“All hands on deck to witness punishment, ahoy!” This command from the Boatswain brings Constitution‘s entire crew to the middle of the ship to watch a flogging. This spectacle is a brutal but effective way to make sure the crew obeys orders. Those who don’t are tied to the ship’s rail, and whipped with nine knotted cords. Flogging is brutal. The lash lifts flesh off the victim’s bare back, spraying it onto the deck and the nearest spectators.