Legend: Logistics of OLD IRONSIDES
January 2nd, 2009 From
>Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 23:48:26 -0600
>From: Brooks A Rowlett
>Organization: None whatsoever
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>To: Mahan Naval History Mailing List
> MARHST
>Subject: Legend: Logistics of OLD IRONSIDES
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
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>
>A while ago we mentioned the topic of the tale of USS CONSTITUTION going
>on a commerce raiding cruise, with the tale including a logistics
>background of weight of food, water, rum, etc. aboard.
>For MARHST-L this should be findable in the archives.
>
>The tale discusses CONSTITUTION taking merchants, offloading their
>cargo, (frequently ethanol-rich) etc., and concludes with her arriving
>home in the US with no food, no rum, and the same amount of drinking
>water she started
>with, albeit now quite stagnant….
>
>Corrupted versions of this tale have appeared over the years,
>primarily an anachronistic version that places the tale in 1781
>or so in the Revolutionary War, or American War for Independence,
>around 18 years before the launch of CONSTITUTION.
>
>Interestingly, this tale, with believable War of 1812 Chronology, was
>quoted recently in a speech by the US Secretary of the Navy. The
>transcript is available online at:
>
>http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/people/secnav/speeches/waryears.txt
>
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>-Brooks A Rowlett
>brooksar@indy.net