7. Keelhauling involved dragging a sailor under the bottom of a ship, often repeatedly, as they struggled to hold their breath or survive the wounds inflicted.
Keelhauling, taking its name from the Dutch “Kielhalen meaning “to drag along the keel”, was a torturous punishment inflicted upon sailors whilst at sea. The sailor would be tied to a rope that encircled the underside of the ship, whereupon, being thrown overboard, they would be dragged underneath the ship and along the keel to emerge on the other side. Due to the physical harm suffered as a result of keelhauling, with the hull of a ship covered in barnacles, the victim would suffer immense lacerations resulting in major infections and cuts likely leading to their eventual death.
It is unclear whether keelhauling was a common practice during the ancient world. References to a similar punishment for piracy existed in the Rhodian Maritime Code dating from 700 CE, but it was not until the Early Modern Period that keelhauling entered into prominence. Several English writers during the 17th century recorded keelhauling on naval ships; however, there remains no formal note of these actions in the ship’s logs. Keelhauling was an official punishment in the Dutch Navy, although only rarely enforced due to its harsh nature. It should be noted, nevertheless, that the Dutch did not intend the practice to be fatal and allowed for respites in the torture to recover.