--- title: "How an alleged mutiny led to the creation of the US Naval Academy" description: "The USS Somers, a Navy brig, was returning from Africa in 1842 when some crew members allegedly became involved in a mutiny against Commander Alexander Slidell Mackenzie." date: "2026-07-28" modified: "2026-07-28" authors: - name: "Stephen Ruiz" job_title: "Editor, Writer" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/stephen/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/how-an-alleged-mutiny-led-to-the-creation-of-the-us-naval-academy/" categories: - "History" - "Military News" - "Navy" tags: - "Military History" - "Navy" --- # How an alleged mutiny led to the creation of the US Naval Academy ![USS Somers mutiny]() *A lithograph, published circa 1843, depicts the brig USS Somers under sail, bound home from the African coast on December 1, 1842, after the hanging of 3 alleged mutineers. The print shows 2 of them hanging from the yardarm. (U.S. Navy)* Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, the commander of the [Navy]() brig USS Somers, didn’t want to make a rash decision. As First Lt. Guert Gansevoort informed him that some crew members were plotting to overthrow him, Mackenzie did not become angry, according to a [U.S. Naval Institute article](). Instead, he instructed Gansevoort in an even tone to keep a close watch on Midshipman Philip Spencer, the scheme’s supposed ringleader. **Also Read:** [**This was the only mutiny on an American ship in the past 100 years**]() Spencer was not just another 19-year-old on a military ship loaded with teenage apprentice volunteers (and hopefully future Navy men). He was also the son of President John Tyler’s secretary of war, John Canfield Spencer. The younger Spencer’s connections did not factor into Mackenzie’s thinking as the hours passed on November 26, 1842. What Gansevoort discovered about Spencer concerned Mackenzie so much that he confronted the midshipman. Asked about his supposed treasonous plot, Spencer claimed [he was kidding](). Mackenzie didn’t crack a smile. “This, sir, is joking on a forbidden subject,” Mackenzie replied, per the account [from the U.S. Naval Institute](). “This joke may cost you your life.” ### A Commander’s Decision ![Naval Academy Sea Trials]() *U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen take part in the annual Sea Trials on May 13, 2025. Sea Trials are a capstone event for 4th-class (freshman) midshipmen. (U.S. Air Force/Technical Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy)* The sordid episode resulted in the executions of Spencer, along with two co-conspirators—Boatswain’s Mate Samuel Cromwell and Seaman Elisha Small. Instead of waiting until the USS Somers returned to New York for a court-martial to determine their guilt or innocence, Mackenzie determined he couldn’t wait that long. He ordered the men hung by yardarm on December 1, 1842. After the USS Somers docked back home, Mackenzie faced a naval court of injury that found he acted appropriately. Mackenzie then personally requested that he face a court-martial, which lasted for two months in early 1843 [before also exonerating him](). What transpired on the USS Somers and afterward had everlasting effects. After the attempted mutiny, military officials no longer believed it prudent to train midshipmen at sea. As a result, they created the Naval School on October 10, 1845, in Annapolis, Maryland. They [renamed the school]() the U.S. Naval Academy five years later. No one could have imagined the mutinous intent of some crew members on the USS Somers when it set sail for Africa on September 13, 1842. Apprentices comprised approximately two-thirds of the 120-person crew. The USS Somers boasted 13 officers on board. Everything was seemingly fine as the brig was about 1,700 miles from St. Thomas on the back end of its round trip. That changed when Spencer asked J.W. Wales to speak in private. Spencer mentioned mutiny to Wales, an admission that rattled the young purser’s steward. Before Spencer revealed more details, according to the [U.S. Naval Institute story](), Wales took an oath of silence at the midshipman’s request. ### The Plan ![Pirate ship]() *The mutineers aboard the USS Somers intended to transform it into a pirate ship. (Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)* Wales likely stood aghast before Spencer, who went into precise detail. As the [U.S. Naval Institute article recounted](), Spencer said some among the 20 alleged mutineers were supposed to start a fight. Seeing the faux brawl, Spencer was to race to get the officer of the deck, Henry Rodgers. Once Rodgers came, the mutineers were to toss him overboard. After Spencer distributed firearms to his co-conspirators, they were to kill Mackenzie [“with the least noise possible.”]