- For the Broadway play, see The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a two-act play by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own novel, The Caine Mutiny.Wouk's novel covered a long stretch of time aboard the USS Caine, a Navy minesweeper in the Pacific...
.
The Caine Mutiny is a 1951
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It replaced the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel.* 1948: Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener...
winning novel by
Herman WoukHerman Wouk is a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.- Biography :...
. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard a destroyer-minesweeper in the Pacific in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and deals with, among other things, the moral and ethical decisions made at sea by the captains of ships. The mutiny of the title is legalistic, not violent, and takes place during a historic typhoon in December 1944. The court-martial that results provides the dramatic climax to the plot.
The Caine Mutiny
reached the top of the New York Times
best seller listThe New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered to be the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in the The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is usually found inserted in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, or as a stand-alone...
on August 12, 1951, after 17 weeks on the list, replacing From Here to EternityFrom Here to Eternity is a novel by James Jones, winner of the National Book Award for fiction in 1952. It is loosely based on Jones' experiences in the pre-World War II Hawaiian Division's 27th Infantry and the unit in which he served, Company E...
. It remained atop the list for 32 weeks until March 30, 1952, when it was replaced by My Cousin RachelMy Cousin Rachel is a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. Like the earlier Rebecca, it is a mystery-romance, largely set on a large estate in Cornwall.-Plot overview:...
. It moved back to first place on May 25, 1952, and remained another 15 weeks, before being supplanted by The Silver ChaliceThe Silver Chalice is a 1952 English language historical novel by Thomas B. Costain. It is the fictional story of the making of a silver chalice to hold the Holy Grail and includes first century biblical and historical figures: Luke, Joseph of Arimathea, Simon Magus and his companion Helena, and...
, and last appeared on August 23, 1953, after 122 weeks on the list.
Plot summary
The story is told through the eyes of Willis Seward "Willie" Keith, an affluent, callow young man who signs up for midshipman school with the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
to avoid being drafted into the Army during World War II. The first part of the novel introduces Willie and describes the tribulations he endures because of inner conflicts over his relationship with his domineering mother and with May Wynn, a beautiful red-haired nightclub singer who is the daughter of Italian immigrants. After surviving a series of misadventures that earn him the highest number of demerits in the history of the school, he is commissioned and assigned to the
destroyer minesweeperDestroyer minesweeper was a designation given by the United States Navy to a series of destroyers that were converted into high-speed ocean-going minesweepers for service during World War II. The hull number for such a ship began "DMS"...
USS Caine, an obsolete warship converted from a
World War I destroyerThe Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
.
Willie, with a low opinion of the ways of the Navy, misses his ship when it leaves on a combat assignment, and rather than catch up with it, ducks his duties to play piano for an admiral who has taken a shine to him. But guilt-stricken by a last letter from his father, who has died of
melanomaMelanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye . It is one of the less common types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Melanocytes are normally present in skin, being responsible for the...
, he reports aboard the Caine. He immediately disapproves of its decaying condition and slovenly crew, which he attributes to a slackness of discipline by the ship's longtime captain, Lieutenant Commander William De Vriess.
Willie's lackadaisical attitude toward what he considers menial and repetitive duties brings about a humiliating clash with De Vriess when Willie neglects a communications message. While Willie is still pouting over his punishment, De Vriess is relieved by
Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis QueegLieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg, USN, is a fictional character in Herman Wouk's 1951 novel The Caine Mutiny. He is also a character in the identically titled 1954 film adaptation of the novel and in The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, the Broadway theatre adaptation of the novel that opened...
, a strong, by-the-book figure whom Willie at first believes to be just what the rusty Caine
and its rough-necked crew needs. However, the Caine is sent to San Francisco for an overhaul, and Queeg browbeats his officers into selling their liquor rations to him. In a breach of regulations, Queeg smuggles the liquor off the ship and when it is lost by a series of careless mistakes,
blackmailBlackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met. This information is usually of an embarrassing and/or socially damaging nature...
s Willie into paying for it by threatening to withhold his shore leave. Willie sees May on leave, and after sleeping with her, decides he has no future with a woman of a lower social class. He resolves to dump her by not replying to her letters.
As the Caine begins its missions under his command, Queeg loses the respect of his crew through a series of incidents:
- he grounds the ship on his first sailing, then attempts to cover it up while blaming his helmsman, Stillwell;
- causes the loss of a gunnery target sled by steaming over the target's towline while distracted by a petty disciplinary action (and again blames Stillwell);
- hounds and court-martials Stillwell for being absent without leave;
- twice under fire leaves a battle area, once abandoning troops under his protection to fend for themselves;
- suffers severe migraine headaches and rarely leaves his cabin;
- and becomes obsessed over the theft of a quart of strawberries, reliving an episode from early in his career in which he solved a shipboard theft and received a commendation.
He is regarded as tyrannical, cowardly, and incompetent. Tensions aboard the ship lead Queeg to ask his officers for support, but they snub him as unworthy, believing him an oppressive coward.
