In the British Navy during the age of sail, flogging was the most common
of all punishments. In his book, Sea Life In Nelson's Time,
John Masefield writes: "One blow was sufficient to take off
the skin, and to draw blood wherever the knots fell. Six blows were
enough to make the back positively raw. Twelve blows cut deeply into
it, and left it a horrible red slough, sickening to look upon. Yet
three dozen was a common punishment. Six dozen lashes were counted
as nothing. Three hundred lashes were very frequently given."
In fact, Sven Wahlroos (Mutiny and Romance in the South Seas) reports:
"...as late as 1807, King George III saw fit to intervene in Navy affairs
by setting an upper limit of 1000 lashes!"