Nutrition in the British Royal Navy

Ian McCaulley

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British Royal Navy was the
undisputed master of the seas; with hundreds of ships and thousands of sailors and marines
deployed around the world. A ship could take months to reach its destination, depending on
winds, currents, and such. Since canned food wasnt introduced until 1847 (Could You Survive
on, 2012), the Royal Navy used other means to supply their forces.
The main staple of the Royal Navy diet was bread, in the form of ships biscuit.
(Townsend, 2013), also known as hard tack. Hard tack was baked two to three times to drive
out moisture, ensuring that it was rock hard when the cooks were done with it. Cooking it in this
way allowed for properly prepared hard tack to last for a year or longer when properly stored. In
addition to the ease of storage, ships biscuit made rationing easier. The biscuits usually weighed
in at bout four ounces, so that four biscuits comprised the sailors daily one pound bread ration.
(Ships Bisket, 2012). For a 74 gun ship of the line, which was the most common ship in the
Royal Navy (Ship of the line, n.d.), this came to 72800 pounds for 650 men for 4 months of
operation (Townsend, 2013). Ships biscuit was unpleasant to eat at best, and it would often be
dunked in wine, brandy, or other alcoholic drinks to soften them before they were eaten. Even
this could only help so much, though. A creative ships cook would also grind up hardtack to use
as a form of flower (Ships Bisket, 2012).
Meat was eaten four times a week, in the form of beef or pork, which was salted to
preserve it for long voyages (Cohen, 2012). Pork was most plentiful, as it was lighter than beef;
the 9620 pieces of pork carried aboard a 74 gun ship weighed only 19240 pounds, compared to

5200 pieces of beef weighing in at 20800 pounds (Townsend, 2013). The weight efficiency of
pork made it more common in the seamans diet, although both beef and pork were carried
aboard ship. This lack of variety would quickly grow tiring after months at sea, even though it
could sometimes be supplemented by slaughtering livestock, which was sometimes carried
aboard ship (Cohen, 2012). To help lessen the monotony, some ships were issued fishing
equipment, such as trawling nets, oyster drudges, and fishing lines. Although they were not
officially part of the ships rations, the ever-present rats were also used to supplement the ships
meat supply (Could You Survive on , 2012). Meats were most commonly prepared by
boiling them, which was an efficient, if tasteless, way to prepare food for a large group.
As with any ocean-going vessel, fresh water was a crucial part of the provisions for
British ships of the line. Desalination of the surrounding ocean water simply wasnt possible, so
the ship had to carry all of the water in casks. The typical 74 carried 49018 gallons of water for a
four month voyage (Townsend, 2013). Fresh water was used exclusively for drinking and
preparing food. Bathing, swabbing the decks, and the like all used salt water. The ships water
supplies werent purified before storage, which would have made disease a serious risk, if it were
not for the ships beer supply. According to the Victualing Board, which was responsible for
establishing rations, British sailors drank a gallon of beer each, per day (Cohen, 2012). To keep
up supply, a 74 carried a whopping 29736 gallons of beer (Townsend, 2013). Typically, beer was
mixed with water to make grog, which was the defining drink of British naval life (Could You
Survive on, 2012). Grog was actually the reason that sailors didnt get sick from the water,
because of the alcohol in the beer. Good captains rationed out the grog throughout the day so that
the men got their ration, without getting drunk.

Because it was so hard to preserve for long voyages, sailors diets didnt often include
fruit, which made scurvy a real problem until 1795, when the Admiralty Board began including
lemon juice in a ships rations (Could You Survive on, 2012). Vegetables were only slightly
more readily available, usually in the form of dried peas, which were included in official ships
rations (Townsend, 2013). Fruit and vegetables, when available, were hugely popular with the
ships crew, and made a cook who managed to obtain them a very popular guy with his
shipmates (Could You Survive on, 2012).
Cheese was the primary source of dairy on a ship of the line, and it was doled out by the
ounce; typically three times a week, along with a lesser amount of butter (Could You Survive
on, 2012). Even though it was distributed in small amounts, the weight of cheese and butter
carried by the typical Royal Navy vessel added up to several thousand pounds (Townsend, 2013).
Oatmeal was the primary, if not only, source of fiber aboard ship (Townsend, 2013). The
oatmeal would be stored dry, then served in the form of gruel, much the same as it is today. This
stuff was served by the pint three times a week (Could You Survive on, 2012).
Suet and vinegar were provided (Townsend, 2013) for use in cooking, not for direct
consumption. These helped the ships cook to serve the crews rations in different forms, to
provide some relief from the dietary monotony.
Although unexciting, the diet consumed, if not enjoyed, by sailors in the Royal Navy was
superior, especially in terms of calories and protein, to that of their working-class counterparts
ashore, who only got meat, cheese, beer and bread about once a week (Cohen, 2012). The higher
protein and calorie content was crucial to the sailors extremely active lifestyle, which required
them to scale the rigging to haul in or let out heavy canvas sails, several times a day, depending

on the wind. When there was no wind, the ships boats would be set out to tow the ship, which
required sailors to row for hours to move the ship, which weighed several tons. In combat,
crewmen needed even more energy to sling iron cannonballs, run out guns weighing several
hundred pounds, fire, and do it over again, sometimes for hours. Sailors needed energy stores
already in place, since its difficult to have a snack while ducking French cannonballs. Even after
the battle was over, the men needed energy to make repairs, especially crucial if a hole was
punched in the hull, or a mast had been shot off.

Works Cited:

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2016, from https://uncoveringhiddenlives.com/2014/08/12/could-you-survive-on-a-18th-centuryseamans-diet/
Townsend, J. (2013, March 22). 18th century Sailors food Ships Provisions | Savoring ...
Retrieved October 22, 2016, from https://savoringthepast.net/2013/03/22/18th-century-sailorsfood-ships-provisions/
Cohen, J. (2012, March 23). Georgian-Era British Sailors Lived on Ample Meat and Beer ...
Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://www.history.com/news/georgian-era-british-sailorslived-on-ample-meat-and-beer-study-shows/print
Ship's Bisket - Hard Tack: 18th Century Breads, Part 1. S2E12 [Video file]. (2012, May 4). In
Ship's Bisket - Hard Tack: 18th Century Breads, Part 1. S2E12. Retrieved October 22, 2016,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyjcJUGuFVg
Ship of the line - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_the_Line