Changes to the U.S. Navy's Uniform Code of Military Justice from January 1 will mean that sailors can no longer be fed bread and water as a non-judicial punishment for minor offenses on board.
The New York Times notes that, in it's current form, the practice is limited to a maximum of three days, but in years gone by, it could have been up to 30 days and was used as a more humane punishment than flogging.
Congress outlawed flogging in 1862, but naval commanders could still call for a sailor to be shackled whilst on bread and water rations. In 1909, the 30 day limit was reduced to seven days, and the option of shackles was banned. By the 1980s, reports The New York Times, a medical examination was required before the sentence could be imposed. Sailors are also allowed three unlimited servings of bread each day.
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WNU Editor: Some "traditions and customs" take a long time to be discarded.
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