Title 18Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§2196 Drunkenness or neglect of duty by seamen

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 107— - SEAMEN AND STOWAWAYS › § 2196

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes it a crime for a captain, officer, radio operator, seaman, apprentice, or other crew on a merchant ship to deliberately break their duty or act while drunk in a way that could immediately destroy or badly damage the ship or put anyone on board in serious danger. It also covers failing, through deliberate misconduct, neglect, or drunkenness, to do what is needed right away to protect the ship or people. A person convicted can be jailed for up to one year.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §2196

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, being a master, officer, radio operator, seaman, apprentice or other person employed on any merchant vessel, by willful breach of duty, or by reason of drunkenness, does any act tending to the immediate loss or destruction of, or serious damage to, such vessel, or tending immediately to endanger the life or limb of any person belonging to or on board of such vessel; or, by willful breach of duty or by neglect of duty or by reason of drunkenness, refuses or omits to do any lawful act proper and requisite to be done by him for preserving such vessel from immediate loss, destruction, or serious damage, or for preserving any person belonging to or on board of such ship from immediate danger to life or limb, shall be imprisoned not more than one year.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on section 704 of title 46, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Shipping (R.S. § 4602). Words “officer, radio operator,” and “or other person employed on” were inserted at beginning of section to insure clarity and scope of section. Section 701 of title 46, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Shipping, is very similar to this section as revised, and has been applied to mates [Morris v. Cornell, D.C. Mass. 1843, Fed. Cas. No. 9,829; Gladding v. Constant, D.C. Mass. 1844, Fed. Cas. No. 5,468; Foye v. Dabney, D.C. Mass. 1853, Fed. Cas. No. 5,022; Foye v. Lickie, D.C. Mass. 1853, Fed. Cas. No. 5,023; The Sylvia De Grasse, D.C.N.Y. 1843, Fed. Cas. No. 12,676; The Sadie C. Sumner, D.C. Mass. 1905, 142 F. 611], as well as engineers, assistant engineers and cooks. (See notes of decisions under section 701, of title 46, U.S.C., Shipping.) Words “be guilty of a misdemeanor” were omitted as unnecessary in view of general definition of “misdemeanor” in section 1 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology including substitution of “one year” for “twelve months” at end of section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 2196

Title 18Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73