False musters collapse when a ship has to perform

How did the Royal Navy detect Captain Coffin's false muster in 1788?

The exact details of Coffin's case are not recalled; generally, officer and purser oversight and a ship's inability to perform exposed missing crew.

A false muster let a captain draw pay for sailors who were not aboard. Other officers and the purser could compare the books with the people present, while officers expecting combat had a direct reason to insist on a full crew. Routine operations could expose missing manpower when a ship failed to carry out its duties. Fraud was easier to sustain in an overlooked ship lying in harbour. The panel distinguishes tolerated double office-holding by an effective captain from drawing pay for dozens of nonexistent sailors. Coffin's exact case is not recalled confidently, so these are general detection mechanisms rather than a reconstruction of the 1788 investigation.