alibligh
Nicknamed after the infamous "H.M.S. Bounty mutiny" captain, this is a supposedly-exonerating tale/explanation of one's intentions/whereabouts/circumstances while in possession/command of a sailing-vessel, the narrative is intended to prove one's innocence with regards to being overdue, damage to the ship, loss of crew/cargo, etc.
The captain of the "ghost ship" that Laurel and Hardy signed on to would sure need one heck of an alibligh to explain to his superiors why he had even **fewer** crew-members aboard his ship on his return-journey than the pathetic few number of sailors that he'd started out with (due to Arthur Houseman's character --- the lanky dim-witted drunkard --- being hauled off by his estranged wife, and the "new" i.e., "shanghaied" sailors' diving off the side of the ship in terror when they catch sight of the whitewash-soaked Houseman and believe he is a ghost), especially since he had been making a concerted effort to acquire additional hands at the sailors' tavern when he'd first run into "The Boys" sometime earlier.