marooning

Marooning is the deliberate abandonment of a person at a remote location, such as a deserted island or other isolated place, with insufficient means to return to safety. It has appeared in maritime contexts as a form of punishment, coercion, or desertion, typically carried out by shipboard authorities or mutinous crewmates.

The etymology is uncertain; the verb to maroon entered English in the early modern period and is often linked to maroon communities—escaped enslaved people who built independent settlements in the Americas—though the direct connection is debated. Historically, marooning is most frequently associated with piracy, privateering, and naval mutinies in the Caribbean and Atlantic worlds, where individuals might be left behind to deter dissent or remove a troublesome crew member.

In modern law, marooning is illegal in most jurisdictions and constitutes crimes such as kidnapping, attempted murder, or murder if the castaway dies; maritime authorities treat it as a severe abuse of authority and a violation of international law and conventions protecting seafarers.

In literature and film, marooning has become a recurring motif symbolizing isolation and human endurance. Accounts of actual maroonings are scarce and often blend fact with legend, making it difficult to verify specific episodes.