---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 1656"
description: "Conversion or surrender of vessel"
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: "1656"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1656"
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/s1656"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "7db21ebb421f919b8b1459a178f5ef154b654d6ecdce95091b3815210079ca1b"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "a5f232453751553841c3fda438e0fd4f78869fc42f930b364904ca4ebf49551c"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 1656 - Conversion or surrender of vessel

## Text

Whoever, being a captain or other officer or mariner of a vessel upon the high seas or on any other waters within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, piratically or feloniously runs away with such vessel, or with any goods or merchandise thereof, to the value of $50 or over; or Whoever yields up such vessel voluntarily to any pirate— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 497 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 306, 35 Stat. 1148). Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000” in last par.