Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection (Bluejacket Books)

Leonard Guttridge's "Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection" is a very good overview of naval mutinies over the last 300 years. Between the varied stories of naval mutiny, Guttridge weaves in suitable discussions of the true nature of mutiny, both in fact and in law. Guttridge starts by giving a fairly in-depth account of the controversial mutiny on the Bounty. He then discusses the Spithead and Nore mutinies in Britain, the famous Somers mutiny in the U.S. Navy, while also mentioning less famous (but still noteworthy) mutinies. While Guttridge focuses primarily on the Anglophone world, he writes about a handful of mutinies in South American navies, the famous Potemkin mutiny in Imperial Russia, and the German naval mutinies at the end of the First World War. Guttridge concludes with the race riots (mutinies) aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and Constellation in 1972 and the mutiny of the Soviet frigate Storozhevoy in 1975. Woven into these stories, Guttridge discusses the causes of mutinies and their legal treatment. Often mutinies are caused by internal dissension or discomfort; other times they are caused by an inside agitator (or agitators) inspired either by their own desire for power or by outside political movements. Guttridge also discusses the legal definition of mutiny and how it has evolved and been treated by the British and American military justice systems. This is an excellent book for anyone with any interest in naval or military history. The reader will enjoy the well-written stories and gain a deeper appreciation of the uniqueness of naval mutinies.

_Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection_ by Leonard F. Guttridge is a thorough account of mutinies from the days of Magellan to the present, examining the concept, causes, and solutions to mutiny as well as looking in detail at a number of examples throughout history. Surprisingly, defining just what a mutiny is has been the subject of some debate, as different people at different times around the world have not agreed on just what constitutes mutiny. Whether they were writers of naval codes and regulations, judges presiding over a mutiny-related court martial, or a captain on a ship confronted with it, people have been in relatively little agreement on what exactly should be considered mutinous behavior, often changing the definition of mutiny from case to case of "collective insubordination" (one of the many euphemisms used instead of mutiny, a word avoided by many as it carries "its own exclamation;" other euphemisms have included "combat refusal," "disciplinary problem," and "demonstration of grievance"). So what is mutiny? Is it merely refusal to obey a superior officer? Does mutiny require a large number of men, merely two or more, or can one individual be guilty of mutinous behavior? Should mutiny be more narrowly defined as a "conspiratorial determination to overthrow authority and seize control" of a ship? Must there violence to warrant the use of the term mutiny; can there be a passive mutiny, such as a sit-down strike? Should mere talk of mutiny be treated the same as actual mutinous physical activity? Can mere disrespect (rather than outright disobedience) be considered mutinous, such as perhaps unflattering gossip, satirical cartoons circulated below decks, or even ugly glances at officers? There has also been debate over who gets to declare a mutiny is occurring over the centuries. Most might think that it would be the ship's captain or an admiral with the fleet, but many have felt it necessary that either other impartial witnesses must testify to the fact or instead believed it better that any alleged mutineers merely be detained and whether they were guilty of mutiny or not (and their punishment, if any) to be decided upon by a court martial back in port. Of course, particularly in the age of sail, when a vessel might be gone for months or even years and there were no rapid means of communication, locking up mutineers and especially waiting to decide whether or not a mutiny occurred and what punishment to inflict was highly impractical. During the days when many sailors were forced to work thanks to the efforts of press gangs, the gulf of class differences between officers and the lower decks was huge, and living conditions onboard could be quite bad, swift action in the face of mutiny was vital. What action might that be though? Throughout much of history death was the automatic punishment, but this was not always deemed practical, such as on small ships far from home, where every member of a crew was needed and rep

"Mutiny...Heard of it, but never run across it." Ahh, but you will run across it here. Mr. Guttridge takes us from the "Bounty" in 1787 to the "Storozhevoy" in 1975 with stops in between to observe those disturbances afloat and ashore which have plagued naval establishments of several nations over the years, the United States Navy included.This book deserves wider appeal than it will probably enjoy, most likely because the subject of mutiny seems to be only popular in fictional literature where authors employ their literary license to create events to enhance dramatic effect. Mr. Guttridge, on the other hand, provides several factual accounts of mutinies in a historical perspective. Letting the facts of the events speak for themslves he allows us to form our own opinions as to who are the villains and who are the heroes, if any. Mr. Guttridge has clearly disabused those notions of mutinies as being exemplified by the violent, bloody overthrowing of authority figures which have as their cause truamatic acts of punishment and physical abuse. While those kind of conditions did occur, they are by no means the norm in terms of conditions which provoke or result from a mutiny. Mr. Guttridge presents such causes and effects in individual instances in the context of the times and the personalities of the protaganists. He discusses aspects of the greater and lesser known mutinies with which most have little or no knowledge, often including the legal difficulties in wrestling with a universally accepted definition of what constitutes a mutiny. I selected this book because it contained information about a particular event I was curious about. Certainly the subject matter has a limited audience but if if you have at least a passing interest in the subject, or are considering organizing or joining a mutiny, you might also consider adding this book to your collection.