Ready port gun.
Ready port gun!
Ready your lines.
Ready your lines!
Beat the call.
Beat the call!
Fire!
It's quite an honour, colonel. Lecturing at the Naval Academy.
It'll be an honour if I finish writing the lecture before it's time to start.
Isn't this a bad week to be doing this? Before my wedding,
I was yelling at some caterer about an ice swan.
- Did it help? - Nothing helped.
Until I walked into that church and I saw Bud waiting for me at the altar.
An early wedding present, Mac.
- Lieutenant. - Sir.
Printed from microfilm.
Complete coverage of the Somers Affair
in the New York Commercial Advertiser 1842 and 1843.
- I could exchange it for a blender. - No, that's very thoughtful of you.
You, of course, know that that's not the real gift.
I know, but you wouldn't happen to have a lecture in your pocket?
Fascinating case. Wish I could hear what you had to say.
Me too.
- The captain's name was Mackenzie? - Alexander Slidell Mackenzie.
Friend of Washington Irving and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
An author himself.
He's related by marriage to Commodore Perry.
- And to you, ma'am? - No, but the name got me interested.
He had an impeccable reputation as a naval officer.
Well, until his cruise on the USS Somers.
What happened? Shipwreck?
No. Worse.
Ready your lines.
Beat the call.
Beat the call!
Fire!
Whip!
Come in.
First Lieutenant Gansevoort reporting to the Secretary of War.
- At ease, lieutenant. - Thank you, sir.
You come from the Somers?
- How is Commander Mackenzie? - Well, sir.
We docked in New York on Monday.
You travelled very swiftly to see me. Why?
Sir, the commander has sent me to inform you of certain events.
I regret to inform you that our voyage was troubled by
a mutiny.
- Mutiny? - Yes, sir.
And Commander Mackenzie, the ship, are well?
All is well, sir.
Except for three mutineers who were hanged.
- Hanged? Where? - At sea.
It is my sad duty, sir, to report that one of them
was your son.
Philip?
Sorry, sir.
He led the mutiny.
The son of the Secretary of War?
Philip Spencer. Bright, but a drinker, a brawler.
He spent three years as a college freshman before being expelled.
His father got him appointed the midshipman just to straighten him out.
Sit. I'm looking for Albritton's Law of the Sea.
Oh, sir, that should be in your office.
Or right here, sir.
Philip Spencer had been obsessed with pirates since he was a teenager.
His plan, apparently, was to take over the Somers
and turn it into a pirate ship.
What'd he do? Storm the decks, pistols blazing, swords drawn?
Actually, the mutiny never happened.
The captain must've had reason to think that it would.
Well, that question was raised
by, among others, the Secretary of War.
The Navy convened a court of enquiry.
since we embarked New York, 13 September last
on a training mission for young sailors and officers.
The officers, as a group, I was pleased to receive.
Except Midshipman Spencer.
You began the voyage displeased with him, commander?
I'd heard reports, sir, of libertine behaviour and casual disrespect.
On a previous ship?
Yes.
But on the Somers I soon saw the character of the man for myself.
And then she says to me, "Spencer, where would you bury your chest?"
Mr. Spencer.
Report.
Sir?
A naval officer does not report to his captain holding a cigar.
Well, it's a fine cigar, sir.
If you refuse to honour your officer's uniform
and properly supervise your men,
I will strip you of it
and you will clean the deck
and they will smoke cigars.
Dismissed.
Aye, aye, sir.
Back to work or I'll flog you myself. Get back to work.
Sir.
You hear the captain, Wales?
He requests I attend better to my duties.
Then perhaps you should.
I'd like to catch him on the roundhouse one night.
Plunge him overboard. Perhaps I shall do that.
Damned if I don't.
Improper and punishable,
but he is not the first young officer to denounce his captain.
A few days later, he approached my master-at-arms.
A fine day, sir.
- As you were. - Aye, sir.
And a fine ship with which to enjoy it.
Nothing in the fleet can catch her.
