If there was one positive thing to be taken from the sinking of the Bounty in 2012, it might be the prevention of a similar accident in the future, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has released the final report regarding the Bounty to the public, and in it Captain J.C. Burton, Director of Inspections & Compliance, outlines several recommendations and possible actions to be taken in similar incidents in the future.

In the 100-page report, it was revealed that Captain Robin Walbridge's decision to take the 180-foot replica ship out during October 2012’s Hurricane Sandy was the main reason for the ship's loss 123 miles from Hatteras, N.C.

Walbridge and crew member Claudene Christian, a descendant of Fletcher Christian who was behind the mutiny on the original HMS Bounty, both lost their lives when the ship sank.

Burton also cited the ship's misidentified classification as one of the areas the Coast Guard would focus following the investigation.

The Bounty was classified as a recreational vessel, and in the report it’s suggested that the ship's management kept the title to avoid adding additional safety features, which would have made the tall ship a passenger or sailing school vessel.

One of the report's recommendations is to investigate similar ships' registrations to ensure their classification reflects the safety requirements, although it is noted that that precaution would have done nothing for the Bounty, because the ship met all the minimum safety requirements.

Related:

New book, ‘Rescue of the Bounty,’ subject at Boothbay Harbor literary luncheon

Federal Transportation Board issues report on sinking of tall ship Bounty

Victim’s mother sues Bounty owners

Bounty hearings conclude

Bounty hearings continued

Remembering the HMS Bounty

Search for Bounty captain suspended

Bounty captain missing

Bounty crew members missing

Bounty has returned