Battleland

Navy Resurrecting Old Form of Punishment?

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It’s tough to tell from this contract solicitation posted by the Navy on Wednesday. But it’s from the Naval Supply Systems Command’s NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, which last time we checked is home to a lot of U.S. Navy vessels.

668px-Pyle_pirate_plank_edited

Harpers

Sure, “walking the plank” was a form of execution practice by pirates and other ne’er-do-wells on the high seas, not regular navies, and noted as far back as 1788. And “plankowners,” in Navy parlance, are the folks who served aboard a vessel when it was commissioned, but that doesn’t seem to quite fit.

The solicitation doesn’t specify precisely why the Navy wants “perfect planks,” but it does specify it is seeking 20 in mahogany, and 59 in pine.

Hardwood for officers, and softwood for sailors?