Mutineer. Born in Philadelphia, he was the only American aboard the ill-fated HMS Bounty. How he got there was an adventure in itself. During the American Revolution Martin served in the Continental Navy aboard the SS Jason, and in 1781 he was captured and taken prisoner aboard the HMS Monsieur, a British ship. Offered the choice of being hanged as a pirate (as American sailors were then considered) and joining the Royal Navy, Martin pragmatically opted to serve the King. He was still a Royal Able-bodied Seaman when he mustered aboard the Bounty in 1787. In Tahiti he was unfairly given 19 lashes for striking a native who had stolen Navy property; even so, Commander William Bligh noted (with a sympathy unusual for him) that during the mutiny on April 28, 1789, Martin vacillated between the mutineers and the loyalists and was finally prevented from joining Bligh by death threats. He eventually settled with Fletcher Christian's group on Pitcairn Island, accompanied by his Tahitian wife. On September 20, 1793, known on Pitcairn as "Massacre Day", Martin and Christian were among the five mutineers murdered by rebellious natives.
Mutineer. Born in Philadelphia, he was the only American aboard the ill-fated HMS Bounty. How he got there was an adventure in itself. During the American Revolution Martin served in the Continental Navy aboard the SS Jason, and in 1781 he was captured and taken prisoner aboard the HMS Monsieur, a British ship. Offered the choice of being hanged as a pirate (as American sailors were then considered) and joining the Royal Navy, Martin pragmatically opted to serve the King. He was still a Royal Able-bodied Seaman when he mustered aboard the Bounty in 1787. In Tahiti he was unfairly given 19 lashes for striking a native who had stolen Navy property; even so, Commander William Bligh noted (with a sympathy unusual for him) that during the mutiny on April 28, 1789, Martin vacillated between the mutineers and the loyalists and was finally prevented from joining Bligh by death threats. He eventually settled with Fletcher Christian's group on Pitcairn Island, accompanied by his Tahitian wife. On September 20, 1793, known on Pitcairn as "Massacre Day", Martin and Christian were among the five mutineers murdered by rebellious natives.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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