandora’s final voyage, the remarkable history that surrounds it, and the Queensland Museum’s ongoing excavation, conservation, interpretation and research on the wreck, the crew and the Pandora’s history.