I suppose not, sir.
But has the Navy a need to catch her own ships?
I could take her with six men.
You couldn't with three times six.
Six men, sergeant.
Providing their leader knows the lay of the ship as I do.
We would seize the captain and the officers and take the arms chest
and when the rest of the crew see my men in arms
they will all come over.
The officers have swords, sir.
And your six would have?
We would run them through with their own swords
and heave their bodies into the sea.
Things came to a head a few nights later.
I don't know.
Do you fear death, Wales?
Are you afraid to kill a man?
I don't know, Mr. Spencer.
Is there someone I must kill?
Can you keep a secret?
I can.
I'm planning on taking the ship.
You cannot be serious.
Good God.
I have 20 men with me.
Their names are on a piece of paper in secret writing.
Two of them are gonna stage a fight on the forecastle.
When the officer on the deck comes to settle the matter,
he will be thrown overboard.
And the other officers?
We will surprise them in the wardroom.
Kill them all there.
Call the crew on the deck, select the ones that we want,
and toss the rest over the side.
- Why? - Why?
Why, then we commence cruising for prized vessels.
- As pirates? - Yes.
Can you imagine a better life, Wales?
Treasure, freedom.
And some of the ships we take will have women.
Will you join us?
It is
intriguing.
Wales, it would be a waste to throw you overboard.
I want you as my third officer.
We'll talk again.
If you lisp a syllable about this to anyone,
twenty men stand ready to put a knife in you, all right?
Nevertheless, Mr. Wales found the courage to report the conversation.
I had Mr. Spencer placed under arrest and his quarters searched.
Lieutenant Gansevoort found this in his shaving kit.
Written in Greek letters, but easy to decipher. A list of accomplices.
Two of whom I also arrested.
Commander, your intentions at the time
were to bring these men home for court martial
as prescribed by the Articles of War?
Yes, sir.
But I did not have that luxury.
It seems to me, commander,
that it is they who were denied a benefit.
Then you, sir, need to understand the situation.
The Somers is swift but small.
There is no place to hold men under arrest
other than on the deck with the rest of the crew.
Some of whom may be their accomplices.
Some of the accomplices we knew,
others we did not.
Overall, the crew became sullen, disobedient.
Whispered conversations broke up when officers approached.
My officers stood double watches.
They grew exhausted, and they were vulnerable, sir.
And the men under arrest,
they remained confident and insolent.
What other explanation than they were expecting to be rescued?
I referred the matter to a council of my officers
who met independently of me.
And concluded we had no other alternative than to rig the gallows.
That was the most terrible decision of my life.
But I would do it again, sir,
for the sake of my duty to my ship,
to my country
and to my God.
Commander Mackenzie,
we have heard your evidence and that of your crew.
And we have concluded
that owing to difficult conditions aboard the USS Somers
and the demonstrated malefactions of the mutineers aboard her,
your actions were justified in every respect.
We stand adjourned.
I told you, darling, there was nothing to fear.
I had faith in you, Alexander. I did not know if they would.
Congratulations, sir. It's been a pleasure serving under you.
Congratulations, sir.
Thank you.
My dear, let's go home.
Forgive me, commander, if I don't offer my congratulations.
Mr. Secretary, I am sorry things had to turn out as they did.
Had to, commander? You had no options?
- The court just found that he did not. - With all due respect, ma'am,
your husband's reputation is still at stake.
Sir, I would gladly defend my reputation in any venue you propose.
Excellent.
I propose a court martial.
Allow me to introduce Commander Norris
who will serve as trial counsel.
Commander, ma'am.
You would prosecute me, commander?
On what charge?
Among others, three counts of murder, sir.
The Naval Academy exists today,
you are at Annapolis today because of what happened
on a training mission of the USS Somers 159 years ago,
where the need for some better method of training Naval officers
was tragically demonstrated.
That's an understatement.
It's a key point, Mic. There are so many key points.
I was hoping this would be a relaxing break from planning a wedding.
