18 U.S.C. § 2271
Section 2271 · Conspiracy to destroy vessels
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 7 court decisions — leading case United States v. S. Sam Caldwell (1985)
Most recently applied in Baas v. Fewless (April 2018)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever, on the high seas, or within the United States, willfully and corruptly conspires, combines, and confederates with any other person, such other person being either within or without the United States, to cast away or otherwise destroy any vessel, with intent to injure any person that may have underwritten or may thereafter underwrite any policy of insurance thereon or on goods on board thereof, or with intent to injure any person that has lent or advanced, or may lend or advance, any money on such vessel on bottomry or respondentia; or
Whoever, within the United States, builds, or fits out any vessel to be cast away or destroyed, with like intent—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §487 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §296, 35 Stat. 1146).
Mandatory punishment provision was rephrased in the alternative.
Reference to a person who “aids in building or fitting out any vessel” was omitted as unnecessary in view of section 2 making all aiders guilty as principal.
Changes in phraseology were made.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000” in last par.