( CNN ) -- Claudene Christian dreamed of living a seafaring life like the historic HMS Bounty naval officer who shared her name centuries ago . She 'd secured a spot as a crew member on a replica of the Bounty and had announced it proudly on her Facebook page . But less than six months after joining the ship , her dream was cut short . As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast , its powerful winds swirled up waves that crippled the three-masted , 180-foot Bounty off North Carolina 's coast , forcing the 16-member crew to abandon ship . That 's when the waves swept Christian overboard , along with the Bounty 's captain and another crew member early Monday , Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert Parker told CNN . That crew member made it to a lifeboat ; Christian 's body was found on Monday evening . Capt . Robin Waldridge remains missing . Christian , 42 , often said she was related to Fletcher Christian , the 18th-century sailor blamed for leading the infamous mutiny on the real HMS Bounty . Grueling recovery begins . In May , Christian won a deckhand job on the Bounty replica , which was built for `` Mutiny on the Bounty , '' a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando . The tall ship also appeared in several other movies , including Disney 's `` Pirates of the Caribbean '' films . `` I was n't sure if they 'd take me because I did n't have a sailing background , '' she told a Canadian newspaper in August , `` although I 've been totally interested in it all my life . '' She boasted about the Bounty and her new assignment to her friends and family , describing the ship as a `` sailing museum '' on her Facebook page . On Twitter , Christian announced `` I am in love with my ship ... BOUNTY '' Seeing it as an opportunity to share `` our ship and our history , '' she posted , `` I 'm sure my ancestor would be proud ... '' The ship , she hoped , would begin more efforts toward educating schoolchildren , she told reporters . `` Claudene had a huge caring heart , '' Sequoyah County , Oklahoma , Sheriff Ron Lockhart told CNN affiliate KFSM . Christian once lived in Vian , Oklahoma . `` She will be missed . '' Sandy changes lives forever . Christian may have been a sailing novice , but she was no stranger to adventure . A former Miss Teen Alaska , she decided to start her own business at 17 and headed to California , as she describes on her Cheerleader Doll Company website , `` fresh out of Alaska and on my own in the Big City of LA . '' Once there , she attended the University of Southern California where friends tweeted that she performed as a `` USC Song Girl . '' `` She was always staying busy and active at things , '' her aunt , Patricia Saulsberry , told KFSM . Photos : Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy . Christian 's interest in the Bounty began after she toured a replica of Christopher Columbus ' Nina on the Arkansas River last year , Saulsberry said . The Bounty tragedy began when the ship , which was sailing from Connecticut to St. Petersburg , Florida , reported Monday that it had lost power and was taking on water about 125 miles off North Carolina . Water poured in through the hull of the 50-year-old wooden ship , the Bounty 's owner , Bob Hansen , told CNN affiliate KUSA . `` They just could n't stay afloat anymore , '' he said . Early Monday , the U.S. Coast Guard staged a daring helicopter rescue : They flew into the hurricane 's outer bands and plucked 14 of the surviving crew members from two lifeboats . A short distance away , the HMS Bounty sank to the bottom of the Atlantic , as Hurricane Sandy marched north . All of the crew members were wearing orange survival suits with strobe lights designed to keep them afloat , warm and easy to find . Coast Guard ships continue to search a 1,300-mile area around the site of the shipwreck for Waldridge , 63 . On Tuesday , the Coast Guard reported the water temperature was 77 degrees with 15-foot waves and 42-mph winds . Even with a survival suit , `` it 's very problematic '' to stay in position in heavy winds and rough seas , Parker said . Sandy 's impact state by state . The Bounty set sail Thursday , as Hurricane Sandy pummeled Cuba with an uncertain path after that . Nevertheless , people have posted pointed questions on the Bounty 's Facebook page suggesting Waldridge should n't have been sailing through such a violent storm . Hansen noted that the captain took the ship `` way out east , '' trying to steer around Sandy . `` He knows the ship , he 's been captain of her for over 20 years and nobody knows her better , '' Hansen said . `` I totally trusted his judgment . '' Waldridge is a good-natured , mild-mannered captain who has a special bond with the Bounty , according to Susan Robertson , who has known him since 2001 . `` Other than his wife , he acts like it 's his first love , '' said Robertson , who works at The Pier in St. Petersburg , where the Bounty is often docked . The ship 's crew , she said `` are like members of your own family . '' `` I hope they find him , '' she said . Get the latest information on the storm on CNN.com 's Just In blog .
Claudene Christian died after abandoning the HMS Bounty replica . The ship was found in a remote area of British Columbia by an amateur treasure hunter who had been looking for clues to its final resting place. Christian , a USC grad , had begun new life aboard movie ship . She said she hoped to educate children as a crew member .