No worries, it's all under control.
Is it? The caterer called me today about her cheque.
- You delivered it by 5, right? - Right.
And you faxed the new song list to the band?
Yeah. More Motown.
And did you call the airline about Chloe flying alone?
Oh, I'll call them tomorrow.
- Tomorrow? - Tomorrow.
Am I on trial here?
First charge, conduct unbecoming an officer.
Second charge, oppression.
Third charge, unnecessary cruelty.
Fourth charge, illegal punishment.
Fifth charge, murder onboard a United States vessel on the high seas.
How does the defendant plead?
Not guilty.
Will the court admit into evidence the record compiled
- by the court of enquiry...? - Objection.
- Whose verdict exonerated my client?
The court may have exonerated him, but the record does not.
Commander, shall we proceed to witnesses
and save the argument for later?
Yes, sir.
I call Sergeant Michael Garty to the stand.
Sergeant,
do you swear that the evidence you give in this case
shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
- so help you God? - Yes, sir.
Be seated.
Sergeant,
the record of the board of enquiry includes an account of a conversation
you had with Midshipman Spencer
during which he said he could take the USS Somers with six men.
That's right, sir. That's what he said.
Sergeant, were you acquainted with Midshipman Spencer
before that conversation?
We all knew him, sir.
By "we" you mean the common sailors onboard the ship?
Yes, sir.
Mr. Spencer was quite popular with the men.
Because he was brave.
Because he was strong, he was an accomplished seaman?
Actually, sir, he gave away a lot of cigars and shared his rum.
Even though Commander Mackenzie had forbidden
tobacco and alcohol to the men?
That's right, sir.
Sergeant, was Midshipman Spencer
a natural leader, one men would follow into action?
Well, they'd follow him into a tavern if he was buying.
Sergeant, Commander Mackenzie's account
of your conversation with Mr. Spencer
did not take us to the end of it.
Would you favour us with your own recollection of it?
Yes, sir.
He approached me by the rail.
He told me, like the captain said,
that he could take the ship with six men.
Six men, sergeant.
Providing their leader knew the lay of the ship as I do.
Oh, I hardly think so, sir.
Be sure of it.
And, sir, you may be sure that when the crew turns up,
they would toss you and your six overboard
or we would be a very poor crew.
But once we have the arms...
But how would you get the arms, sir?
I have the key to the chest.
If you joined us, sergeant.
Oh, excuse me, sir.
And you laughed?
I couldn't help myself, sir.
It seemed so ridiculous.
Thank you, sergeant.
Sergeant Garty,
have you ever heard of the HMS Bounty?
Of course, sir. There was a mutiny on that ship.
And the mutiny aboard the HMS Hermione?
Every sailor knows of it, sir.
The captain of the Hermione was slaughtered.
- Along with eight of his officers. - Yes, sir.
Do you think any of the mutineers
might've mentioned their plans to fellow crew members
before killing people?
I don't know, sir. I wasn't there.
No.
You were only aboard the Somers
listening to Midshipman Spencer make dire threats and laughing.
How ridiculous might his words have seemed to you, sergeant,
after the captain was run through with his own sword
and his body heaved into the sea?
Mr. Wales, you occupy the position of purser's steward?
That's right, sir.
As such, what were your duties aboard the Somers?
Bookkeeping mostly, sir.
Handling the ship's accounts, logging purchases from the ship's stores...
Like cigars and rum Mr. Spencer gave to the crew?
Yes, sir.
When Mr. Spencer approached you about being part of his mutiny,
how long had you been at sea?
The Somer's cruise was my second, sir.
I'd been under sail a total of six months.
Mr. Wales, do you know how to navigate?
- No, sir. - Organise a watch list?
- No, sir. - But you do know
- how to keep accounts? - Yes, sir.
What was your reaction
when Mr. Spencer approached you about being a part of his mutiny?
Fear, sir. And I'm not afraid to admit it.
Fear? Not confusion?
