Chief mate discusses sinking of ship during Sandy

PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- The chief mate of a replica 18th-century sailing ship that sank off North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy told investigators Tuesday that the captain twice refused his pleas to order the crew to abandon ship.

Only when he made a third plea did HMS Bounty Capt. Robin Walbridge give the order -- moments before the ship rolled and tossed the crew into the water.

One crew member died, and the captain was never found after the ship, whose home port was Greenport, sank 90 miles off Cape Hatteras during the October storm.

The three-masted sailing ship was built for the 1962 film "Mutiny on the Bounty" and was featured in other films, including one of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

A federal safety panel began hearing testimony about what led to the sinking, with chief mate John Svendsen providing a detailed account of what happened. The ship's owner, Robert Hansen, who also owns a Setauket air-conditioning business, declined to testify by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Svendsen said the ship was taking on water and had no power when it rolled over and sank. He also told investigators the captain didn't alert Coast Guard officials of the ship's deteriorating condition when he first suggested it, with Walbridge focusing on fixing failing generators instead.

Before ever leaving New London, Conn., for St. Petersburg, Fla., Svendsen said he had told Walbridge of crew members' concerns about his decision to alter the ship's planned route to head directly toward Sandy as it approached.

"Robin felt the ship was safer at sea," Svendsen said.

The hearing administered by the Coast Guard isn't a criminal proceeding, but any evidence of wrongdoing could be referred to federal prosecutors.