Rations Rum facts

While investigating facts about Rations Ruminants and Rum Rations, I found out little known, but curios details like:

In the 1500s, British sailors would receive rations of rum as partial payment. To ensure the rum wasn’t watered down, they would measure the proof by dousing gunpowder with it, & then test to see if the gunpowder would ignite. The gunpowder would only ignite if the rum was >57% alcohol by volume

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The "proof" scale for alcohol was created by 16th century British sailors to describe the strength of their rum rations. Gunpowder soaked with less than 100 proof rum would not burn and was considered unacceptable.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 16 of the best facts about Navy Rum Rations and Why Did Sailors Get Rum Rations I managed to collect.

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1. The Royal Navy served sailors daily rum rations until 1970. The last day of rum was called Black Tot Day. Sailors wore black armbands and ships held mock funerals for tots of rum.

2. Up until 1990, the New Zealand navy still gave a daily rum ration - 127 years after the USA abolished theirs.

3. If the man rationing the rum on a ship was suspected of cheating would be challenged to mix the rum with gunpowder. rum that was not watered down and was "over proof", would still allow the power to ignite, coining the term.

4. Until 1970, sailors in the Royal Navy were given daily rations of rum at noon. Officers recieved theirs neat, while the rest of the crew's rum was diluted to make "grog".

5. The Royal Navy gained submarine-launched nuclear weapons in 1968--two years before the daily rum ration was abolished.

6. "Splicing the mainbrace": A naval command originally meaning the hardest repair job, now used as an order to issue every member of the ship's crew a generous ration of rum. Such an order is restricted to few members of the Royal Navy, the Queen being one of the few allowed to issue the order.

What is true about rations rum?

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The term alcohol proof originated when payments to British sailors included rations of rum. To ensure that the rum had not been watered down, it was "proved" by dousing gunpowder with it and then testing to see if the gunpowder would ignite.

The NZ Navy was the last Navy to stop the rum ration - in 1990 - source

That, to inhibit algae growth in the freshwater supply on ships, a vice admiral started mixing in the rum rations. This would also cause the rum to spoil faster, so it stopped sailors from hoarding their ration to get drunk off of later. The concoction became known as "grog."