I don't consider myself much a hard booze drinker but have had more than my share at times, rum in Caribean trips were some of them. There's a tall tale that passes around on how the American states were so well defended by men runing on too much rum. Btw do not ever drink the rum they put a poisonous snake in as no worries with any poison but tasted like they found the snake rotting a week in a mud puddle at a truck feul station while on fire. The lable says for real men only which I fell for twice in company of tempable people, I stayed standing but my new friends hit the deck tipping straight back off tall bar stools. I hurt bad immediately and even worse next day.
LITTLE FALSE TIDBIT OF NAVAL LORE...
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.
I told my students, "That’s probably where the expression ‘Sailing the High Seas originated.’"
GO NAVY!
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Not only is this "forward" full of errors, it is somewhat insulting to the real history of "Old Ironsides." Here are just a few of the errors:
1) In 1799, the United States was war with France, not England. The British were actually our unofficial allies in the "Quasi-War" with the French Republic.
2) The United States Navy moved away from using Jamaican rum as part of the grog ration and moved towards more home grown spirits such as Kentucky whisky. Captains also had a strict policy against public intoxication. A sailor found less than sober was often subject to flogging.
3) Speaking of Jamaica, the colony was a major British naval station. Why would it outfit an American warship during an alleged war with the British?
4) USS Constitution defeated four British warships (Java, Guerriere, Levant, and Cyane) ...in the War of 1812.
5) Having said that, Constitution never raided the home isles. However, the brig USS Argus did (see the book Fatal Cruise of the Argus).
6) When a warship captured a merchant ship, the alcohol supply was the last thing on the captain's mind. Instead, he was looking for goods he could sell when the cruise was over.
And the recent classic with Captian Sparrow sorrow.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc49jPl5UGE[/video]