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Leadership - cont'd
Probably one of the best-known examples of leadership gone
wrong is depicted in the movie, The Caine Mutiny, based on the
novel by Herman Wouk. Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg is
given command of a destroyer in World War II. The previous
commanding officer had let things become a little too laid back
for Navy standards. Queeg is more of an old-school officer. But
things get off to a bad start. He wins the derision of the crew
after running over a target drone being towed by the ship. Other
events follow that reveal character flaws such as cowardice and
paranoia.
Things come to the breaking point when his senior officers
relieve him of command during a ferocious typhoon. With a
vessel caught light In the teeth of such a terrible battering, he is
unable to come to a decision about ballasting the destroyer's
fuel oil tanks. He is paralyzed with fear and is anxious that
ballasting will contaminate the ships fuel oil bunkers. Although a
work of fiction, the movie portrays a captain’s growing
disconnection with a crew bent on seeing him fall.
There’s more to the movie than a just a mentally imbalanced
commanding officer being ousted by a gallant crew. In defense
of Commander Queeg, the crew is no bargain. They show less
than exemplary character themselves and are duplicitous and
devious in their actions.
A lesser known tale of leadership in peril arose in a real-life
setting aboard the U.S.S. Cyclops, a coal carrier lost in the
Bermuda Triangle in 1918 with all hands. The story is a true sea
yarn woven with crew complaints about bad fish that hadn’t been
cleaned before being served, a crew’s suspicion about the
captain’s hidden sympathy for the enemy, a final cargo of
manganese ore, a naval prisoner scheduled to be executed
upon the ship’s arrival... and more. It seems like the stuff of a
suspense novel but it is the account of the mysterious
disappearance of the U.S.S. Cyclops. Visit bermudatriangle.org
to read the full story.
Back to Leadership
Probably one of the best-known examples of leadership gone
wrong is depicted in the movie, The Caine Mutiny, based on the
novel by Herman Wouk. Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg is
given command of a destroyer in World War II. The previous
commanding officer had let things become a little too laid back
for Navy standards. Queeg is more of an old-school officer. But
things get off to a bad start. He wins the derision of the crew
after running over a target drone being towed by the ship. Other
events follow that reveal character flaws such as cowardice and
paranoia.
Things come to the breaking point when his senior officers
relieve him of command during a ferocious typhoon. With a
vessel caught light In the teeth of such a terrible battering, he is
unable to come to a decision about ballasting the destroyer's
fuel oil tanks. He is paralyzed with fear and is anxious that
ballasting will contaminate the ships fuel oil bunkers. Although a
work of fiction, the movie portrays a captain’s growing
disconnection with a crew bent on seeing him fall.
There’s more to the movie than a just a mentally imbalanced
commanding officer being ousted by a gallant crew. In defense
of Commander Queeg, the crew is no bargain. They show less
than exemplary character themselves and are duplicitous and
devious in their actions.
A lesser known tale of leadership in peril arose in a real-life
setting aboard the U.S.S. Cyclops, a coal carrier lost in the
Bermuda Triangle in 1918 with all hands. The story is a true sea
yarn woven with crew complaints about bad fish that hadn’t been
cleaned before being served, a crew’s suspicion about the
captain’s hidden sympathy for the enemy, a final cargo of
manganese ore, a naval prisoner scheduled to be executed
upon the ship’s arrival... and more. It seems like the stuff of a
suspense novel but it is the account of the mysterious
disappearance of the U.S.S. Cyclops. Visit bermudatriangle.org
to read the full story.
Back to Leadership
Commander Philip Queeg may be
someone who comes to mind
when we think of ill-fated
commands. Humphrey Bogart,
above, did a superb job of
portraying him in The Caine
Mutiny. Although a work of
fiction, a real-life commander with
problems with his crew was
Captain George Worley, at right, of
the ill-fated collier USS Cyclops.
Read more below.
someone who comes to mind
when we think of ill-fated
commands. Humphrey Bogart,
above, did a superb job of
portraying him in The Caine
Mutiny. Although a work of
fiction, a real-life commander with
problems with his crew was
Captain George Worley, at right, of
the ill-fated collier USS Cyclops.
Read more below.
The navy collier USS Cyclops, which disappeared in the Bermuda
Triangle without a trace. Lieutenant Commander George Worley, who
was by some accounts not popular with his crew, makes the
disappearance of the ship all the more suspicious. In a foreboding
letter to the Secretary of State, the Consul at Barbados wrote, among
more, “….I have to suggest scrutiny there. While not having any
definite grounds I fear fate worse than sinking though possibly based
on instinctive dislike felt towards master.” From an April 17, 1918 letter
to U.S. Secretary of State.
Triangle without a trace. Lieutenant Commander George Worley, who
was by some accounts not popular with his crew, makes the
disappearance of the ship all the more suspicious. In a foreboding
letter to the Secretary of State, the Consul at Barbados wrote, among
more, “….I have to suggest scrutiny there. While not having any
definite grounds I fear fate worse than sinking though possibly based
on instinctive dislike felt towards master.” From an April 17, 1918 letter
to U.S. Secretary of State.
The film is a black and white
classic from 1954 and is still fun to
watch today. Visit IMBD to catch a
short trailer by clicking The Caine
Mutiny. Enjoy! You'll have to sit
through a brief ad before the movie
trailer starts.
classic from 1954 and is still fun to
watch today. Visit IMBD to catch a
short trailer by clicking The Caine
Mutiny. Enjoy! You'll have to sit
through a brief ad before the movie
trailer starts.
In addition to the USS
Cyclops, the Bermuda
Triangle was suspected
of being the cause of
other losses, such as the
Marine Sulfur Queen and
the lost squadron of
Grumman Avengers.
Cyclops, the Bermuda
Triangle was suspected
of being the cause of
other losses, such as the
Marine Sulfur Queen and
the lost squadron of
Grumman Avengers.