WARNING: This documentary is under an educational and historical context, We do NOT tolerate or promote hatred towards any group of people, we do NOT promote violence. We condemn these events so that they do not happen again. NEVER AGAIN. All photos have been censored according to YouTube's advertiser policies.

The creaking of wooden boards and the gentle lapping of waves against a ship's hull might evoke images of adventure and exploration, but for some unfortunate souls in maritime history, these sounds were the prelude to a horrifying ordeal. Keelhauling, a punishment so severe it could make even the most hardened sailors quake in their boots, stands as a testament to the brutal justice meted out on the high seas. As the famous 18th-century English writer Samuel Johnson once remarked, "Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned," a sentiment that took on a far more sinister meaning for those facing this dreaded punishment.

This practice, which originated in the Dutch Navy during the 17th century, involved dragging a sailor underneath the ship's keel from one side to the other. The term itself comes from the Dutch word "kielhalen," meaning "to haul under the keel." While often associated with piracy, keelhauling was primarily used by naval forces as a form of disciplinary action against their own crew members. The Dutch, known for their naval prowess during the Golden Age of the 17th century, were particularly infamous for employing this brutal method of maintaining discipline aboard their ships.

One of the earliest recorded instances of keelhauling dates back to 1622, when a Dutch sailor named Pilgram Willemsz was sentenced to this punishment for striking his captain. The incident occurred aboard the ship "Hollandia" while it was anchored off the coast of present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Willemsz survived the ordeal, but his fate served as a chilling warning to other sailors contemplating insubordination. The Dutch Articles of War, published in 1629 by stadtholder Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, officially codified keelhauling as a punishment for severe infractions such as mutiny, theft, or sodomy. These articles remained in effect for over two centuries, shaping the harsh disciplinary culture of the Dutch Navy.

The process of keelhauling was as meticulous as it was merciless. The condemned would be stripped naked and tied with ropes, often with weights attached to ensure they sank deep enough to pass under the ship. Crew members would then haul the unfortunate soul from one side of the vessel to the other, dragging them beneath the barnacle-encrusted hull. In some cases, a wooden board or mattress was sometimes tied to the victim's back in a token effort to provide some protection, though this often proved futile against the razor-sharp barnacles and the crushing pressure of the water.

For those subjected to this torment, the experience was nothing short of nightmarish. Captain Charles Johnson, in his 1724 book "A General History of the Pyrates," vividly described the ordeal: "The Delinquent shall be stripped stark naked, and a Rope tied about his Middle, with which he shall be hoisted up to the End of the Yard-Arm, from whence he shall be violently let fall into the Sea, and drawn underneath the Ship's Keel." Johnson's account, while sensationalized in parts, provides a rare contemporary description of the punishment and has significantly influenced our modern understanding of maritime punishments during the Golden Age of Piracy.

00:00 Beneath the Keel
8:21 The Brutal Symphony of the Cat-o'-Nine-Tails
16:27 The Grim Fate of Marooned Pirates
26:51 Plunging into the Pirate's Abyss
35:30 Caged in Infamy