Just sip on your rum
 

I thought this was interesting :
--------------------------------
The following tale is from the history of the oldest commissioned warship in the world, the USS Constitution. It comes by way of the National Park Service, as printed in "Oceanographic Ships, Fore and Aft", a periodical from the oceanographer of the US Navy.


On 23 August 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston, loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission: to destroy and harass English shipping.

On 6 October, she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks later, Constitution reached the Azores, where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 2,300 gallons of Portuguese wine.

On 18 November, she set sail for England where her crew captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard their rum. By this time, Constitution had run out of shot. Nevertheless, she made her way unarmed up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Here, her landing party captured a whiskey distillery, transferred 13,000 gallons aboard and headed for home.

On 20 February 1780, the Constitution arrived in Boston with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum and no whiskey. She did, however, still carry her crew of 475 officers and men and 18,600 gallons of water.

The math is quite enlightening.
Length of cruise: 181 days
Booze consumption: 1.26 gallons per man per day (this does NOT include the unknown quantify of rum captured from the 12 English merchant vessels in November)

Naval historians say that the re-enlistment rate from this cruise was 92%.

Re: Just sip on your rum
 

amazing! sounds like a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean!
lol
I'd line up to enlist too - that Jamaican rum is fabulous..I I recall (well I have pics to help) a wonderful cruise many years ago that had some great Pirates punch laced with it... I sure was thirsty when I washed up onshore tho - that water would have come in handy.
;).

Re: Just sip on your rum
 

that's too funny! Hey -if I were still a drinking gal I'd be game to do a re-enactment of that voyage :p

Re: Just sip on your rum
 

http://www.ussconstitution.com/

http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/hmsvictory/


The following tale is from the history of the oldest commissioned warship in the world, the USS Constitution. It comes by way of the National Park Service, as printed in "Oceanographic Ships, Fore and Aft", a periodical from the oceanographer of the US Navy.


On 23 August 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston, loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, etc.

RM I challenge the above statement, 1779? I think not. Oldest commissioned warship in the world, I think not.

Click on the links above and see that the Constitution was launched in 1797.

Over here, the UK, HMS Victory is still in commission, finest moment, defeating the French/Spanish fleet at Trafalger 1805. Victory was launched in 1765 a good few years before Constitution. The story related is certainly entertaining, and a fine work of fiction. Worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson. It also sounds like it could be The Irish Rover.

Re: Just sip on your rum
 

the teller of the tale was loopy on rum..
lol

Re: Just sip on your rum
 

Exactly.....I've met people in bars that have performed amazing feats.....or so they say.