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What is a Keelhauler?          Wood carving of the practice of Keelhauling where the guilty party is drug under the hull of the ship.

Keelhaul (verb): To haul under the keel of a ship by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side. Keelhauling was a form of corporal punishment that was formerly practiced as a punishment in the Dutch and English navies. 

Used as a way to punish members of the crew who were guilty of serious breaches of the ship's code of conduct, Keelhauling involved tying the hands of a crew member to a rope and hauling him under the keel of the ship. The sailor was tied to a line that is looped beneath the vessel, thrown overboard on one side of the ship and dragged under the ship's keel, either from one side of the ship to the other, or the length of the ship (from bow to stern). 

While the practice of keelhauling was formally abolished in 1853, the Keelhauler lives on as the official mascot of Cal Maritime Athletics.

One of the most unique monikers in intercollegiate athletics, as chosen by students in 1974 (Sea Wolves and Sea Horses were alternative options considered), earned national distinction when ESPN included the Keelhaulers on its list of top 10 college nicknames among schools with basketball programs.