The crew refers to Queeg as "Old Yellowstain" following the
invasion of KwajaleinThe Battle of Kwajalein was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from January 31, 1944, to February 3, 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the battle of Tarawa, the United States launched a successful twin assault on the main...
. The Caine, ordered to escort low-lying
MarineThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
landing craftLanding craft are boats and seagoing vehicles used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
to their line of departure, instead drops a yellow dye marker to mark the spot when Queeg fears the ship has come too close to shore under fire, then leaves the area. The
sobriquetA sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
, a
double entendreA double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so; often risqué, inappropriate, or ironic....
, refers to both the dye marker and his apparent cowardice.
Communications officer Lieutenant Tom Keefer, an intellectual, former magazine writer and budding novelist who has chafed under Queeg's authority, and initially portrayed as a sympathetic, if not heroic character, plants the suggestion that Queeg might be mentally ill in the mind of the Caine's executive officer, Lieutenant Stephen Maryk, "diagnosing" Queeg as a
paranoidParanoia is a thought process heavily influenced by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat towards oneself. In the original Greek, παράνοια simply means madness...
. He also steers Maryk to "section 184" of the Navy manual, according to which a subordinate can relieve a commanding officer for mental illness.
Maryk keeps a secret log of Queeg's eccentric behavior and decides to bring it to the attention of Admiral William F. Halsey, commanding the
Third FleetThe name Third Fleet can refer to:* The United States 3rd Fleet* The Third Fleet , part of the British effort of the late eighteenth century to colonise Australia* IJN 3rd Fleet, Imperial Japanese Navy...
. Keefer reluctantly supports Maryk, then gets cold feet and backs out, warning Maryk his actions will be seen as
mutinyMutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing authority...
. In this scene Keefer is shown to be cowardly. Soon after, the Caine
is with the fleet when it is caught in the path of a severe typhoon
, a terrible ordeal that ultimately sinks three destroyers and causes great damage and loss of life. At the height of the storm, Queeg's apparent paralysis of action convinces Maryk that he must relieve Queeg of command on the grounds of mental illnessA mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and...
in order to prevent the loss of the Caine. Willie Keith, on duty as the
Officer of the DeckOfficer of the Deck is a position in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard that confers certain authority and responsibility. The Officer of the Deck on a ship is the direct representative of the captain, having responsibility for the ship.-Overview:In port, the OOD is stationed on...
, supports the decision, although his decision is based on his hatred for Captain Queeg. The Caine is ultimately saved, apparently by Maryk's timely decision and expert seamanship.
Maryk and Willie are charged at
court-martialA court-martial is a military court. These military courts can determine punishments for members of the military subject to military law who are found guilty or may dismiss the charges based on the evidence and the case presented. Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in...
with Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Discipline, a catch-all charge, instead of making a mutiny. When Maryk is tried first, Keefer distances himself, even though he has no Navy career in mind, and shows himself to be a moral coward. Lieutenant Barney Greenwald, a Jewish naval aviator who was a crack attorney in civilian life, is appointed to represent Maryk. His opinion is that Maryk was legally unjustified in relieving Queeg after the captain was found to be sane by three Navy
psychiatristsPsychiatry is a medical specialty officially devoted to the treatment and study of mental disorders. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808....
. Despite his own disgust with Maryk's and Willie's actions, Greenwald decides to take the case.
During the trial, Greenwald unrelentingly cross-examines Queeg until he is overcome by the stress and displays a confused inability to handle the situation. Greenwald's tactic of attacking Queeg results in Maryk's acquittal and the dropping of charges against Willie. Maryk, who aspires to a career in the Regular Navy, is sent to command an
LCIThe Landing craft, Infantry or LCI were several classes of sea-going amphibious assault ships of the Second World War utilized to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches.-Development:...
, ending his ambitions, while Queeg is transferred to an obscure naval supply depot in Iowa.
At a party celebrating both the acquittal and Keefer's success at selling his novel to a publisher, Greenwald shows up intoxicated, and accuses Keefer of being a coward. He tells the gathering that he feels ashamed of having destroyed Queeg on the stand, because Queeg did the necessary duty of guarding America in the peacetime Navy, which people like Keefer (and by implication, Willie), saw as beneath them. Greenwald further points out that without the protection of people like Queeg, Greenwald's mother could have been "melted down into a bar of soap", which is what he says is happening to the Jews under Hitler's reign in Europe. Greenwald tells the gathering that he had to "
torpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target...
Queeg" because "the wrong man was on trial"—that it was Keefer, not Maryk, who was "the true author of the Caine Mutiny". Greenwald throws a glass of yellow wine on Keefer's face, bringing the term "Old Yellowstain" full circle back to the novelist.
