Skip to content

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers Hardcover - 2003

by Buckner F. Melton; Buck Melton


From the publisher

Mutiny on the Bounty is one of history's greatest naval stories -- yet few know the similar tale from America's own fledgling navy in the dying days of the Age of Sail, a tale of mutiny and death at sea on an American warship. In 1842, the brig-of-war Somers set out on a training cruise for apprentice seamen, commanded by rising star Alexander Mackenzie. Somers was crammed with teenagers. Among them was Acting Midshipman Philip Spencer, a disturbed youth and a son of the U.S. Secretary of War. Buying other crew members' loyalty with pilfered tobacco and alcohol, Spencer dreamed up a scheme to kill the officers and turn Somers into a pirate ship. In the isolated world of a warship, a single man can threaten the crew's discipline and the captain's authority. But one of Spencer's followers warned Mackenzie, who arrested the midshipman and chained him and other ringleaders to the quarterdeck. Fearing efforts to rescue the prisoners, officers had to stay awake in round-the-clock watches. Steering desperately for land, sleep-deprived and armed to the teeth, battling efforts to liberate Spencer, Somers's captain and officers finally faced a fateful choice: somehow keep control of the vessel until reaching port -- still hundreds of miles away -- or hang the midshipman and his two leading henchmen before the boys could take over the ship. The results shook the nation. A naval investigation of the affair turned into a court-martial and a state trial and led to the founding of the Naval Academy to provide better officers for the still-young republic. Mackenzie's controversial decision may have inspired Herman Melville's great work Billy Budd. The story of Somersraises timeless questions still disturbing in twenty-first-century America: the relationship between civil and military law, the hazy line between peace and war, the battle between individual rights and national security, and the ultimate challenge of command at sea.

First line

EVEN TIED UP AT DOCK, she gave the impression of speed.

Details

  • Title A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
  • Author Buckner F. Melton; Buck Melton
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 301
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Free Press, New York
  • Date April 1, 2003
  • ISBN 9780743232838 / 0743232836
  • Weight 1.13 lbs (0.51 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.52 x 6.42 x 1 in (24.18 x 16.31 x 2.54 cm)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002043073
  • Dewey Decimal Code 343.730
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$6.74
NZ$10.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press, 2003. 1st Ed. Uncirculated library book.. Hard Cover. Like New/Like New.
Item Price
NZ$6.74
NZ$10.15 shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$6.74
NZ$10.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press, 2003. 1st Ed. Uncirculated library book.. Hard Cover. Like New/Like New.
Item Price
NZ$6.74
NZ$10.15 shipping to USA
Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of t
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of t

by Melton, Buckner

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
UsedAcceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mt. Airy, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.47
NZ$8.46 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
2003. Hardcover. UsedAcceptable. The text is clean, with no writing, markings, underlining, highlighting ordog ears. NO DUST JACKET. Remainder mark on bottom page edges.
Item Price
NZ$8.47
NZ$8.46 shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Skokie, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$9.34
NZ$6.78 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedVeryGood. Clean copy.
Item Price
NZ$9.34
NZ$6.78 shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$9.88
NZ$6.76 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press. Used - Good. Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
Item Price
NZ$9.88
NZ$6.76 shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner F., Jr

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.96
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$10.96
FREE shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner F., Jr

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.96
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$10.96
FREE shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner F., Jr

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.54
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$11.54
FREE shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

A Hanging Offense : The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner F., Jr.

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.66
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press, 2003. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.66
FREE shipping to USA
A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers

by Melton, Buckner F., Jr.

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780743232838
ISBN 10
0743232836
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.66
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Free Press, 2003. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.66
FREE shipping to USA