- Sir? - Why would Mr. Spencer
recruit a bookkeeper to be third in command of a pirate ship?
Did he intend to capture the other vessels
by subtracting their guns from them?
I admit, sir, I wondered myself.
As well you might have.
Your witness.
But then I remembered...
Oh, am I finished?
No, Mr. Wales, please continue.
Then I remembered that when Mr. Spencer spoke to me,
Sergeant Garty was ill. I was the acting master-at-arms.
So you had the key to the arms chest?
That's right, sir.
So things are clear after all.
Thank you, Mr. Wales.
Ma'am.
You're making much work of this.
I did not seek the job, ma'am. The job sought me.
The job?
You're trying to destroy my husband.
You should be honouring him. Everyone should.
And someone needs to speak for the men who died.
Mutineers.
- Have you ever captained a ship? - No.
- Commanded men under arms? - No.
Been to sea?
For a while.
Commander Mackenzie went to sea at the age of 11.
He's commanded men and ships in peace and war.
And you question his actions from the safety of a courtroom?
How do you think you can begin to understand?
I killed him, sir.
- Begging your pardon, sir. - You killed whom?
Mr. Spencer and the others.
I was on the lines.
Fire!
Whip!
You were compelled.
I hope God sees it that way, sir.
How goes it with the captain? Will you hang him?
That will be up to the panel.
- Do you know about the floggings, sir? - I've seen the log.
At least one or two men every day, sir. Twelve lashes at a time.
For skulking, being dirty, spilling tea on the deck.
- Tell them. Tell the judges. - It may do no good.
Then show them, sir.
For washing clothes without permission.
Son, if I showed this to the court,
it may make them believe the crew was prepared to mutiny.
I never heard talk of no mutiny, sir.
Not from Mr. Spencer, not from anybody.
And if you did, would you have joined them?
Those men didn't deserve to die, sir.
Do something.
Please, sir.
Ma'am, your schedule.
They're expecting you at the Naval Academy tomorrow night.
You speak about the Somers mutiny the next morning at 0900.
Forty-six hours and 11 minutes.
- How do you do that, ma'am? - Thank you, gunny.
Excuse me, colonel?
About your transportation to Annapolis.
- Need the duty driver? - I'll take my vehicle.
Do you need travel claim for mileage reimbursement?
No... Yes, but not now.
So?
- Innocent or guilty? - Who?
Your great-grandfather, the captain of the Somers.
- He's not my great-grandfather. - Are you sure?
You know, I still have a lot of work left to do,
is there anything else you want?
Yeah.
You're headed down the home stretch and I just wondered
if everything was okay.
With the lecture?
Come on, Mac, at your engagement party.
You know, with us.
I overstepped the boundaries of a well-wisher and...
I overstepped the bounds of a bride.
So we're okay?
I think so.
You okay?
L... I just need to finish this lecture.
You're familiar with naval regulations.
I am, sir.
Including regulations for the Navy Marine Corps
published in February 1841?
I am, sir.
Do those regulations provide that persons accused of crimes
have the right to appear before the tribunal judging them,
to confront witnesses against them,
and to make a case in their own defence?
I believe they do, sir.
Were these rights extended to Midshipman Philip Spencer
and the two men hanged with him aboard the USS Somers?
We did the best we could, sir, under the circumstances.
The best you could?
That must mean the council of officers convened by Commander Mackenzie?
Yes, sir. We met and carefully considered their case.
Without the accused men being present?
Without the accused men even knowing
they were being judged.
They were not present during our deliberations, sir,
but I did conduct an interview with Mr. Spencer after his arrest.
While he was confined in irons
on the deck?
Yes, sir.
And what he had to say was very incriminating.
- I cannot help it, sir. - Help what?
Plotting mutinies.
- You've done this before? - Yes, sir.
On the John Adams and the Potomac.
To turn them into pirate ships also?
I have had not a great success on land, sir.
I imagine a larger way to live. On the sea, my own master.
