Generally speaking, the naval officer was not popular.
As a ship’s captain he seemed to be forever having to go before the tribunal. Most of the matters were quite trivial, but there was growing consensus that perhaps he just wasn’t the right man for the job. Despite the ever-growing number of petty charges, they always concluded with an acquittal. He regularly became frustrated with the situation, on the basis that being so often called upon to attend such things would often prevent him from sailing out to sea. It was out there, plying the wide expanse of the ocean that he really came into his own.
However, it wasn’t until he was several years into his retirement that he learnt the real reason for him being hauled up on so many minor charges.
Apparently, it came down to the fact that he was far too fond of continually calling out ‘Ahoy there!’