Provisioning (USS Constitution)
Encyclopedia
Provisioning for sea was just as crucial if not more so in the 19th century due to the lack of modern conveniences
such as refrigeration
, freeze-drying
and canning
.
Ordered on a cruise intended to last at least six months, the USS Constitution
sailed on 30 December 1813, with 485 men provisioned as follows:
Compare this list to the provisions stocked by a modern cruise ship
.
Foodstuffs may well be in the hold for months, perhaps years, and must have been unpalatable to say the least. Two hundred years ago life ashore was tough and life at sea had the advantage that at least you would get three meals a day however grim they may have been.
Modern conveniences
Modern conveniences or Mod cons are labor-saving devices that make a task easier to perform than a traditional method. Because of the historical use of the term, and the differences in lifestyles around the world, the term is a relative term based upon the conveniences previously available to a...
such as refrigeration
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
, freeze-drying
Freeze drying
Freeze-drying is a dehydration process typically used to preserve a perishable material or make the material more convenient for transport...
and canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
.
Ordered on a cruise intended to last at least six months, the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
sailed on 30 December 1813, with 485 men provisioned as follows:
| 76,234 pounds | (34,579 kg) | of bread |
| 51,969 pounds | (23,573 kg) | of beef |
| 39,840 pounds | (18,071 kg) | of pork |
| 12,544 pounds | (5,690 kg) | of flour |
| 2,174 pounds | (986 kg) | of cheese |
| 1765.5 pounds | (801 kg) | of butter |
| 360 pounds | (163 kg) | of raisins |
| 1286.4 gallons | (4,869.6 l) | of peas/beans |
| 1316.9 gallons | (4,985 l) | of rice |
| 870 gallons | (3,293.3 l) | of molasses |
| 796.6 gallons | (3,015.5 l) | of vinegar |
| 800 gallons | (3,028.3 l) | of crout [sic] |
| 5,074.1 gallons | (19,207.6 l) | of spirits |
| 47,265 gallons | (178,917.5 l) | of water |
- "Beef was stowed on the larboard side and pork to starboard; flour, rice, and peas/beans in the wings. Stowage, as with the water casks below them, is begun from aft and worked forward. Casks in the spirit room are stowed from the forward bulkheadBulkhead (partition)A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
aft. In all cases, the largest containers are closest to the keelson, with sizes diminishing as they are laid outboard. All casks are laid bungBungA bung is truncated cylindrical or conical closure to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially inserted inside the container to act as a seal...
up."
Compare this list to the provisions stocked by a modern cruise ship
Provisioning (cruise ship)
Cruise ships consume vast amounts of food every day; as an example, the following is a list of supplies provisioned on board the Celebrity cruise ship Constellation for an average 7 day cruise.*24,236 pounds of beef*5,040 pounds of lamb*7,216 pounds of pork...
.
Foodstuffs may well be in the hold for months, perhaps years, and must have been unpalatable to say the least. Two hundred years ago life ashore was tough and life at sea had the advantage that at least you would get three meals a day however grim they may have been.
- "Cooks in the early Navy were left to their own imaginations when it came to preparing meals. In the main, this resulted in whatever was on the official ration for that day of the week being tossed in a ship's coppers and boiled until meal time. The first official Navy cook book was produced by Paymaster F. T. Arms and published by the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts in 1902. It contained five recipes for soup, six for fish, thirty-four for meats, fowl, and eggs, and several for desserts, including "plum duff"."