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The Caine Mutiny
by Herman Wouk
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Willie Keith leaves an easy civilian life for naval service during the Second World War and is assigned to the USS Caine, an ageing destroyer-minesweeper operating in the Pacific. He initially welcomes the arrival of Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg, expecting professional discipline, but Queeg’s insecurity, obsessive regulations and erratic judgement gradually divide the officers and crew.
During a typhoon, executive officer Steve Maryk relieves Queeg of command because he believes the captain is endangering the ship. Maryk is then prosecuted for mutiny, and naval lawyer Barney Greenwald must decide how to defend an action he does not wholly admire. The novel combines Willie’s maturation with shipboard routine, combat service and courtroom drama, examining command responsibility, loyalty and the ease with which wartime fear can be mistaken for cowardice or madness.
Historical periods
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