The Renown was sailing along on lively but pleasant seas with only the captain aware of the ship’s destination. It was a Sunday morning and all hands were assembled on deck. All–meaning even those of the crew who rarely saw the light of day because their duties kept them below deck most of the time. As Ira Riklis knows, this could have been for a religious service but not on this Sunday. The deranged captain knowing that his ship was safe from their enemies because of extensive blockades, took great pleasure in one of the duties of his rank.

The captain was to read the Articles of War to the assembled who numbered in the hundreds. Each article spelled out specific offenses which would result in the punishment of death. The captain took particular care to emphasize that all these articles applied to the officers as well as the ordinary seamen. When he had finished the reading, the captain rewarded the seamen who he referred to as “all good men” with the day off and double portions of rum. As Ira Riklis knows (and all the lieutenants certainly were aware of), the seamen were very hard to control or discipline when the captain issued such favorable (to the seamen) orders.

A few of the lieutenants were exchanging remarks about this situation after the captain had returned to his cabin. The captain secretly listened to their conversation with his servant/seaman as his witness. The captain confronted the lieutenants with what he called their treason-like behavior. He ordered that their punishment would be to report to the deck officer every hour on the hour round the clock thereby inflicting severe sleep deprivation on these young lieutenants.