Keelhauling, from Dutch language kielhalen ('to drag along the keel') was a severe form of corporal punishment meted out to sailors at sea. Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. ... Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain intended to correct behavior or to punish. ... This article is about naval crewpeople; for other meanings, see sailor (disambiguation). ...

Process

The sailor was tied to a rope that looped beneath the vessel, thrown overboard on one side of the ship, and dragged under the ship's keel to the other side. As the hull was often covered in barnacles and other marine growth, this could result in lacerations and other injuries. This generally happened if the offender was pulled quickly. If pulled slowly, his weight might lower him sufficiently to miss the barnacles but might result in his drowning. If the rope snapped, the Captain could conclude that the punishment was not done properly and order it carried out again. Coils of rope used for long-line fishing A rope (IPA: ) is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. ... // In boats and ships, keel can mean either of two parts; a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element; these parts overlap. ... A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ... Superorders Acrothoracica Thoracica Rhizocephala A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea and is hence distantly related to crabs and lobsters. ... Marine is an umbrella term for things relating to the ocean, as with marine biology, marine geology, and as a term for a navy, etc. ... Definition A cut is an injury that results in a break or opening in the skin. ...

History

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Keelhauling was legally permitted as a punishment in the Dutch Navy. The earliest official mention of keelhauling is a Dutch ordinance of 1560: the practice was not formally abolished until 1853. While not an official punishment, it was reportedly used by some British Royal Navy and merchant marine captains, and has become strongly associated with pirate lore. (In 1953 Alan Ladd became the only movie star to suffer this punishment when, on orders of the sadistic James Mason, he was keelhauled in the movie Botany Bay.) Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Royal Netherlands Navy Jack The Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy ) is the navy of the Netherlands. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other Botany Bays see Botany Bay (disambiguation) Bicentennial Monument at Botany Bay Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a few kilometers south of the central business district. ...

See also

• cat o' nine tails
• birching
• caning
• hanging
• walking the plank

A leather cat o nine used for BDSM play This article discusses an implement of punishment. ... Birching is corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically a spanking (i. ... Rattan cane Caning is a physical punishment (see that article for generalities and alternatives) consisting of a beating with a cane, generally applied on the bare or clad buttocks (see spanking), shoulders, hand(s) (palm, rarely knuckles) or even the soles of the feet (see falaka). ... Suicide by hanging. ... Walking the plank is a form of execution popularly (but incorrectly) believed to have been widely practiced by pirates. ...

References

• The Straight Dope on keelhauling and drawing and quartering
• The AFU and Urban Legend Archive, on keelhauling and running the gauntlet