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Thankyou Wolfgang. You have opened a window on what I was seeking in
this thread, which is: What was going on in the mind of the Captain
when he decided to head out into deep water rather than wait it out
in New London or some other nearby 'hurricane hole'?

If the Bounty was to keep to its schedule, it would have to head out
into the Atlantic in the teeth of a hurricane and head South to
Florida. The Captain decided to do this, justifying his decision by
holding up the aphorism, "In a severe storm, a ship is safer in the
deep ocean than in port." It would seem that everything turned on
that, to the exclusion of other evidence to the contrary, whether is
was sought for or not.

What do we learn from this? I suspect that what we learn is that in
times of stress, it is easy to lose objectivity when making crucial
decisions. In a stressed state of mind, one is not open to calm,
reasoned argument.

What training or procedures are there in ships or planes - other than
Doctor Experience - to enable or actually force those in command to
take in the broader picture when making crucial decisions?

Geoffrey

   

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