As a British seaman dropped dead under the stinging lash of a cat o' nine tails, Captain William Bligh of H.M.S. Bounty said, "No laws are more just than those governing the conduct of men at sea."
Lieut. John Wardle, commanding one of His Majesty's small (100-odd feet) motor minesweepers, was no Captain Bligh. Last week a Royal Court Martial sentenced Wardle to dismissal from his command and forfeiture of three months' seniority.
His crime? Alone aboard his craft with five enlisted men, he had joined them for Christmas dinner.
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