Someone posed the question online, as to the likelihood of a Navy ship’s captain going rogue. I speculated that it is an unlikely scenario, for the following reasons:
My experience is onboard
civilian-operated supply ships for the US Navy. The Captain and other
department heads have spent years fully indoctrinated in the Navy way of
thinking. From the moment they are hired as Third Officers, they are given
extensive training on various tactical and leadership topics. (In contrast,
many engineering officers pay for 100% of their own training). Small amounts of
responsibility, such as handling small arms or being the Flight Deck Officer,
are given early, but can be revoked. That would be a red flag. The Admiral must
personally approve promotions of civilian Captains. The more unconventional
officers (pacificists, conspiracy theorists) are not placed on critical ships,
such as the ammo carriers. And yes, Special Forces practice on how to get from
the helicopter deck to the ship’s bridge.
On a combatant ship, as OP notes,
all of these precautions, and more, would be utilized very rigorously in the
selection of COs and XOs.
Has it happened in recent times? Yes. The privately-managed SS Columbia Eagle was taken over by entry-level crewmembers in a 1970 munity, as protest against the war in Vietnam. As far as government vessels go, the aforementioned measures are an insurance policy against barratry (by a ship's captain) and mutiny (by the crew).
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