What is keelhauling?

Keelhauling was a brutal form of punishment once practiced at sea, primarily by the Dutch and English navies.

• Definition: It involved dragging a person under the keel of a ship, either from one side to the other (across the width) or along the entire length of the ship (from bow to stern).

• Process: The victim was typically tied to a rope, weighted down, and then hauled beneath the ship. Sailors on deck would pull the rope to drag the person through the water and across the barnacle-encrusted hull.

• Dangers: The practice was incredibly dangerous and often deadly. The victim could drown, suffer severe lacerations and abrasions from the barnacles and other marine growth on the hull, or suffer head trauma from collisions with the ship's structure. Even if the victim survived the passage under the keel, they might succumb to infection from the wounds. Sharks were also a threat.

• Purpose: The punishment served multiple purposes:

  • Discipline: It was a harsh deterrent against insubordination, theft, or other offenses.
  • Terror: It instilled fear and obedience among the crew.
  • Humiliation: It publicly degraded the offender.

• Decline: By the 18th century, keelhauling gradually fell out of favor as naval discipline became more formalized and less reliant on extremely cruel punishments. It was eventually replaced by other forms of punishment, such as flogging and imprisonment.