Chapman controversies

Deaths during the disputed Chapman convict-voyage disturbance

A warning that a mutiny was planned led officers, soldiers, and crew to use firearms aboard Chapman during the voyage from Cork to Sydney. Several convicts were killed by gunfire, others died from wounds or dysentery, and two crew members also died. Authorities in New South Wales investigated the episode, and principal defendants were later tried at the Old Bailey in London and acquitted. Historical accounts differ over whether a genuine mutiny occurred or whether the deaths resulted from panic and excessive force.