Despite our enduring fascination with Bligh, Christian and the 'Bounty', few Australians or New Zealanders are aware of the naval mutinies within their national histories. 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's navy, by contrast, has suffered only one mutiny, although it was one of the largest to occur in recent naval history.
'Mutiny!' is the first comprehensive study of naval insurrections in these two countries. Drawing on original records, private correspondence, newspaper reports and interviews with men accused of mutiny, it examines when and why such outbreaks occur. By analysing a succession of mutinies it reveals the exceptional conditions that provoked highly disciplined men to challenge authority in such drastic ways. We discover 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.
'Mutiny!' depicts the suffering and torments in body, mind and spirit of men placed in extreme conditions in times of war and peace.
