Keelhauling in the 1700s - how often did they actually do it?

by LareaMartell

So, I'm wondering if keelhauling was something that happened frequently or not. I mean, it sounds like a pretty severe punishment, and I'v already looked it up for a bit, but it never mentions how bad it really was and how frequently they did it. The sources I found also didn't mention why anyone would get keelhauled in the first place. Would stealing be enough? Would ingorning an order be enough? I'd really like to know!

jschooltiger

Keelhauling was a traditional punishment in the Dutch navy. I can't really speak to its frequency, but perhaps /u/eternalkerri can -- they mentioned it in a post here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r15t5/whats_your_most_interesting_historical_story_fact/c425xv3

You may also be interested in this podcast and discussion thread on the Golden Age of Piracy: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2cbyjk/