It is a fantasy, Mr. Spencer, and a dangerous one.
I cannot stop.
I've tried, but I cannot.
It's a mania with me.
John Adams and the Potomac,
they were the other ships Mr. Spencer had served on?
Yes, sir. And he plotted mutinies on both, by his own admission.
Lieutenant, was there ever a mutiny on the John Adams or the Potomac?
No, sir.
And for that matter, there wasn't even a mutiny on the Somers, was there?
Because we prevented it, sir.
Yes. Your evidence.
The list in Greek characters of Mr. Spencer's accomplices.
Three columns. The first "Certain," second "Doubtful,"
third, "To be kept with us, willing or not."
Would you read the list of the "Certain" accomplices, please?
Mr. Spencer, himself.
I would hope so.
Elisha Small, the quartermaster.
Who was arrested and hanged with Spencer.
- Daniel McKinley. - Arrested later and is awaiting trial.
Purser's Steward Wales.
Wales was the man who turned Spencer in.
Spencer thought he could trust him, sir.
Very well. Continue with the "Certain" list.
That is all.
So he had three certain accomplices among a crew of 120,
and one of the three was the man who betrayed the plot.
We were in a dangerous situation, sir.
Commander Mackenzie apparently felt that way.
Didn't he instruct you to make sure that the council of officers
would recommend hanging the three men arrested?
He only instructed me to make sure that all the evidence was considered.
He was the captain.
It was his option to run things as he saw fit.
Including your testimony here, lieutenant?
No, sir.
Hasn't the captain recommended your promotion?
I object. The question is not relevant, whether it's true or not.
It's relevant if Commander Mackenzie has influence over his officers
to do his bidding for him.
Your Honour, this is outrageous.
It is allowed. The witness may deny it.
The captain did honour me
by commending me to the Navy Department.
But for merit, sir.
Apparently, the USS Somers was a veritable wonderland
of excellent sailing.
Commander Mackenzie has recommended promotions
for every officer on the ship.
Except the ones he hanged.
He was supposed to be one of our finest officers.
I actually wanted my son to go to sea under him.
You could not have foreseen what happened, sir.
Well, I knew my son wasn't perfect, commander.
I even heard him speak of becoming a pirate,
but I wasn't a big enough fool to believe him.
It seems others believed him as well.
A ship commanded by a Mohammedan
will become a nest of Mohammedans.
The captain has influence over the minds of his men.
Apparently Mackenzie did not have much influence over your son, sir.
That would've been a strong point in Philip's favour,
if it hadn't kill him.
Your Honour, I call Mrs. Alexander Mackenzie to the stand.
The defendant's wife?
Your Honour, she cannot testify against her husband.
She cannot testify to anything confided to her by her spouse,
but anything said or done with a third party present
is already not confidential.
True, but this is still distasteful.
It is my right, Your Honour.
Mr. Griffin may cross-examine if he chooses.
I do not choose.
Mrs. Mackenzie, would you please take the stand?
Do you swear that the evidence you give in this case
shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
- so help you God? - I do.
Please, be seated.
Mrs. Mackenzie, while this court was in recess,
were you present during a conversation
between Commander Mackenzie and First Lieutenant Gansevoort?
Were you spying on us, sir?
You made no attempt to conceal yourselves, ma'am.
Because there was no reason to hide.
- Ma'am, what did the two men say? - Of you, sir, nothing nice.
Well, I'm not surprised.
Your husband's officers refused to give me interviews.
Your Honour, there must be some showing of relevance here.
I will make it apparent, sir.
Ma'am, have you ever heard your husband or any of his officers
discuss the testimony they'll give in this court?
I believe I have.
Did you husband ever make suggestions
- as to how his officers should testify? - He did not.
Did any of the officers ever express a desire
to protect Commander Mackenzie?
They did not.
Would you tell us if they did?
Are you now suggesting that I too
am part of some conspiracy of silence?
No, ma'am. It's only natural. You do love your husband, don't you?
