The Seaman's Manslaughter Statute, enacted in 1838 and codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1115, imposes criminal liability on any officer, pilot, engineer, or operator of a vessel whose misconduct, negligence, or inattention causes the death of a person. Unlike common law manslaughter, the statute requires only ordinary negligence — not gross or willful negligence — to establish guilt, making conviction significantly easier than in other manslaughter contexts. The statute applies to corporate entities as well as individuals and has been used in major maritime disaster prosecutions.