Nelson Bard Remembers: The Caine Mutiny - The Real Story

From The Solon Historical Society Achieves - March 24th, 1998
Nelson Bard discusses his personal involvement in the real life "Caine Munity"
For more information on the the film based on these events: www.imdb.com/ti...

[@hughdman]

This was just wonderful. I lived the novel and watch the film once a year. I'd always heard it was based on an incident. It's great to know the real story.

[@swampfizz]

awesome history here..excellent storytelling

[@murphtahoe1]

That was just great! What a cool guy and told a great story. Funny how everything turns out to like playing telephone. The rumors turn into better stories than what really happened. Thank you for your service sir.

[@Tindometari]

Five people like this video, one person was annoyed because it distracted him from twirling his ball bearings.

[@davefox72]

Thank you for posting this wonderful video, while it starts out weak, with heavy breathing and poor sound, it quickly cleans up as Commander Bard starts to speak, and spins an amazing and captivating true story about the only mutiny I had ever heard of in the U.S. Navy. I hope more people discover and watch this wonderful story.

[@jimclark6256]

There has never been a mutiny in the US Navy. And the Navy will tell you so. They have conveniently forgot about the mutiny in the 1800's by an officer who was the son of a very high government official, who I will not name.

[@drbyrom3]

great lecture, very entertaining!

[@rachelsatlas]

I could prove with geometric logic that an extra key to the ward room did exist

[@LouisEmery]

12:26 slow clap from me. That's excellent reckoning. When I visit old navy ship I'm fascinated by the map rooms. 22:14 I have to give another slow clap for figuring this out. This navigator is pretty clever. The rest of the story was riveting.

[@66Wilies]

Great story thanks

[@njlauren]

Interesting story,you can see where the story of the Caine Mutiny came from. In the book ( which I highly recommend) Wouk has other officers talking about the actions of captains, captains who were somewhat sadistic, did things that defied logic but were not enough to have them removed from duty. And yes there wasn't any mutinies during WWII and officially I don't believe the Navy officially ever had one ( the 1843 incident someone mentions was never tried,since the captain beat it back and the guilty were dead; technically was a mutiny). In the book Queeg is more sympathetic than the guy in the real story,in the book he is someone who was shot,who had been in continuous service in the north atlantic,as early as mid 1940 the neutrality zone was 200 to 300 miles offshore of the east coast, but really was much further) , by early 1941 it was further out and by mid 41 covered.like 75% of the north atlantic. US ships were attacked 'by accident' , and it was rough duty,then once the Nazis declared war on the US it was vicious). Queeg was not a great officer but also should not have been made captain either. This guy is just plain incompetent. Interestingly, in real life and in the book it was not a mutiny under naval regs. In the real life incident the captain had left the bridge,which he should not of done in those circumstances and the Exec clearly acted with the idea of preventing a collision,backed up by the Portland's logs, he didn't have time to find the captain and argue w him (and again the captain not being on the bridge without formally turning over the bridge to the exec is dereliction of duty,he could of been court martialed). With the Aleutians the inquiry ( like a Grand jury) agreed w the execs actions as did the Navy ( otherwise the exec would never be given command like that; I could argue the Navy saw his actions as a sign he should be a captain). The captain saying the exec disobeyed his orders fell flat, in that w the wives his order was not regulations, w the garbage the skipper was violating standing orders,which made them illegal,exec had no reason to obey them. In the book Maryk invokes article 184,which allows for a captain to be removed on grounds the captain was mentally ill or otherwise disabled. The navy can't charge him w mutiny, bc he relieved him on legal grounds, that he believed the captain was disabled. He and Keith,the OD, and the helmsman are charged with conduct to the detriment of good order and discipline ( I might not have the exact wording w this),which is serious but not mutiny ( you can be executed for mutiny). The case in the book is complicated, the Jury after seeing Queeg's behavior acquits them, bc they are him under pressure and can believe he could have been following stupid orders, that the shrinks who said Queeg was sane were not on the bridge,they had doubt. The Navy in the end rules it a miscarriage of justice, partly because they hate to admit anyone in the regular Navy is incompetent or should not of been in command, but also bc they rightfully didn't want this to become reason to relieve any skipper the crew didn't like. In the end Maryk, the exec, loses any chance of going into the regular Navy, and Queeg like the captain on the ship in the real story, is sent to command a supply depot,effectively ending his career ( the movie has one problem, Bogart was fantastic in the role but was way too old. In the book Queeg is in his early 30s, which would be right for someone skippering a minesweeper, at bogarts age in their 50s they either would be skippering a more major vessel like a destroyer or battleship, or would be fleet rank, or would be retired bc they were stuck in their career.) Another thing the book points out is the Navy itself was partly to blame.During wartime resources are strained, and it can lead to less than stellar officers. In the book there is a grounding incident,then the towline being cut,where the officers investigating it question whether Queeg should be removed from command when he refused to take accountability and blames everyone else,early on in the story. Also, the way the Navy worked in WWII Queeg is kind of an outlier, having a regular Navy skipper a ship like the Caine would be unusual for any length of time. During wartime regular Navy officers serve as a core and their prime duty once they reach rank is in training reserve officers to take over ( this was true in the army as well). Queeg normally would have moved on well before the typhoon, in the book he ( and everyone else) is looking for orders for him to be relieved,it also mentions that in other ships in the fleet that by late 44 most of the ships were commanded by young reserve officers. That is telling, that the Navy didn't think much of him, when they at that point would be desperate for skippers of the many new destroyers and cruisers and carriers that needed skippers or senior officers.

