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Has there ever been mutiny on the high seas in the US Navy?<\/p>\n
While there has never been an actual mutiny on a US Navy ship, there was an attempt by part of the crew to mutiny on the USS Somers by some of the crew, who wanted to turn the ship into a pirate vessel. This is now referred to as The Somers<\/em> Affair.<\/p>\n The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk, was based on the events of the Somers<\/em> affair. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/USS_Somers_(1842)#The_.22Somers_Affair.22<\/a><\/p>\n The second\u00a0USS\u00a0Somers<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0was a\u00a0brig<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0United States Navy<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0John Tyler<\/a>\u00a0administration which became infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a\u00a0mutiny<\/a>\u00a0which led to executions.<\/p>\n Somers<\/em>\u00a0was launched by the\u00a0New York Navy Yard<\/a>\u00a0on 16 April 1842 and commissioned on 12 May 1842, with\u00a0Commander<\/a>\u00a0Alexander Slidell Mackenzie<\/a>\u00a0in command.<\/p>\n This Lithograph, published circa 1843, shows the mutineers hanging under the US flag.<\/p>\n This Lithograph, published circa 1843, shows the mutineers hanging under the US flag.<\/p>\n The “Somers<\/em> Affair” is described as follows (source: Wiki):<\/p>\n On 25 November 1842, during the passage to the\u00a0West Indies<\/a>,\u00a0Midshipman<\/a>\u00a0Philip Spencer<\/a>, the son of\u00a0Secretary of War<\/a>\u00a0John C. Spencer<\/a>, allegedly told purser’s steward J.W. Wales of a planned mutiny by approximately 20 of\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0crew, who intended to use the ship for\u00a0piracy<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0Isle of Pines<\/a>.\u00a0Seaman<\/a>\u00a0Elisha Small<\/a>\u00a0was involved in the conversation, and Wales was threatened with death if he revealed Spencer’s plan.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n On 26 November, Wales notified Captain Mackenzie of the plan through his chain of command via\u00a0purser<\/a>\u00a0H.M. Heiskill and first lieutenant\u00a0Guert Gansevoort<\/a>. Captain Mackenzie was not inclined to take the matter seriously, but instructed Lt. Gansevoort to watch Spencer and the crew for evidence of confirmation. Lt. Gansevoort learned from other members of the crew that Spencer had been observed in secret nightly conferences with seaman Small and\u00a0Boatswain’s Mate<\/a>\u00a0Samuel Cromwell<\/a>. Captain Mackenzie confronted Spencer with Wales’ allegation that evening. Spencer replied that he told Wales the story as a joke. Spencer was arrested and put in irons on the quarterdeck. Papers written in Greek were discovered in a search of Spencer’s locker and translated by Midshipman Henry Rodgers:[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0What is left out of possible reasons for Philip Spencer’s so called secret meetings with sailors and the Greek symbols in his journal is the fact that Philip Spencer was a founding member of the\u00a0Chi Psi<\/a>\u00a0fraternity at Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., in May, 1841. Spencer could have been trying to introduce sailors to a fraternal Navy group. He was also interested in pirates and buccaneers and may have used the pirates democratic model for a sailors’ “fraternity”.[2]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0He was insufficiently trained and foolishly unaware of the captain’s authority. Lt. Gansevoort was a cousin of\u00a0Herman Melville<\/a>\u00a0who heard about the Somers Affair from him and turned it into his famous novella\u00a0Billy Budd<\/em><\/a>\u00a0which takes place on a British frigate with a far different character than Philip Spencer.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n “CERTAIN: P. Spencer, E. Andrews, D. McKinley, Wales<\/p>\n “DOUBTFUL: Wilson (X), McKee (X), Warner, Green, Gedney, Van Veltzor, Sullivan, Godfrey, Gallia (X), Howard (X)<\/p>\n “Those doubtful marked (X) will probably be induced to join before the project is carried into execution. The remainder of the doubtful will probably join when the thing is done, if not, they must be forced. If any not marked down wish to join after the thing is done we will pick out the best and dispose of the rest.<\/p>\n “NOLENS VOLENS<\/a>: Sibley, Van Brunt, Blackwell, Clarke, Corney, Garratrantz, Strummond, Witmore, Waltham, Nevilles, Dickinson, Riley, Scott, Crawley, Rodman, Selsor, The Doctor<\/p>\n “Wheel: McKee<\/p>\n “Cabin: Spencer, Small, Wilson<\/p>\n “Wardroom: Spencer<\/p>\n “Steerage: Spencer, Small, Wilson<\/p>\n “Arm Chest: McKinley”<\/p>\n Herman Melville<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 whose first cousin, Lt. Guert Gansevoort, was an officer aboard the brig at the time of the\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0Affair \u2013 may have been influenced by the notorious events involving the\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0mutineers. Melville may have used elements of the story in his novella\u00a0Billy Budd<\/em><\/a>.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n The incident is detailed in the novel\u00a0Voyage to the First of December<\/em>\u00a0by Henry Carlisle, written from the viewpoint of the naval surgeon on duty (from his old journals). It is also described in detail in the novel\u00a0The Big Family<\/em>\u00a0by Vina Delmar.<\/p>\n The story of the\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0Affair and the subsequent trial is dramatized in the penultimate episode of the sixth\u00a0season<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0television series<\/a>\u00a0JAG<\/em><\/a>. The presentation takes place as a dream by Lt. Col.\u00a0Sarah MacKenzie<\/a>, while she prepares to give a lecture at the\u00a0United States Naval Academy<\/a>, which came into existence as a result of the\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0Affair.[6]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0The regular cast portrayed the people involved.\u00a0Trevor Goddard<\/a>\u00a0played the role of Mackenzie, and\u00a0Catherine Bell<\/a>\u00a0(in a play on the identical surname of her usual role in JAG) played Mrs. Mackenzie.<\/p>\n In 1986, an expedition led by George Belcher, an\u00a0art dealer<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0explorer<\/a>\u00a0from San Francisco, California, discovered the wreck, and in 1987\u00a0archaeologists<\/a>\u00a0James Delgado<\/a>\u00a0and Mitchell Marken confirmed the identification of the wreck. In 1990, Delgado, along with\u00a0Pilar Luna Erreguerena<\/a>, co-directed a joint Mexican-US expedition, which involved archmaeologists and divers from the US National Park Service<\/a>, the\u00a0Armada de Mexico<\/a>, and the\u00a0Instituto Nacional de Antropolog\u00eda e Historia<\/a>. The project determined that unknown people had looted the wreck sometime after the 1987 expedition. The wreck remains as a site protected by legislation.<\/p>\n The most notable legacy of the\u00a0Somers<\/em>\u00a0Affair is the US Naval Academy which was founded as a direct result of the affair. Appalled that a midshipman would consider mutiny, senior naval officials ordered the creation of the academy so that midshipmen could receive a formal and supervised education in naval seamanship and related matters. – article<\/p>\n Two novels about similar events and a classic movie came out of this heinous action by part of the Somers’ crew.\u00a0 And “The Caine Mutiny”? One of Bogey’s best films, but it took the Navy some serious time and soul-searching to agree to assist in production of the film.<\/p>\n The things we find out when we dig into history\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Somers%2C_starboard_side%2C_under_sail%2C_1842_-_NARA_-_512981.tif\/lossy-page1-220px-Somers%2C_starboard_side%2C_under_sail%2C_1842_-_NARA_-_512981.tif.jpg\")
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