] ] well there would be several officers on board ship.

Indeed. And every one of them would have to have proved he was a competent navigator before receiving a commission. It was one of the tests.

> But Bligh had a natural aptitutde for navigation - look how he took his men away safely from the Bounty. but I hve seen a programme about the mutiny which posits that Bligh was considered of low rank -- he was fit for the more mundane tasks, but admitteldy he was not much good at command

No more than many ships' captain's apptitudes. He was never too far from land, after all. As for command, it's true he got into trouble twice--on the other hand, the Navy thought well enough of him to give him a second chance. There were certainly other ill-favored captains of His Majesty. But Blight seems to have more unlucky in the circumstances of his commands combined with his character, than of low "rank" or "breeding".

YHOS,
Snarkhunter