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International maritime law and as a consequence all known national maritime laws require that the crew of a ship obey the orders of the captain and his officers (at least as long as they relate to the safety or handling of the ship). This applies to all ships, regardless of their size or designation.

Disobedience in such matters - also called mutiny when done as a group - is a serious crime (in the US, mutiny bears the death penalty).

Disobeying the captain's orders can and probably will also happen on pleasure boats, eg. refusal to wear lifejackets when ordered, deliberately sleeping on watch, getting seriously drunk, etc. Normally, a pleasure boat captain will probably just throw those people out in the next port, but I assume he could also report them to the police, in particular, if the disobedience resulted in an accident. Are there any such cases known? Have there been convictions for disobedience by the crew of a pleasure boat?

FD_bfa
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2 Answers2

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Mutiny Trials are rare

As you are probably aware, there are not many modern mutiny trials (at least not in the US). This is discussed, alongside an example, in Volume 10 Issue 1 of the Michigan Journal of International Law. I have quoted the relevant excerpt below :

In a rare modern mutiny trial in the United States District Court in Orlando, Florida, in 1988, two sailors received consecutive life sentences for not only killing a shrimp boat captain, but injuring the first mate as well. The Judge hearing the case said that, "If this were another era, both of you would have walked the plank or hung from the highest yardarm." Wash. Post, Jan. 20, 1985, at A7, col. 1.

As noted in the extract, such cases are rare. If they had not also killed the captain, it is unlikely that the defendants would have been tried for mutiny.

Naval Vessel Mutinies

The traditional understanding of a mutiny is one that takes place on military vessels. There are several modern and historical cases of this nature.

For example, see the case of USS Somers (1842) which led to the execution of three crewmen.

Commercial Vessel Mutinies

Cases involving commercial vessels are less common, but there are examples of these.

Indeed, the quote from the Michigan Journal of International Law above relates to a mutiny that took place on a commercial shrimp boat.

Pleasurable Vessel Mutinies

I have not been able to find any US or UK cases of this nature. This is likely for the reasons explained in the question itself: "Normally, a pleasure boat captain will probably just throw those people out in the next port".

On this basis, I'm inclined to answer your question with the answer: no. It is, of course, possible that such a case exists, but I highly doubt it, at least not in the jurisdictions discussed.

FD_bfa
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Mutiny is a crime that can only be committed by members of the defence force

While common usage may include any refusal to obey directions by anyone, in law, mutiny is refusal of duty or disobedience by defence force personal in the face of the enemy. It doesn’t apply to conduct on boats or ships that are not manned by military personnel.

So, while I suppose a group of soldiers on a pleasure boat might come under enemy attack and commit mutiny, I doubt its ever happened.

International maritime law is implemented domestically

International law is either customary law which most nations choose to follow most of the time, or multi-national treaties that bind the nation through its own domestic law on international treaties.

Which law applies on a maritime vessel is notoriously complicated, but as a general rule, on internal waterways, territorial waters (within 12 nautical miles), or within the contiguous zone (another 12 nautical miles), the laws of the nation (or sub-national jurisdiction) apply. On international waters the laws of the nation of registration of the vessel apply.

It is an offense for a passenger on a commercial vessel to refuse the directions of a crew member, but there is no such offense for a non-commercial vessel. As written, this would cover a direction from one crew member to another.

Notwithstanding, the maintenance of discipline among a commercial crew is primarily a matter of employment law and work health and safety law rather than maritime law unless it directly affects the safety of the vessel.

Dale M
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