A Naval Mutiny, Its Factors And Features
The declaration of a mutiny was a constant and justified fear aboard ships during the Age of Discovery (early 15th to late 18th centuries). With over 100 documented mutiny events, there is the potential to have been countless more. Though mutinous crew did not always organise a mutiny, the constant, underlying threat was more than enough to instill fear in the leadership. The overrunning of ships, and the leadership being slaughtered or taken prisoner, alongside the overall mayhem of mutinies could quickly and easily cripple any expedition; even if the leadership regain control, serious damage to both ship and men would be sustained, forcing trips short. Prior to the Human Rights Act of 1998 which abolished all use of the death penalty in the United Kingdom, mutiny was an action punishable by death. Despite the looming threat of the death penalty, many sailors deemed it worth their life to overthrow the current leadership and captain to take control of the ship. Though there was constant abuse, mistreatment, and a lack of food, these are just a few of the many reasons there was an incentive to rebel.
Each mutiny pertains to individual conditions, and though every mutiny had different catalysts, the underlying abuse, mistreatment, and malnourishment of the crew were typical commonalities between mutinous crew. One of the most consistent and primary catalysts for mutinous crewman was the racial and cultural insensitivity from the leadership, with most men, white or nonwhite being treated as inferiors. During the Age of Discovery, slavery was rampant, with the East India Company, and many others, sailing ships full of slaves for trade. Due to the constant abuse and mistreatment, slaves became extremely disobedient, eventually leading to a mutiny. Perhaps the most well-known slave mutiny was aboard the East Indian Companies ship, Meermin. After capturing 140 Malagasy people to trade as slaves, the crew of 58 set sail from Madagascar on January 20th, 1766. After a month at sea, the Malagasy people were forced to clean the leaderships weapons, and after being asked to return them the Malagasy people became mutinous. After a three week mutiny, and losing 30 Malagasy people and half of the leadership crew, a truce was declared.
The second contributing factor to mutinous crew was the underpayment, lack of back pay, and the lack of promotion opportunities. Many crewman hoped to work their way up the ranks, eventually joining the leadership team, though a lack of opportunity to do so was not well received. Furthermore, the underpayment of regular crewman, and the lack of back pay for work done understandably riled the crew. A well documented example of a mutiny being caused by underpayment, poor working conditions, and lack of promotion was the 1933 mutiny aboard the Dutch warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën. Crew aboard the ship were protesting pay cuts and poor working conditions when they spontaneously decided to rebel against their leadership. However, after a six day fight, trying to gain control and get what the pay rises and better conditions, the Dutch Defence Minister Laurentius Nicolaas Deckers authorised an aircraft attack, bombing De Zeven Provinciën. After the death of 23 mutineers due to the bombing, the remaining men immediately surrendered.
The third incentiviser of mutiny was the poor terms of service and pensions. Many low ranked crew were forced to reside in cramped, dank living spaces and sometimes forced to sleep on the floors. Many men disagreed with this, and would decide to take the terms of service they deemed deserved. The mutiny HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën was also partly due to the terms of service. Finally, though not exclusive to exploratory expeditions, were the environments and terrain that the men aboard would find themselves in. An expedition led by Henry Hudson on the British East Indian ship Discovery to explore and survey Hudson Bay in Northeastern Canada. After getting the Discovery trapped in ice, and with a crew longing to return home, his leadership was overthrown. After a short lived mutiny, Hudson and his son, along with six men loyal to him were sent to their death in a small ship. It should be noted that typically no single factor was in itself enough to start a mutiny. However, the cumulative effect meant a catalyst was all that was needed to turn quiet discontent into a much more serious affair.
After the 1789 mutiny aboard the Bounty, the rebellious crew managed to hijack their ship and build anew island community. On a mission to collect and observe saplings within the South Pacific, the crew, commanded by William Bligh, became quicky dissatisfied with their leadership. Many of the crew became enamored within the lifestyle of the islanders, with some marrying the island’s women. After flogging many of his men for dereliction of duty, and being forced to set sail a group of unhappy crew became mutinous and took Bligh captive. After capturing the ship, Bligh and 18 men loyal to him were forced into a small ship and abandoned at sea, with the disgruntled crew hoping to return to Tahiti to their wives and island lifestyle. However, after getting distracted on their way, the men settled on the isolated island of Pitcairn, establishing their own community, with the last member dying in 1829. The mutiny aboard the Bounty displays how when the men were subjected to poor terms of service, forced to leave their new homes, and undergo physical and mental abuse the found incentive to rebel. The crew had no issues until stopping for 5 months on Tahiti, allowing the men to settle in. However, after beating the crew Bligh deemed derelict, the undertone of mutiny became present. Eventually catalysing into a mutiny which cost Bligh the Discovery and his expedition to document saplings, and many of his loyal men.
Aboard the Royal Navy vessel Hermione, commanded by Hugh Pigot, the crew became disgruntled with their leadership. Often issuing excessively harsh and severe punishments for small discrepancies. The 1797 mutiny aboard the Hermione is the bloodiest mutiny in the history of the British navy. After careful planning, 30 men split into several groups, launching a coordinated attack on the leadership. Many of the rebels, drunk on rum, then proceeded to stab Pigot to death in his cabin. After slaughtering Pigot, the mutineers went on to slaughter a number of other officers, with a total of ten officers being murdered by blade or being thrown overboard. After escaping to Spain, over 100 of the crew evaded capture by the British authorities. The mutiny aboard the Hermione displays how brutal and fierce the crew could become after being issued with draconian punishments by their captain. Portraying another example of how only so much abuse could be tolerated before catalysing into something more, and resulting in a mutiny. The mutineers of the Hermione were very efficient and successful in their rebellion, showing how well planned they were, after being constantly abused. The final example of a crew carrying out mutiny due to the common factors is the mutiny aboard Henry Hudson’s Discovery in 1611. Hudson and company were exploring the Hudson Bay in hopes of finding a Northwest passage for trade routes. However, many of his crew grew tiresome and longed to return home, with Hudson refusing. Though, after not long the crew decided to take matters into their own hands, rebelling against Hudson. Ultimately coming out on top, the mutineers forced Hudson, his son, and seven of Hudson’s loyals to board a small shallop, effectively forcing them to sail to their deaths. The small shallop was never found despite further efforts, though it is strongly implied that all men aboard died quickly. Hudson’s crew displays that poor terms of service alongside abhorrent environmental conditions can result in a complete disregard of leadership, with the crew feeling that they needed to take matters into their own hands.
Ultimately, when people are forced to work in unsafe, unsatisfactory environments, they will be incentivised to break free. Mutiny was almost always the fault of nobody but the leadership aboard. Constantly abusing, underpaying, underfeeding, and showing no general duty of care in regards to their underlings. The majority of mutinies had very similar underlying patterns of abuse, though some had different catalysts which incentivised the rebellion. The men could only be pushed so far before they reached a tipping point, at which the leadership continued to push them, forcing them to rebel.
