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 follow orders from superiors—such as the admiral, flag officer, squadron commander, or division leader—and fails to act according to combat instructions during battles will be severely punished. The punishment may include death or a sentence decided by court martial based on the severity of the offense.