Mutiny!: Naval Insurrections in Australia and New Zealand

Since 1916 there have been more mutinies in the Royal Australian Navy than in any other navy maintained by an English-speaking nation. New Zealand has suffered only one, but it was the largest in recent history. This comprehensive study of naval insurrections in the two countries draws on original records, private correspondence, newspaper reports and interviews with men accused of mutiny to examine when and why such outbreaks occur. By analyzing a succession of mutinies, it reveals the exceptional conditions that provoked highly disciplined men to challenge authority in such drastic ways. The reader is shown what the men gained and lost by their actions, how the navies dealt with these threats to their internal order, and the controversies created by their resolution.