Fact1: De Vriess popular with men but disliked by Keith is relieved by Phillip Francis Queeg, Fact2: Phillip Francis Queeg attempts to instill strict discipline on Caine 's lax crew, Fact3: Keefer Arriving aboard backs down telling others that Queeg 's actions be interpreted as attempts to instill discipline Halsey 's flagship, Fact4: Maryk urges captain to reverse At height of storm course into wind, Fact5: Greenwald arrives officers for not appreciating Queeg 's long service and failing to give him support
Output: Newly commissioned Ensign Willie Keith Robert Francis reports to the minesweeper USS Caine commanded by William De Vriess Tom Tully, also meeting executive officer Stephen Maryk Van Johnson and communications officer Thomas Keefer Fred MacMurray. De Vriess, popular with the men but disliked by Keith, is relieved by Phillip Francis Queeg Humphrey Bogart, who immediately attempts to instill strict discipline on the Caines lax crew. After a day of gunnery target towing, Queeg orders a turn to head back to Pearl Harbor, but distracts himself by berating Keith and Keefer over a crewmans appearance. Ignoring the helmsmans repeated warnings, he lets the ship turn full circle and hit the towline, setting the target adrift. Queeg tries to cover up the incident. Assigned to escort a group of landing craft during an invasion of a small Pacific island, Queeg abandons his mission before he reaches the designated departure point, and instead drops a yellow dye marker, leaving the landing craft to fend for themselves. Queeg asks his officers for their support, but they remain silent and nickname him Old Yellowstain, implying cowardice. Keefer, believing Queeg to be paranoid, encourages Maryk to consider relieving Queeg on the basis of mental incapacity under Article 184 of Navy Regulations. Maryk angrily rejects that possibility, but starts a log documenting the captains behavior. When some strawberries go missing from the officers mess, Queeg convenes an elaborate investigation to determine the culprit, recalling an incident earlier in his career when he received a commendation for uncovering the theft of food. Despite the small nature of the theft, and the likelihood that the kitchen staff had eaten the missing strawberries, Queeg pushes ahead with his investigation, insisting that a duplicate cabinet key must have been made and used, and demanding an onerous search of the entire vessel to find it. Finally convinced of Queegs instability, Maryk asks Keefer and Keith to go with him to personally see Admiral Halsey about the matter. Arriving aboard Halseys flagship, Keefer suddenly backs down, telling the others that Queegs actions will just be interpreted as attempts to instill discipline. As they leave without seeing the admiral, an aide tells them that a typhoon is approaching. At the height of the storm, which takes place on July 31, 1944, Maryk urges the captain to reverse course into the wind and take on ballast, but Queeg refuses, having received no order from the fleet to change course or to maneuver at will. Concerned that the ship will founder, the officers and crew look to Queeg for guidance, but he appears to be frozen, either by indecision or fear. With Keiths support, Maryk relieves Queeg of command. The Caine returns to San Francisco, where Maryk and Keith face a courtmartial for mutiny. Barney Greenwald Jose Ferrer reluctantly becomes Maryks defense counsel after eight other Navy lawyers turn down the assignment. At the courtmartial, Keefer lies on the stand, claiming he never observed any mental illness in Queeg and that he never counseled Maryk to relieve him of his command. A Navy psychiatrist testifies that Queeg is fit for command, but under Greenwalds questioning confirms that Queeg shows symptoms of a paranoid personality. Under Greenwalds relentless crossexamination, Queeg has a mental breakdown, confirming that he was unfit for command. Maryk is acquitted by the courtmartial. Following the acquittal, the officers of the Caine hold a party, where Keefer receives a frosty reception from Maryk. A drunken Greenwald arrives and berates the officers for not appreciating Queegs long service and failing to give him the support he asked for. He denounces Keefer as the real author of the mutiny, a man who hated the Navy and manipulated others while keeping his own hands clean. He then throws champagne in Keefers face and departs, followed by the rest of the officers, leaving Keefer alone in the room. Keith is assigned to a new ship commanded by De Vriess.