Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter (November 8, 1925 – August 18, 2009, in Novato, California), was a U.S. Navy officer, known for being relieved of command of USS Vance (DER-387) after only 99 days.
[2] On 22 December 1965, just before Christmas, on Bravo Pier, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Arnheiter took command of the USS Vance, a ship which was, in his opinion, unready for war.
[4] One of the duties of the Vance was to search small coastal traffic (junks) for contraband, specifically weapons to be used by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.
Since the Vance's motor whaleboat was lacking in speed, Arnheiter had a speedboat purchased for that purpose; however, he used special services (welfare & recreation) money—a misappropriation of funds.
[5] Eventually word of these activities (and other allegations), including the complaints listed in the "Mad Marcus Log", reached higher command headquarters staff, most likely by way of a chaplain in whom the sailors had confided.