Walking the plank. A mode of destroying devoted persons or officers in a mutiny on ship-board, by blind-folding them, and obliging them to walk on a plank ...WalkingtheplankFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchFormofexecutionforpiratesatsea"Walktheplank"redirectshere.Forotheruses,seeWalkthePlank(disambiguation).Walkingtheplankwasamethodofexecutionpracticedonspecialoccasionbypirates,mutineers,andotherrogueseafarers.Fortheamusementoftheperpetrators(andthepsychologicaltortureofthevictims),captiveswereboundsotheycouldnotswimortreadwaterandforcedtowalkoffawoodenplankorbeamextendedoverthesideofaship.Althoughforcingcaptivestowalktheplankisamotifofpiratesinpopularcultureinthe19ththrough21stcenturies,fewinstancesaredocumented.[1]Contents1Earliestdocumentedrecordofthephrase2Historicalinstancesofplankwalking3Inliterature4Seealso5References6FurtherreadingEarliestdocumentedrecordofthephrase[edit]ThephraseisrecordedinthesecondeditionofEnglishlexicographerFrancisGrose'sDictionaryoftheVulgarTongue,whichwaspublishedin1788.[2]Grosewrote:Walkingtheplank.Amodeofdestroyingdevotedpersonsorofficersinamutinyonship-board,byblind-foldingthem,andobligingthemtowalkonaplanklaidovertheship'sside;bythismeans,asthemutineerssuppose,avoidingthepenaltyofmurder.[2]Historicalinstancesofplankwalking[edit]In1769,mutineerGeorgeWoodconfessedtohischaplainatLondon'sNewgatePrisonthatheandhisfellowmutineershadsenttheirofficerstowalktheplank.[3]AuthorDouglasBotting,indescribingtheaccount,characterizeditasan"allegedconfession"andan"obscureaccount...whichmayormaynotbetrue,andinanycasehadnothingtodowithpirates".[4]AMr.Claxton,surgeons-mateaboardtheGarlandin1788,testifiedtoacommitteeattheHouseofCommonsabouttheuseoftheplankbyslavers:[5]Thefood,notwithstandingthemortality,wassolittle,thatiftenmoredaysatsea,theyshould,asthecaptainandotherssaid,havemadetheslaveswalktheplank,thatis,throwthemselvesoverboard,orhaveeatenthoseslavesthatdied.PirateJohnDerdrake,activeintheBalticinthelate1700s,wassaidto