Abandonment of sailors
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, being master or commander of a vessel of the United States, while abroad, 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 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 801 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for the master of a U.S. ship abroad to maliciously and without good reason force a crew member ashore to leave them behind in a foreign port, or to refuse to bring home crew members who are able and willing to return.