What is a revolt by the Captain of a ship called?

Answer 1

Any revolt by any member of a commissioned Navy warship is considered mutiny, be it by the Captain or the lowest seaman aboard ship.

In the case of crewmembers, mutiny is considered gross insubordination to a superior officer, punishable by Court Martial and a severe sentencing. For a senior officer such as the Commanding Officer of a ship, the insubordination is considered to be against his superior officer, usually the Squadron or Group Commander. However, all Naval Officers are trained in Naval & Maritime Law, and would recognize a gross breach of orders immediately. In such cases, it is the duty of the next ranking officer (the Executive Officer) to relieve the Captain or risk Court Martial himself. The duty falls to lower ranks as well if a group of seniors is involved. In other words, failing to act to prevent a mutiny is considered to be the same as mutiny itself.

Mutiny has never been tolerated on any vessel in the history of ships at sea. Even on civilian vessels, such actions are severely punished. It is understood that at sea, the Captain is Judge, Jury, and God, in one package. If one chooses to disobey an order, there better be a good legal justification and evidence to support it.

One of the better fictional examples of mutiny at sea is the movie "The Caine Mutiny", with Humphrey Bogart. Bogart's Captain Queeg is relieved of command by his XO during the height of a major storm in which several other vessels in the fleet are sunk. The ensuing Court Martial of the XO and the supporting officers examine how the Navy views the evidence and the authority of a ship Captain at sea.

The most famous real life mutiny is when the crew of the British Armed Vessel HMAV Bounty mutinied in force against her Captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, on April 28, 1789, not long after leaving Tahiti. Led by First Officer Fletcher Christian, several of the Bounty's mutineers eventually made it to Pitcairn Island - their descendants still live their today. Most of the rest were captured, died, or were Court Martialed and hung.