Bounty lies about thirty nautical miles (fifty-six…

April 1789 CE

Bounty lies about thirty nautical miles (fifty-six kilometers; thirty-five miles) south of the island of Tofua in the early hours of April 28, 1789.

After a largely sleepless night, Christian has decided to act.

He understands from his discussions with Young and Stewart which crewmen are his most likely supporters and, after approaching Quintal and Isaac Martin, he learns the names of several more.

With the help of these men, Christian rapidly gains control of the upper deck; those who question his actions are ordered to keep quiet.

At about 05:15, Christian goes below, dismisses Hallett (who had been sleeping on the chest containing the ship's muskets), and distributes arms to his followers before making for Bligh's cabin.

Three men take hold of the captain and tie his hands, threatening to kill him if he raises the alarm; Bligh "called as loudly as [he] could in hopes of assistance".

The commotion wakes Fryer, who sees, from his cabin opposite, the mutineers frogmarching Bligh away.

The mutineers order Fryer to "lay down again, and hold my tongue or I was a dead man".

Bligh is brought to the quarterdeck, his hands bound by a cord held by Christian, who is brandishing a bayonet; some reports maintain that Christian had a sounding plummet hanging from his neck so that he could jump overboard and drown himself if the mutiny failed.

Others who had been awakened by the noise leave their berths and join in the general pandemonium.

It was unclear at this stage who are and who are not active mutineers.

Bligh shouts continually, demanding to be set free, sometimes addressing individuals by name, and otherwise exhorting the company generally to "knock Christian down!"

Fryer is briefly permitted on deck to speak to Christian, but is then forced below at bayonet-point; according to Fryer, Christian told him: "I have been in hell for weeks past. Captain Bligh has brought this on himself."

Christian originally thinks to cast Bligh adrift in Bounty's small jolly boat, together with his clerk John Samuel and the loyalist midshipmen Hayward and Hallett.

This boat proves unseaworthy, so Christian orders the launching of a larger ship's boat, with a capacity of around ten.

However, Christian and his allies have overestimated the extent of the mutiny—at least half on board are determined to leave with Bligh.

Thus the ship's largest boat, a twenty-three-foot (seven meter) launch, is put into the water.

During the following hours the loyalists collect their possessions and enter the boat.

Among these is Fryer, who with Bligh's approval seeks to stay on board—in the hope, he will later claim, that he will be able to retake the ship—but Christian orders him into the launch

Soon, the vessel is badly overloaded, with more than twenty persons and others still vying for places.

Christian orders the two carpenter's mates, Norman and McIntosh, and the armorer, Joseph Coleman, to return to the ship, considering their presence essential if he is to navigate Bounty with a reduced crew.

Reluctantly they obey, beseeching Bligh to remember that they have remained with the ship against their will.

Bligh assures them: "Never fear, lads, I'll do you justice if ever I reach England".

Samuel saves the captain's journal, commission papers and purser's documents, but is forced to leave behind Bligh's maps and charts—fifteen years of navigational work.

The launch is supplied with about five days' food and water, a sextant, compass and nautical tables, and Purcell's tool chest.

At the last minute the mutineers throw four cutlasses down into the boat.

Of Bounty's complement—forty-four after the deaths of Huggan and Valentine—nineteen men are crowded into the launch, leaving it dangerously low in the water with only seven inches of freeboard.

The twenty-five men remaining on Bounty include the committed mutineers who had taken up arms, the loyalists detained against their will, and others for whom there is no room in the launch.

At around 10:00 the line holding the launch to the ship is cut; a little later, Bligh orders a sail to be raised.

Their immediate destination is the nearby island of Tofua, clearly marked on the horizon by the plume of smoke rising from its volcano.