A B777 CAPT KNOWINGLY DEPARTED MIA FOR LHR ON AN OVERWATER TRIP WITH AN MEL'ED APU; A CABIN CREW THAT WAS ILLEGAL; AND A RELIEF PLT THAT WAS UNQUALIFIED.

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SIGNED IN AND ON BOARD FOR MIA-EZE FLT XXX. AFTER BRIEFING CREW; NOTIFIED BY AGENT OF REASSIGNMENT. CALL TO TRACKING CONFIRMED CREW REASSIGNED TO FLT; MIA-LHR. ONLY PROB WAS THAT RELIEF PLT WAS NOT QUALIFIED. THIS WAS NEWS TO TRACKING TO CORRECTED SIT. I ARRIVED AT NEW ACFT WITH PAX BOARDED AND NEW YORK CREW NOT YET INFORMED OF SWITCH. WAITED FOR COCKPIT TO VACATE AND BRIEFED PURSER IN THE INTERIM. SHE STATED FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD BE GOING ILLEGAL SOON ALSO. RETURNED TO OPS TO PULL FLT PLAN AND OBTAIN EUROPEAN PUBS. ON RETURN TO ACFT; INFORMED BY MAINT THERE WAS A PROB WITH APU AND THEY WERE WORKING IT. WITHOUT CONSULTING ME; MAINT DECIDED TO PLACARD APU INOP. IT WAS NOT. FAULT WAS IN START CIRCUITRY; BUT APU CURRENTLY RUNNING FINE. IN FACT; WE USED APU FOR ELECTRIC START. MAINT PROCEEDED TO DO THEIR THING WITHOUT ANY CONSULTATION WITH ME. AGENT INFORMED ME FLT ATTENDANTS WERE GOING ILLEGAL IN 3-4 MINS AND COULD I DO ANYTHING. I CONSENTED TO CLOSING THE DOOR; BELIEVING MAINT WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHIN A FEW MINS. I THEN RELEASED THE BRAKES; PRESERVING CREW LEGALITY. COMPUTING FUEL LOAD; I DETERMINED WE COULD RUN APU FOR ENTIRE FLT. COORDINATED WITH DISPATCH. MAINT CONTINUED THEIR PLACARDING OPS; DESPITE MY COMS WITH THEM WE INTENDED TO RUN APU -- NOT TO SHUT IT DOWN. IF NOT SHUT DOWN; THEN RESTART NOT AN ISSUE. TO MAINT IT OBVIOUSLY WAS. WE WAITED ALMOST AN HR FOR COMPLETION OF SIGNOFF BY MAINT. MAINT COMPLETED PLACARDS AND ALL SIGNOFFS. I DEPARTED; OVER 1 HR BEYOND FLT ATTENDANTS' LEGAL CREW DUTY DAY. I DID THIS; INITIALLY; AS I BELIEVED THIS TO BE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION TO MAINTAIN SOME SEMBLANCE OF SCHEDULE INTEGRITY. I ALREADY KNEW FLT WAS BEING HELD FOR US AND THEIR FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD BE USED FOR LHR VERSUS EZE; AS SCHEDULED; THEREBY DELAYING FLT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING; AS WELL AS ANOTHER FLT. MY JUDGEMENT WAS THIS WAS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR ALL PAX CONCERNED; AS WELL AS COMPANY. GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE CREEPING DELAY; AND THE NEEDLESSNESS OF THIS DELAY; SINCE WE RAN THE APU ALL NIGHT XING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN; I AM NOT SO SURE THAT I WOULD MAKE THE SAME DECISION WHEN FACED WITH THE SAME POTENTIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE FUTURE. MY FLT ATTENDANTS WERE WALKING ZOMBIES BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED IN LHR. WHILE I READILY ACCEPTED THE HEAT FOR MY ACTIONS; IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO JUSTIFY; IN LIGHT OF SO MANY COMPOUNDING DELAYS; WHICH I DID NOT EXPECT.