# Being shanghaied **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-shanghaied/298485 "2005-04-08T22:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YPOD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e99b99/32.png) [@YPOD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YPOD)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-shanghaied/298485/1 "2005-04-08T22:14:13Z")
I was reading a book the other day, when it mentioned that one of the characters had been shanghaied in New York - knocked out and woke up on a ship, forced to become on of the crew. I know it happened, but when did it stop? When was the last known case of someone being shanghaied to serve on a legally registered ship? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-shanghaied/298485/2 "2005-04-08T23:54:56Z")
It probably still happens. I seem to recall a story from New Zealand just a couple of years ago: A merchant ship in some port (Invercargill?) had several sailors desert. The told a tale of being forced to serve against their will in bad conditions, and were eventually allowed to go back to their home country (can’t recall which) with fares paid by the ship (which had to cough up the money before being allowed to sail).