The Sally, Porter, Master was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court in 1814. The dispute arose from an incident that occurred during a voyage on board the vessel known as “Sally” when it encountered rough weather and had to be abandoned by its crew. The master of the ship claimed salvage rights for his efforts in saving some of the cargo and sought compensation from those who owned or held interests in said cargo. However, several parties objected to this claim arguing that they were not liable since they did not own any part of the vessel nor did they have any control over it at the time of abandonment. In their decision, justices ruled against granting salvage rights to anyone other than those who actually owned or controlled parts of “Sally” at time she was abandoned; thus denying compensation for services rendered by her master. This ruling established precedent which has been used ever since then whenever similar cases arise involving maritime law and claims for salvaged goods or vessels

In The Sally, Porter, Master case, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a master of a vessel had authority to bind his owners by contracts made in the course of his voyage. Chief Justice Marshall delivered an opinion for the majority that held that masters do not have such authority unless they are specifically authorized by their owners or possess some other power from them. However, Justice Johnson dissented and argued that masters should be allowed to make binding contracts on behalf of their owners when it is necessary for carrying out their voyages successfully. He reasoned that if this were not so then many important transactions would remain incomplete due to lack of time or resources available at sea. Furthermore, he noted how allowing masters this power would benefit both parties involved since it would encourage merchants and shipmasters alike to enter into agreements with more confidence knowing there will be no dispute over its validity later on.