HMS Bounty crew describes harrowing accounts of sinking ship

CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. — Crew members of the HMS Bounty are sharing their first-hand accounts of getting trapped in Hurricane Sandy.

The crew had to abandon their ship off the coast of Cape Hatteras during the storm.

"It was a washing machine in an earthquake while going down a giant slide," said crew member Laura Groves.

Thirteen members were pulled to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter.

They said just three days into their voyage, they were stuck in waves three-stories high.

By the fourth day, they made a tough decision.  "We determined a safe time when we knew the ship would still be stable and we could get everyone on deck and change our focus from saving the ship to saving every life," said crew member John Svendsen.

Crewmember Claudine Christian and Captain Robin Wallbridge died.

Christian's last text to her mother read, "If I do go down with the ship and the worst happens, just know that I am truly, genuinely happy."

WSOC