The Random Thoughts Thread

Scott B. said:
Sea Rations (WWII)
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Sea Rations?

The C-Ration, or Type C ration, was an individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared wet ration. It was intended to be issued to U.S. military land forces when fresh food (A-ration) or packaged unprepared food (B-ration) prepared in mess halls or field kitchens was not possible or not available, and when a survival ration (K-ration or D-ration) was insufficient.
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Mitch said:
Sea Rations?
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History of the Navy Ration

Reprinted from the 1971 Commissaryman 3&2 rate training manual

The first Navy ration law is found in a act of Congress passed in 1794, which provided for a daily fixed allowance of food items for each day of the week. A typical day’s ration was one pound of hard bread, one and one-half pounds of salt beef and one-half pint of rice. Included with this ration was a half-pint of distilled spirits or one-quart of beer.

In 1842 the fixed allowance for each day of the week, as provided for in the 1794 ration law, was discarded in favor of a more flexible allowance of specified items and permitted substitution.

In 1842, the spirits ration was discontinued. This action was compensated for by a five-cents-a-day raise. Fresh meat and dried vegetables and fruit were added to the ration, which by this time already included coffee, tea and sugar. By 1902, management of the general messes had been assigned to the supply officers of the navy and it was the year that the first Navy cookbook was published.

The molasses was of the old-fashioned black strap kind, thick and heavy. The hardtack was really HARD. The coffee was weak enough to prevent the crew from getting nervous. (The bottom of the pot was always to be seen when it was full.) The port and salt horse was packed in large barrels that would have to be open to leeward because of the smell. It generally was put in small cargo nets and towed overboard to get the tock salt and smell out of it. (Sharks never disturbed it.)

On bean and soup days, enough was generally made to have enough for soaking hardtack to make scrouce. When in port, the crew generally fared pretty well, as they could get fresh food and vegetables but never cake and rarely butter. Meals generally consisted of stews, soups, meats and potatoes. Fruit had to be bought from bumboats by the crew, as it was rarely served in the mess.

The ration was approximately $9 a month per man. The sea ration was all they had on a trip from Newport, R.I., to Queenstown, Ireland, 16 days, and 42 days from Funchal, Marderia to Newport; fresh vegetables and meats could not be carried beyond two or three days.

In 1933, the present Navy ration law became effective. It increased the allowance of vegetables, milk and fruit while decreasing the allowance of meat. This ration law has remained unchanged to the present time except for the addition of vegetables and fruit juices and enrichment of flour with vitamin B1, niacin, iron and enriched yeast.

;)
 
A-ration is a term used in the United States armed forces for a meal provided to troops which is prepared using fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods. The use of fresh, refrigerated or frozen foods distinguish 'A' rations from 'B' rations, which use canned or preserved ingredients to enable them to be served without adequate refrigeration or freezer facilities. 'A' ration meals may be served in dining facilities ("DFAC"), prepared in the field by the use of field kitchens, or prepared at a fixed facility and transported to field locations in containers.

The B-ration, or Type B Ration, is a term used in the United States military for a meal provided to troops which was prepared using canned or preserved ingredients. 'B' ration meals may be prepared in field kitchens and served in the field, or served in garrisons without adequate refrigeration or freezer facilities.

The C-ration, or Type C Ration, was an individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared wet ration. It was intended to be issued to U.S. military land forces when fresh food (A-ration) or packaged unprepared food (B-ration) prepared in mess halls or field kitchens was not possible or not available, and when a lightweight survival ration (K-ration or D-ration) was insufficient. Development began in 1938 with the first rations being field tested in 1940 and wide-scale adoption following soon after. Operational conditions often caused the C-ration to be standardized for field issue regardless of environmental suitability or weight limitations.

The C-Ration was replaced in 1958 with the Meal Combat Individual (MCI). Although officially a new ration, the MCI was derived from and very similar to the original C-Ration, and in fact continued to be called "C-Rations" by American troops throughout its production life as a combat ration (1958–1980).

Although the replacement for the MCI, the Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE), was formally adopted as the Department of Defense combat ration in 1975, the first large-scale production test did not occur until in 1978 with the first MRE I rations being packed and delivered in 1981. While the MRE officially replaced the MCI in 1981, previously packed MCI rations continued to be issued until depleted well into the 1980's.

The D-ration is military chocolate and has been a part of standard United States military ration since the original Ration D or D ration bar of 1937.

The K-ration was an individual daily combat food ration which was introduced by the United States Army during World War II. It was originally intended as a lightweight, individually packaged daily ration for issue to airborne troops, tank crews, motorcycle couriers, and other mobile forces for short durations. The K-ration provided three separately boxed meal units: breakfast, dinner (lunch) and supper (dinner).

KRation_Breakfast.jpg
 
Up through the mid 80's the navy was still using a protein foam for shipboard fire fighting. This was almost phased out by the time I entered service in '84. During WW2 when supplies were not always ontime for some ships like Frigates and Destroyers that operated long solo patrols. The protein foam concentrate was edible, though close to unpalateable. Sailors did on a few occasions resort to ingesting it to say alive.
 
“At the end of your life you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent.”

— Barbara Bush, Commencement address, Wellesley College, 1990
 
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