Editing William Bligh (section)

==Early life==
Bligh was born on 9 September 1754,<ref name="Britannica"/> but it is not clear where. It is likely that he was born in [[Plymouth]], Devon, as he was baptised at [[St Andrew's Church, Plymouth|St Andrew's Church]] on Royal Parade in Plymouth on 4 October 1754,<ref>Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1–20, 22</ref> where Bligh's father, Francis, was serving as a customs officer. Bligh's ancestral home of Tinten Manor in [[St Tudy]], near [[Bodmin]], Cornwall, is also a possibility. Bligh's mother, Jane Pearce (née Balsam), was a widow who married Francis at the age of 40.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sttudy.org.uk/Bligh/bligh.htm |title=Vice-Admiral William Bligh |access-date=9 January 2008 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125130358/https://www.sttudy.org.uk/Bligh/bligh.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bligh was signed for the [[Royal Navy]] at age seven, at a time when it was common to sign on a "young gentleman" simply to gain, or at least record, the experience at sea required for a commission. In 1770, at age 16, he joined HMS ''Hunter'' as an [[Able Seaman (rank)|able seaman]], the term used because there was no vacancy for a [[midshipman]]. He became a midshipman early in the following year. In September 1771, Bligh was transferred to {{HMS|Crescent|1779|2}} and remained on the ship for three years.<ref name="Cook Society">{{cite web |title=William Bligh (1754–1817) |url=https://www.captaincooksociety.com/cooks-life/people/cooks-officers-and-crew-and-contemporaries/william-bligh-1754-1817 |website=Captain Cook Society |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>
[[File:William Bligh, 1775.jpg|right|thumb|William Bligh, 1775 by John Webber]]

In 1776, Bligh was selected by Captain [[James Cook]], for the position of [[sailing master]] of {{HMS|Resolution|1771|2}} and accompanied Cook in July 1776 on Cook's third voyage to the [[Pacific Ocean]], during which Cook was killed and was succeeded by Captain [[Charles Clerke]], who was dying from tuberculosis.<ref name="Cook Society"/> Due to his weakened state, Clerke placed Bligh in charge as navigator of the expedition and attempted to explore the Northwest Passage for a second time. Following Cook's and Clerke's deaths, Bligh played a significant role in navigating the beleaguered expedition back to England in August 1780.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seafaring Tales Presents: Captain James Cook's Second and Third Voyages |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce8AXF_H-fc |website=Youtube | date=9 November 2012 }}</ref> He was also able to supply details of Cook's last voyage following the return.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, daughter of a customs collector (stationed in [[Douglas, Isle of Man]]), on 4 February 1781.<ref name="Pacific Union">{{cite web |title=Vice Admiral William Bligh |url=https://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/bounty/wmbligh.shtml |website=Pacific Union College |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> The wedding took place at nearby [[Onchan]].{{sfn|Kneale|2007}} The couple had eight children together: six daughters and twin sons (the boys died in infancy).<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Pacific Union"/> The couple remained married until Elizabeth's death on 15 April 1812.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elizabeth (Betsey) Betham |url=https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/elizabeth-betsey-betham-24-21sxv9c |website=Ancestry.com |access-date=18 April 2023}}</ref> A few days after the wedding, Bligh was appointed to serve on [[French frigate Belle Poule (1766)|HMS ''Belle Poule'']] as master (senior warrant officer responsible for navigation). Soon after this, in August 1781, he fought in the [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1781)|Battle of Dogger Bank]] under [[Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet|Admiral Parker]], which won him his commission as a [[Lieutenant (Royal Navy)|lieutenant]]. For the next 18 months, he was a lieutenant on various ships. He also fought with [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Lord Howe]] at [[Great Siege of Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] in 1782.<ref name="Pacific Union"/>

Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Service]].<ref name="Thought">{{cite web |title=Biography of William Bligh, Captain of the HMS Bounty |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/napoleonic-wars-vice-admiral-william-bligh-2361145 |website=ThoughtCo |access-date=18 April 2023}}</ref> Like many lieutenants, he would have found full-pay employment in the Navy; however, commissions were hard to obtain with the fleet largely demobilised at the end of the War with France, during which that country was allied with the North American rebelling colonies in the [[War of American Independence]] (1775–1783). In 1787, Bligh was selected as commander of His Majesty's Armed Transport ''[[HMS Bounty|Bounty]]''. He rose eventually to the rank of [[vice admiral]] in the Royal Navy.<ref name="Thought"/>