Ma'am, I only asked if you loved your husband.
You are under oath.
I don't know.
You don't know what, love?
- Morning, colonel. - Morning, sir.
Looking a little ragged there.
Gee, not something you should say to a bride-to-be.
I've been having strange dreams, sir, about the USS Somers.
Making it personal.
You dream about taking over a ship, becoming a pirate?
It's beginning to seem like an attractive option, sir.
Mac, it's just prewedding jitters.
I remember the week before my wedding...
Well, actually I don't, but I'm sure I was miserable.
- The marriage damn sure was. - That's another thing you don't want to
- say to a bride-to-be. - Say to a bride-to-be.
Mac.
Can we talk?
Why not?
Mac, I value you as a friend, or whatever.
I know.
But most of all I respect you.
And you've made a choice to get married and I...
I respect that.
There's a lot of respect going on there, Harm.
You have the right to be happy and,
you know, whatever's going on between us,
or not going on, I mean, between us.
L...
I want you to be happy.
Even if I'm happy with Brumby?
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Be seated.
Commander Mackenzie,
when you first heard from Purser's Steward Wales
about the mutinous plot led by Midshipman Spencer,
what did you think?
I assumed Mr. Spencer had been reading piratical stories
and had amused himself with Mr. Wales.
So you didn't take him seriously?
At first, no.
What caused you to change your mind?
I kept a watch on Mr. Spencer and made enquiries among the men.
I learned he had been asking about the accuracy
of the ship's chronometer,
the basis of the ship's navigation system.
I heard he had been seen in secret conversations
with malcontents among the crew.
He had made a drawing of a pirate ship
and he had enquired into the Isle of Pines,
a well-known gathering spot for pirates.
And he had remarked, sir, that it would give him great pleasure
to roll me from the round top.
So you arrested him.
But even then, you intended to return him
to the United States for trial, did you not?
In accordance with the regulations for the Navy and Marine Corps.
- Yes. - Until, as you told the court of enquiry,
you feared an imminent uprising to seize the prisoners and take the ship?
Yes. Executing the prisoners made that impossible.
None of the other members of the plot
had sufficient knowledge to handle the ship.
One of the reasons my officers,
independently, recommended the execution.
Sir, on your way home from the western Atlantic,
did you spy any merchant ships?
Many. All of whom may very well have suffered
pillage and rape had I not done what I did.
Thank you, commander.
I have no further questions.
It would've given him pleasure to roll you from the round top,
he asked about the chronometer and directions to the Isle of Pines,
he drew a picture of a pirate ship?
Well, there was more, sir. His conversation with Wales.
Which you thought a fantasy, that's what you said.
I said at first.
Shall we go in circles all day, sir?
Can you identify this?
That is a watch bill for the execution prepared by me.
The date, sir.
Thirty, November.
So the day before
your independent council of officers recommended an execution,
you had made arrangements for it?
I did not ask them to recommend hanging,
but I believed the facts would lead them there.
You said the decision to hang Spencer
and the others was the most terrible of your life.
Yes.
It was a terrible day.
Mr. Spencer, I've come to inform you your fellow officers
have reached a decision.
Your life is forfeit to your country.
- When? - In an hour.
L... I'm not ready to die, captain.
Now is the time to set an example, Mr. Spencer,
as an officer to the men you corrupted.
A terrible day.
Yet shortly after your return to New York,
you proposed your nephew be appointed midshipman,
the position made vacant by Mr. Spencer's death.
You cannot be suggesting, sir,
that I hanged Mr. Spencer to give my nephew a job.
No, I'm questioning whether it was necessary to hang Spencer at all.
Well, there is no doubt.
You were less than two days sail from Antigua.
Why not sail there, unload the accused men
until they could be shipped home for trial?
Heading towards any foreign port would've been a sign of weakness
and may very well have inspired the mutiny I sought to prevent.
Is that what you were afraid of?
Or were you afraid that Mr. Spencer might not hang at all?
