Could a cat-o'-nine-tails blow be softened?

Could a boatswain's mate soften the cat-o'-nine-tails when a flogging seemed unjust?

Only in theory; the men delivering the lashes had some control, but obvious interference could get them punished, so mitigation was rare.

The boatswain's mates handling a cat-o'-nine-tails controlled how each blow landed and therefore had some theoretical ability to reduce its force. That discretion did not amount to a safe or recognized appeal against the captain's sentence. Deliberately interfering too much could bring punishment on the men carrying out the flogging, so covert mitigation was rare. The answer places informal compassion inside a discipline system in which the order and the Articles of War still governed the punishment.