Black Pearl makes city stopover

By Fiona Murray
BBC News Website

HMS Bounty is open to the public this weekend

A ship famously captained by Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean films has docked in Londonderry.

HMS Bounty, which stars as Black Pearl in the maritime adventure movies, has made an unscheduled stop in the port.

Built in 1962 for the film Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando, the stopover will facilitate essential repairs ahead of a UK tour.

The US-based tall ship was open to the public on Saturday.

The ship has just completed a $3m restoration and will undertake a seven-week UK tour prior to embarking on a world tour via South Africa and New Zealand to Pitcairn and Tahiti.

However, she is about three days ahead of schedule which is why she has sought out Londonderry Port for a "quiet" stopover before travelling to Maryport.

Johnny Depp captained the famous ship in his films

Her height meant she had to lower her mast to get into Queen's Quay in Derry on Wednesday, where she is expected to stay until Sunday.

The Assistant Harbour Master with Derry Port, Bill Martin, said they were "absolutely delighted" to accommodate the vessel, which at 55m long, is a full-size replica of the original.

He said it was a "beautiful sight to see the ship coming up the Foyle" to the quay.

"Although her arrival was not known in advance, around 150 people gathered at Queen's Quay to see her dock," he said.

The official UK tour begins at the birthplace of mutiny leader Fletcher Christian in Maryport, Cumbria, on Tuesday.

Christian took control of the Bounty with 11 other mutineers in the Pacific Ocean during an ill-fated trip to Tahiti and the West Indies in 1789.

Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen were set adrift in the ship's 23-foot launch, eventually reaching safety.

After Maryport and Whitehaven, HMS Bounty will visit Liverpool, Bristol and London before setting sail from Portsmouth to re-create the original Bounty voyage to Tahiti via Tenerife, Cape Town and New Zealand.