Willie returns to the Caine
in the last days of the Okinawa campaignThe Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Nearly 60,000 troops stormed ashore on the initial invasion...
as its executive officer. Most of the officers have been transferred to other ships. Keefer is now the captain, succeeding a trouble-shooter from the Regular Navy who restored order to the crew. Ironically, Keefer's behavior as captain is similar to Queeg's. The Caine
is struck by a kamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
, an event in which Willie discovers that he has matured into a naval officer. Keefer panics and orders the ship abandoned, but Willie remains aboard and rescues the situation.
Keefer is sent home after the war ends and Willie becomes the last captain of the Caine
. He soon receives a medal for his actions following the kamikaze—and a letter of reprimandA letter of reprimand is a United States Department of Defense procedure involving a letter to an employee or soldier from his or her superior that details the wrongful actions of the person and the punishment that can be expected...
for his part in unlawfully relieving Queeg. The findings of the court-martial have been overturned after a review by higher authority. Willie discovers he agrees that the relief was unjustified and probably unnecessary.
Willie keeps the Caine afloat during another typhoon and brings it back to
Bayonne, New JerseyBayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, south of Jersey City. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 61,842. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for Bayonne is 57,886, a decrease of 6.4% from 2000.According to tradition, the city...
, for decommissioning after the end of the war. After reflecting at length, he decides to ask May (now a blonde and using her real name of Marie Minotti) to marry him. However, this will not be as easy as he once thought it would be, as she is now the girlfriend of a popular bandleader. Willie faces a challenge just as great as the one he has overcome.
Historical Background
The two ships that author
Herman WoukHerman Wouk is a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.- Biography :...
served on in the Pacific were destroyer-minesweepers converted from World War I-era Clemson
-class destroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
s, the USS Zane
USS Zane was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was named for Randolph Zane.-History:...
and USS Southard
USS Southard was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second Navy ship named for Secretary of the Navy Samuel L...
. The USS Caine
, as described, fits the description of such a Clemson
-classThe Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
DMS conversion. This class of ship was named for U.S. Navy MidshipmanA midshipman is an officer cadet, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies.The word derives from the area aboard a ship, amidships, where these officers were berthed...
Henry A. Clemson, lost at sea on 8 December 1846, when the brig USS Somers
(1842)The second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War, infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions....
capsized off Vera Cruz in a sudden squall while chasing a blockade runner. In November 1842 the USS Somers
was the scene of the only recorded conspiracy to mutiny in U.S. Naval history (the Somers
AffairThe second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War, infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions....
) when three crew, a midshipman, a Boatswain's mate, and a seaman were clapped in irons and subsequently hanged for planning a takeover of the vessel.
Many of the incidents and plot details are autobiographical. Like both Keefer and Willie, Wouk rose through the ship's wardroomThe wardroom is the mess-cabin of naval commissioned officers' above the rank of sub-lieutenant. The term the wardroom is also used to refer to those individuals with the right to occupy that wardroom, meaning "the officers of the wardroom". Since 1948, ward-rooms have been used by warrant...
of Zane
from assistant communicator to first lieutenantFirst Lieutenant is a military rank.The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, and then was executive officerAn executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative Law:...
of the Southard
, recommended to captain the ship home to the United States at the end of the war before it was beached at Okinawa in a typhoon.
Adaptations
The film The Caine MutinyThe Caine Mutiny is a drama film set during World War II, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Stanley Kramer. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, and is based on the 1951 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny. The film depicts a...
was based on the novel and starred Humphrey BogartHumphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor.After trying various jobs, Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. When the stock market crash of 1929 reduced the demand for plays, Bogart turned to film...
as Queeg.
After the novel's success, the court-martial sequence was adapted into a full-length, two-act BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
play, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, by author Herman Wouk. Directed by actor
Charles LaughtonCharles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and two-time director.While best known for his historical roles in films, he started his career as a remarkable stage actor...
, it was a success on the stage in 1954, opening almost exactly five months before the release of the film. The stage version starred
Lloyd NolanLloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...
as Queeg,
John HodiakJohn Hodiak was an American actor who worked in Radio and Film.He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Walter Hodiak and Anna Pogorzelec . He was of Ukrainian and Polish descent...
as Maryk, and
Henry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. Fonda's subtle, naturalistic acting style preceded by many years the popularization of method acting....
as Greenwald. It has been revived twice on Broadway, and was presented on television in 1955, as a live presentation, and in 1988, as a made-for-television film.
See also
- Queeg
"Queeg" is the fifth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two and the eleventh in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 4 October 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the plot features a backup computer named Queeg that...
- An episode of the UK sitcom series Red DwarfRed Dwarf is a British television situation comedy franchise, primarily comprising eight series of a television sitcom that ran on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and gained a cult following. It was created by, and the first six series were written by, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor...
- Typhoon Cobra (1944), the typhoon described in the book.
External links
- Study Guide of Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny from SparkNotes
SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin in 1999 providing study guides for literature, poetry, history, film and philosophy...
- Raising Caine, video of Wouk reflecting on the novel on its 50th anniversary.
- Photos of the first edition of The Caine Mutiny