[@Tookitout]

Wow. Thank you for that.

[@jackscott5465]

As to Capt. Queegs' age The original Capt. Dr Vreiss was considerably old and had been aboard for some five years according to the conversation he and Kieth had on his departure.

[@njlauren]

@@jackscott5465 yep that was true to the book. Queen graduated in the mid 1930s from Annapolis, there is an incident when he was an ensign like in 36 or 37, so he would be in his late 20s or maybe 30 in 1943 when he takes over. Devries would be older, in the peacetime navy it takes a lot of years to move up to captaining a ship. Very different in wartime, I remember a scene in the book when a young captain on his way to command a brand new minesweeper, stops by the Caine to meet an.officer who is being transferred to the new ship and it is implied Queeg was jealous bc the skipper was younger than him! The setup in the book is that Queeg is a captain only bc it is wartime and they are stretched thin, and he isn't exactly commanding a battleship or destroyer. By 1943 ships like the Caine would likely be commanded by reserve officers,to free up regular navy for bigger, more important ships. Queeg being there says a lot about him and how the navy viewed him.

[@yembot]

whoah the breathing. i can't.

[@miriamkellner3524]

Excellent story, amazing history now one understands how the word SNAFU evolved in WWII

[@jimclark6256]

The Caine Mutiny- The real Story. The real story is that it is a movie.

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

There's the right way, and there's the Navy way!

[@moncorp1]

and now you know.........................the rest of the story.

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

The John S. McCain, Mutiny.

[@hankkingsley2976]

We're going bowling so don't lose her in Solon Moon Over Parma tonight

[@TheJLambert]

Jesus, who’s having the asthma attack?

[@chooshchoosh]

and that is what you got out of it? bravo johnny

[@quickchris10]

Hey, 'nothing wrong with bunk springs!

[@fritzvonhammer3578]

Old Yellow Stain

[@Harry_Stylus]

Hard to hear over the breathing LOL

[@Absaalookemensch]

Thankfully the captain couldn't run the island asea.

[@tumeninodes8870]

Code red, code red... we have a breather people!!!!

[@iangoddi6815]

Vote Trump.

[@machia0705]

There was never a mutiny in the US NAVY. Not sure about this story, interesting.

[@MuzzCat05]

Well if you say so I guess this is wrong. Oh you sweet summer child

[@fritzvonhammer3578]

Their is a movie with Humpry Bogart called "The Caine Mutiny" go watch it.

[@jimclark6256]

USS Somer 1842 3 ringleaders were hung at sea. Captain requested a court martial (there was a civil case filed against the Captain) he was cleared at the court martial and the civil case died. Hope this is informative.

[@moncorp1]

The navy wouldn't cooperate with the making of The Caine Mutiny without that false disclaimer. And if you paid attention, he said it was just an inquiry and a trial for mutiny never happened.