The Pandora Story

Oswald Brett's impression of the Pandora's last moments afloat.

Although reasonably successful in her challenging mission—capturing 14 of the 25 Bounty mutineers in Tahiti—HMS Pandora came to grief on the Great Barrier Reef.

She was hulled on what’s now known as Pandora Reef, and sank in 30 metres of water, 120 km east of Cape York.

Many died—crew and prisoners alike. But there were many more amazing feats of survival and seamanship.

In this section, we explore the events surrounding the Pandora’s final voyage …