Complex sentence: Herman Melville, whose first cousin, Lieutenant Guert Gansevoort, was an officer aboard the brig, was reportedly influenced by the notorious events of the "Somers" mutineers and utilized the story in his novella "Billy Budd".
Split into simpler sentences: Herman Melville, whose first cousin, Lieutenant Guert Gansevoort, was an officer aboard the brig, may have been influenced by the notorious events of the "Somers" mutineers. Melville may have used elements of the story in his novella "Billy Budd".