Are you not going too far, captain?
You did not consult me when making arrangements
for your mutiny, Mr. Spencer.
Does the law justify you?
You may think not,
but I hardly think you can be objective.
This will kill my mother.
The scandal will surely tar my father.
If you had succeeded in your mutiny, Mr. Spencer,
it would've been a greater scandal, as would taking you home.
How?
How will taking me home for trial harm him?
He is your father.
He would interfere to save you.
That's what you were afraid of.
Your hasty judgement might be overturned.
I only meant by interfering,
the Secretary of War would dishonour himself.
So you hanged his son to save the Secretary's reputation?
No, I hanged his son because the threat of mutiny was real.
- You were still the captain. - The men were plotting.
Your officers had all the guns.
- They were exhausted. - Were you exhausted?
I may do with little sleep for many days.
Might that have affected your state of mind?
Sir, you were not there.
Well, you were missing sleep. You heard tall tales of mutiny and pirates.
You saw plotters behind every timber.
Are you suggesting I was deluded?
I'm suggesting you were afraid.
- Sir, if we were not in this setting... - Commander, I'm not in irons.
You might find me more difficult to do in than Mr. Spencer.
It is time.
I'm Christian, sir.
Do you think there may be repentance for me at this late hour?
Our saviour pardoned the thief on the cross.
Will you pardon me, captain?
Your mutiny, Mr. Spencer, would've started with my death.
I don't hate you.
It was my fancy to become a pirate.
I thought it an adventure. A noble adventure.
Noble, Mr. Spencer?
Aye, sir.
I'm sorry, captain.
You may think me a coward, but judge me again
after you see how I die.
The question before you was not whether
mutiny was afoot aboard the USS Somers,
but whether the captain of the Somers acted honestly
to his own best judgement,
without corrupt motive, when he concluded there was.
We must put ourselves in his place,
scanning the disaffected faces of the crew,
breathing the atmosphere of tension and mistrust,
struggling to confine the arrested men on a ship so small
they could not be separated from a mass of men
who might, at any moment, act to free them.
Did Commander Mackenzie act precipitously?
Ask the captain of the Bounty,
or of the Hermione, if he had survived,
whether it is reasonable to hesitate in the face of such a threat.
Commander Mackenzie honoured his duty to his ship,
its innocent crew members,
and an untold number of merchant ships.
He did not have the leisure to question his own decisions.
Neither should we.
What kind of Navy do we want?
One where a captain caught up in rumour and random acts
can, without proof or trial, snuff out the lives of men
given no opportunity to defend themselves?
Or one where all men are treated fairly,
command bows to decency,
and law is honoured above the noose?
Warship captains, for centuries,
have made themselves into kings afloat.
And in that tradition, Commander Mackenzie acted.
But this nation fought a revolution to rid itself of a king.
And its Navy should reflect the principles we bled and died for
and not the despotism that we overthrew.
I respectfully ask you
to send that message now to Commander Mackenzie
and to future generations of officers in the United States Navy.
Commander Mackenzie, you will rise.
On the first charge against you, conduct unbecoming an officer,
this court martial finds the case
not proven.
On the second charge, oppression,
this court martial finds the case
not proven.
On the third charge, unnecessary cruelty,
this court martial finds the case
not proven.
On the fourth charge, illegal punishment,
this court martial finds the case
not proven.
On the fifth charge,
murder onboard a United States vessel on the high seas,
this court martial finds the case
not proven.
Ready to go?
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah. I'm... I'm finished.
Great. How'd the trial end?
Not guilty on all counts.
Must've been a relief for the captain.
Not entirely.
It was customary back then
to commend an officer who was acquitted of misconduct,
to clear his reputation completely.
Commander Mackenzie's court martial
specifically stated it was not commending him.
A slap in the face.
He never really recovered.
He died five years later at the age of 45.
The Somers sank two years before that in the Mexican War.
Well, if we leave now, we can be in Annapolis for dinner.
Well, knock them dead.