born Sept. 9, 1754, county of Cornwall, Eng.
died Dec. 7, 1817, London
English admiral.
He went to sea at the age of seven and joined the Royal Navy in 1770. After serving as the sailing master on Capt. James Cook 's final voyage (177680), he was named to command the HMS Bounty in 1787. While en route from Tahiti to Jamaica, the ship was seized by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate, and Bligh and loyal crew members were set adrift; some two months later, they reached Timor. The mutiny made little difference to Bligh's career, though he had two more encounters with mutineers, including one while he was governor of New South Wales, Australia (180508). Described as overbearing, he was unpopular as a commander but was also courageous and a greatly skilled navigator.