# LITTLE KNOWN TIDBIT OF NAVAL HISTORY...



## beer-b-q (Aug 3, 2010)

*LITTLE KNOWN TIDBIT OF
NAVAL 
HISTORY...*

.
*The
U.. S. S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), as a combat vessel,
carried **48,600
gallons of fresh water*  *for
her crew of 475 officers and men. This was sufficient to last
six months of sustained operations at sea. She carried no
evaporators (i.e. fresh water distillers). 

However,
let it be noted that according to her ship's log, "On July 27,
1798, the U.S.S. Constitution sailed from Boston with a full
complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of **fresh *
*water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder
and **79,400
gallons of rum**." 

Her
mission: "To destroy and harass English
shipping."
*
*Making
**Jamaica*
*on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour
and **68,300
gallons of rum**. *

*Then
she headed for the Azores , arriving there 12 November. She
provisioned with 550 pounds of beef
and **64,300
gallons of Portuguese wine**. 

On
18 November, she set sail for England . In the ensuing days she
defeated five British men-of-war and captured and scuttled 12
English merchant ships, **salvaging
only the rum**  aboard
each. 

By 26 January, her powder and shot were
exhausted. Nevertheless, although unarmed she made a night raid
up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland . Her landing party captured a
whisky distillery and transferred **40,000
gallons of single malt Scotch**  aboard
by dawn. Then she headed home. 

The U. S. S.
Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, with no
cannon shot, no food, no powder, **no
rum**, **no
wine**, **no
whisky**,
and **38,600
gallons of water**. *

  
  GO
NAVY


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## jdt (Aug 4, 2010)

that would be damn near 3 gallons of drink per day per man, I don't think they would have  even seen a british ship

I don't know about you but one gallon of rum per day is plenty for me LOL.


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## jirodriguez (Aug 4, 2010)

.... and thus was born the "party cruising" industry.... along with The Village People! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Wonder how many of the crew died from liver failure... lol.


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## beer-b-q (Aug 4, 2010)

JIRodriguez said:


> .... and thus was born the "party cruising" industry.... along with The Village People!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Actually this was how Pickling came to be...


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## Bearcarver (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm not sure about "Old Ironsides", but it's obvious that her crew was very well "preserved".

Bear


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## pit 4 brains (Aug 6, 2010)

Obviously they had a good compliment of Marine Riflemen aboard to drink all that booze!... Had the Marines been firing the cannons, they wouldn't have wasted all of thier munitions...

Mybe this is where we get the cliche;"Drunk as a sailor".

Semper Fi


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## jirodriguez (Aug 6, 2010)

In modern times this would now be known as a "beer run".... lol.


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## ou8one2 (Sep 11, 2010)

That's the fighting spirit; or spirits


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## lazydavid (Nov 4, 2010)

Good grief!  She skipped Bermuda.  That's where they keep the Gosling's.


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## kevink (Nov 18, 2010)

I bet the stranded Carnival passengers were thinking to themselves they'd rather have single malt than spam and pop tarts!  I guess the navy has changed...


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