Claudene Christian from Vian, Oklahoma was one of fifteen crew members aboard the replica ship HMS Bounty that sank approximately 100 miles off the coast of North Carolina when Hurricane Sandy reached the area.

The captain was trying to get the replica ship out of the path of the hurricane and it began to take on water. The HMS Bounty is not a military vessel and Christian was a part of the crew that toured the coast showing off the ship.

Christian was a cheerleader for UCLA in the late 1980s. Christian's body was recovered by the Coast Guard.