() Their plot also called for the murder of other officers. Spencer’s end game apparently was to transform the USS Somers into a pirate ship. He then told Wales he intended to go to the Isle of Pines in the South Pacific Ocean and hook up with someone well-versed in piracy. “They would then cruise the seas for prizes, would capture and scuttle ships, take money, commit murder, capture women and enslave them, and so forth,” [retired Rear Adm. Livingston Hunt wrote]() for the U.S. Naval Institute in 1925. With this newfound knowledge, Wales couldn’t get away from Spencer fast enough. The youthful seaman needed to tell someone in command what Spencer told him, but he feared being watched. It also was late at night, so it wasn’t until the morning of November 26 that Wales informed Purser H.M. Heiskill about the plot. Wales then found Gansevoort and said Heiskill needed to see him about an urgent matter, Hunt wrote. After that meeting, Gansevoort promptly informed Mackenzie. ### Conspiracy in the Air After Mackenzie’s interaction with Spencer, he ordered the arrest of the mutiny’s alleged mastermind. He then sent Gansevoort and Rodgers on a hunt for evidence. In Hunt’s retelling, they discovered among Spencer’s belongings [a list of possible mutineers](). Cromwell and Small were placed under arrest on November 27, 1842. Despite all three alleged mutineers now in double irons and handcuffs, Mackenzie couldn’t rest. How many other co-conspirators were out there? Were Mackenzie or any of his officers in danger? The commander didn’t know for sure, but he felt “an insolent and menacing air” permeating every inch of his ship. With the USS Somers so far from home, Mackenzie didn’t know whether he could hold out that long. The thought of executing the perpetrators began to enter his mind. Knowing the implications of such a drastic action without a court-martial, Mackenzie sought the advice of seven men on the brig that he trusted most. After conferring, Hunt related, they backed Mackenzie that punishment couldn’t wait. ### “Not Fit to Die” ![USS Somers capsizes]() *A line engraving from The Illustrated London News on January 23, 1847, depicts the USS Somers on her beam ends after she capsizes off Vera Cruz, Mexico, while chasing a blockade runner. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command)* Although other arrests were made, only Spencer, Cromwell, and Small were selected for execution. Mackenzie put on his full uniform and went to inform the three prisoners of his decision. Spencer fell to his knees, crying and proclaiming [“he was not fit to die,”]() Mackenzie said. As he had all along, Cromwell insisted he was innocent. Small didn’t break down in the face of his imminent death. He only asked that no one inform his mother how he died. Spencer finally accepted responsibility shortly before he died, Hunt reported. “I deserve death for this and many other crimes,” [Spencer stated](). “There are few crimes that I have not committed. I feel sincerely penitent, and my only fear of death is that my repentance may be too late.” After his court-martial, Mackenzie never commanded the USS Somers again. He died on September 13, 1948—nearly two years after the USS Somers capsized and sank during the [Mexican-American War](). **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **• [How Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘Great White Fleet’ revealed the Navy’s potential]()** **• [The enduring mystery of a Navy ship that sank in the Bermuda Triangle]()** **• [Northrop Grumman teases first look at next-gen Navy fighter]()** ## Author Stephen Ruiz is an editor and writer at We Are The Mighty. His writing revolves mostly around military history and sports stories, but it can branch into other areas. Stephen has more than 35 years of journalism experience. His career began with stints at The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, Florida, and The Kansas City Star in Missouri, but most of his time was spent on the copy desk at the Orlando Sentinel. After accepting a buyout from the Sentinel in 2020, Stephen worked at Military.com for 4½ years as a content editor and writer. He joined the We Are The Mighty staff in December 2025. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()