---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 1655"
description: "Assault on commander as piracy"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "81"
chapter_name: "PIRACY AND PRIVATEERING"
section: "1655"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1655"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s1655"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "4a4c20634f7f3ecb3c7eaadb983a0a70cb3d3f90226bdee2dbc6325a76322e23"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "8a2003c287701db0092f5eb44e0e6ff9c92c5f23425e4cc827a415c560c87495"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 1655 - Assault on commander as piracy

## Text

Whoever, being a seaman, lays violent hands upon his commander, to hinder and prevent his fighting in defense of his vessel or the goods intrusted to him, is a pirate, and shall be imprisoned for life.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 774.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 485 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 294, 35 Stat. 1146). A minor verbal change was made.