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A little navyhistory... explaining why i drink the way I do.
I drink to sustain historical accuracy when describing a sailors ways. [img]/images/graemlins/laughing.gif[/img]
Some little known American military 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 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
> merchantmen, 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 stagnant water.
>
> GO NAVY!
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