Every person in the fleet, who shall not duly observe the orders of the admiral, flag officer, commander of any squadron or division, or other his superior officer, for assailing, joining battle with, or making defense against any fleet, squadron, or ship, or shall not obey the orders of his superior officer as aforesaid in the time of action, to the best of his power, or shall not use all possible endeavours to put the same effectually into execution, every person so offending, and being convicted thereof by the sentence of the court martial, shall suffer death, or such other punishment, as from the nature and degree of the offence a court martial shall deem him to deserve.
Every individual in the fleet, who does not properly follow the orders of the admiral, flag officer, commander of any squadron or division, or other superior officer, to attack, join battle with, or defend against another fleet, squadron, or ship, or who fails to obey such officers' commands during combat as best they can, or who does not exert all efforts to effectively carry out these orders, every individual found guilty by court martial will face death or a punishment deemed appropriate by the court.