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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 107 — Seamen and Stowaways

§ 2195. Abandonment of sailors

Statutory text

Whoever, being master or commander of a vessel of the United States, while abroad, maliciously and without justifiable cause forces any officer or mariner of such vessel on shore, in order to leave him behind in any foreign port or place, or refuses to bring home again all such officers and mariners of such vessel whom he carried out with him, as are in a condition to return and willing to return, when he is ready to proceed on his homeward voyage, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 80–645 · 62 Stat. 683

    Enacted · 18 U.S.C. § 2195

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 801

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 801

  2. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

    Pub. L. 103–322 title XXXIII § 330016(1)(G) · 108 Stat. 1796

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 2195

    Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (G) in sections 4, 41, 42, 46, 47, 112, 154, 244, 288, 290, 336, 475, 501, 502, 755, 872, 875, 876, 877, 917, 1013, 1018, 1024, 1154, 1155, 1156, 1382, 1541, 1700, 1703, 1704, 1707, 1712, 1713, 1720, 1721, 1722, 1729, 1731, 1734, 1752, 1793, 1856, 1857, 1863, 1912, 1913, 1922, 2074, 2195, and 2511 by striking “not more than $500” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

1 of 2 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 486 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 295, 35 Stat. 1146).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”.

Credits

1948–1994 · 2 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 801
  2. 1994Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), , 108 Stat. 2147.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 801; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), , 108 Stat. 2147.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc18.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-05-04

USLM identifier /us/usc/t18/s2195