captain's mast

American  

noun

1. a session at which the captain of a naval ship hears and acts on the cases of enlisted personnel charged with committing offenses.

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Etymology

Origin of captain's mast

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

It still refers to the ceremony in which punishment is meted out as “captain’s mast,” recalling the days when a guilty sailor would be tied to the ship’s main mast and flogged with a cat-o’-nine-tails until his back was bloody.

From New York Times

Capt. Robert E. Smith sent a letter to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service explaining that he had handled the case with an informal, nonjudicial procedure known as a captain’s mast.

From New York Times

Benham says Cima's squadron's commander found him guilty Monday at a captain's mast, or administrative review.

From Seattle Times