Have there been any mutinies in the U.S. Navy? I’m sure that if there were any successful ones, we would have heard of them. But what about attempts? Mare Island doesn’t count. Ship mutinies only, please.
I remember that in the introduction to Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny, the remarkable statement is made that there has never been a mutiny aboard a U.S. Navy ship.
I don’t recall any ship’s mutinies in the fifty years since that book was written. It’s not hard facts, but it is a place to start.
Here’s another interesting place to start:
As far as I know, the Brig Somers is the only mutiny in U.S. Navy history.
Thanks for the links!
When I was in the Navy, the topic of mutiny was taboo aboard ship. Since according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the letter of the law leaves open the possibility of being executed just for advising someone to mutiny. So as a bored and curious seaman, I could never ask a shipmate, “Hey, do you know if there’s ever a been a mutiny in the US Navy?” for fear of a passerby overhearing the word “mutiny” out of context. Well, actually I did ask it once, in hushed tones, and the response received was, “Holy shit, man! Don’t talk about that.”
That kind of prohibition on requesting a factual answer to a valid query is unethical, immoral, and–most important–illegal, Francis.
It wasn’t like it was an official prohibition, just an unwritten rule. Nobody wanted to talk about it. Your shipmates aren’t obligated to give you the time of day if it isn’t in the course of their duties.
In other words: the story you relate is just that–a story.