Internet Archaeology 11. Steptoe and Wood

Analysis of the historical accounts of the wrecking suggest none of the four Bounty mutineers lost with the Pandora are represented by the bones recovered.

Of the 31 crew members lost, several can be discounted from the probability of being confined within the ship's hull, and therefore excluded from being amongst the three individuals found. A summary of the 35 men lost with the Pandora, and their likelihood of being amongst the skeletal remains recovered is provided below. The two most likely candidates for the skeletal material recovered are the two unnamed individuals known to have been killed on the deck of the ship in the hours prior to the sinking.

Bounty mutineers	Likelihood
Richard Skinner	low
George Stewart	low
John Sumner	low
Henry Hildebrant	low

Pandora crew	Likelihood	Pandora Crew	Likelihood
John Andrews	low	Jonathan Grimwood	low
Alexander Arbuthnot	possible	Samuel Hammond	uncertain
Joseph Bandy	uncertain	Patrick Henry	uncertain
Robert Bowler	possible	Evan Jones	uncertain
Thomas Brixley	uncertain	William Lyons	uncertain
Robert Brown	possible	Richard Mackie	uncertain
Thomas Carroll	uncertain	Martin Maysoner	uncertain
William Carter	uncertain	James Miller	uncertain
James Cullemore	uncertain	William Perryman	uncertain
William Cray	uncertain	William Reeves	uncertain
William Dedworth	uncertain	William Rodrick	low
Daniel Durling	uncertain	William Skelton	uncertain
George Elington	uncertain	William Swan	uncertain
Robert Fea	uncertain	William Thompson	uncertain
William Fletcher	uncertain	Robert Webber	uncertain
James Gordon	uncertain

From a historical point of view, this study has attempted to provide an interpretation of the fate of the 35 people who lost their lives when the Pandora sank in 1791. The authors have attempted to shed light on the physical characteristics and lifestyle of three of these men as well as possible, including a detailed historical analysis of the events surrounding the wrecking of the Pandora.

At the time of publication, the authors are attempting detailed DNA analysis of the three Pandora skeletons. The successful extraction of DNA would open up the possibility of positive identification of the Pandora dead and preliminary evidence suggests this might be possible.

Discussion: the men lost from the Pandora wrecking