In 1787 Bligh became leader of a small expedition to be sent to Tahiti to get breadfruit trees . In 1787 , Bligh took command of the Bounty . In order to win a premium offered by the Royal Society of Arts , he first sailed to Tahiti to obtain breadfruit trees , then set course for the Caribbean , where breadfruit was wanted for experiments to see whether it would be a successful food crop for slaves there .