tragic loss

Hurricane Sandy sinks famed ship headed for Galveston's shores

The 180-foot replica of the HMS Bounty sank off the North Carolina coast October29. The tall ship was heading south for a winter stay in the Port of Galveston.
HMS Bounty/Facebook
From the HMS Bounty Facebook page, October 30: "We mourn the loss of Bounty'screwmember Claudene Christian and pray for the continued efforts to rescue ourbeloved captain, Robin Walbridge."
Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
"Latest communication from Captain Robin Walbridge. Sent last night," reads thecaption for this photo, taken October 28. Walbridge remains missing as ofOctober 31.
HMS Bounty/Facebook
"HMS Bounty Crew in today's sail!" posted October 24 on the HMS Bounty Facebookpage.
HMS Bounty/Facebook

The Port of Galveston had big winter plans for the replica of the famed HMS Bounty, which was set to be docked at Pier 21 near the Strand for an extended stay.

But as the tall ship made its way down south from its most recent home in Connecticut, Superstorm Sandy made a last-minute change in the itinerary, redirecting the famous boat to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The 180-foot vessel — which was built for the 1962 classic Mutiny on the Bounty and most recently starred in two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels — sank off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The U.S. Coast Guard managed to rescue 14 crew members, who were equipped with special survival suits that enabled them to withstand the frigid waters for up to 15 hours.

Claudene Christian — great-granddaughter of Fletcher Christian, who led the 1789 mutiny against captain William Bligh and was played by Marlon Brando in the '60s film adaptation — perished during the incident. The ship's 63-year-old captain, Robin Walbridge, has yet to be located.

“We hope for the best for the people who were on the ship,” Port of Galveston director Mike Mierzwa told the Galveston Daily News. “We had really looked forward to them coming here.”

Once final agreements were made with the ship's owner, port officials said the Bounty would be berthed next to the Seaport Museum where another vintage clipper, the Elissa from 1877, is on display. The now-sunken ship was expected to stay in Galveston through April.

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DART News

DART receives $7 million federal grant for new low-emission buses

Gillig

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has received a grant to update its fleet of buses. According to a release, the agency was awarded a $7.094 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support the purchase of new buses as the agency phases out its fleet of older model vehicles.

The grant awarded to DART is one of 165 transit projects across the U.S. funded with more than $2 billion in federal grants.

In February, DART purchased 476 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from Gillig, a California-based manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, to fulfill their goal to modernize their transit system over the next decade — particularly via new buses and light-rail vehicles to replace the oldest units in their aging fleet.

The phase-in of those new vehicles is expected to be executed through 2027.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses are a near-zero emission option, which was a key component in DART qualifying for the federal grant. Gillig has already delivered the first buses ahead of a Spring 2026 timeline — meaning that DART riders will get to start riding the upgraded buses on routes by the end of December 2025.

In a statement, DART President & CEO Nadine Lee says the timing is perfect.

“The timing of this grant couldn’t be better as we begin to receive early delivery of new, state-of-the-art vehicles from Gillig and as we move ahead with preparations to provide service to the massive crowds we expect next year with the FIFA World Cup," Lee says. "We are grateful to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, FTA Administrator Marcus Molinaro, and our entire congressional delegation for valuing their strong federal partnership with DART, recognizing the need to find additional funding to support transit programs in one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation."

This new grant is in addition to $103 million initial federal grants, bringing the total federal support for DART’s purchase of new buses to more than $110 million – reducing the overall cost to DART and member cities.

U.S. Congressional delegates, representing communities across Texas, were instrumental in securing the funding for the grant. The purchase of 476 buses is one part of DART’s Transform, a $2.5 billion 10-year plan to modernize and upgrade the DART system.

transportation