The Navy Tot

My daughter kindly presented me with a bottle of rum “to remind me of my time in the Navy”.  It says quite clearly on the label that it is Pusser’s Rum and was the “original Admiralty Rum”.  A wee snifter (well, perhaps a bit more than that) certainly didn’t bring back the memory I had of my last tot so I did a bit of investigating.  Firstly, I saw that its strength was 42% abv.  I definitely recall my tot being stronger than that.  But why does (did, alas) the Navy have a rum ration anyway?

© Mike1944 2025

There were three reasons old sailing ships issued rum to the sailors; firstly, water would turn green and slimy through their transportation in barrels, while spirits actually improved with time (and gained extra tastes from the wood itself, hence many spirits nowdays being marketed on their barrel-acquired flavours).  Also, beer would keep longer than water though only if above a certain strength (which is why India Pale Ale, IPA, is stronger, so that it lasted the journey to the colonials in India at the time).  Beer was also preferred ashore to often polluted water.  In 1731 sailors were given their first ‘official’ alcohol ration on board.  Sailors were issued with either eight pints of beer per day, or a half pint of spirit, depending on what was available at the time. The favourite spirit became rum.

Then, scurvy.  Scurvy is an ailment that was common to sailors who didn’t get much fresh produce that contained Vitamin C. While rum doesn’t naturally contain much Vitamin C, it goes well with lime juice, which ships carried and gave out to sailors daily.  It was the daily issue of limes and lime juice which gave us Brits the soubriquet “limeys” with the Yanks.    However, along came a spoilsport.  Worried by the drunkenness of sailors drinking their half a pint of rum per day, Admiral Sir Edward Vernon declared that the rum should be mixed with water, and the daily dose of lime and some sugar.  Vernon’s nickname was “Grog” due to his coat of grogram cloth, a coarse fabric made of silk combined with mohair or wool and stiffened with gum. The resultant drink became known as grog. Petty Officers and above, though, were allowed their ration unadulterated, and this remained the case until the very last day it was issued.  Due to (inevitable) drunkenness, the spirit ration was reduced over time to 1/8 pint, diluted with ¼ pint of water, with senior rates getting the 1/8 pint of unadulterated rum, known as “neaters”.

The third reason for rum was the terrifying work that sailors often had to do.  Imagine climbing the masts in a raging gale to reef the sails.  That takes a brave, or drunk, sailor!  It should be noted that soldiers in WWI were also given rum rations, to encourage them to leave the trenches no doubt.

Over the 200 years of its issue, the tot accumulated many traditions.  Probably the best know is “Splice the Mainbrace”.  The mainbrace was a very thick length of cordage (on HMS Victory the main brace was five inches in diameter) positioning the yard to which was attached the main sail of a square-rigged warship.  Gunners in battle commonly aimed for the ship’s rigging during naval battles, with the mainbrace being the prime target.  If hit, the rigging needed to be repaired as rapidly as possible. Without a main brace the ship could not change course.

The most experienced Able Seamen would be needed to complete the repair task by splicing as quickly as possible and was very dangerous if the ship was in combat as they would be targets for snipers in the enemy vessel’s rigging.

On completion of the task, it was customary for the men to be rewarded with an extra ration of rum.

Eventually the order “Splice the mainbrace” was issued on special occasions such as the change of a monarch, a royal birth, a royal wedding or an inspection of the fleet.

The strength of the rum varied widely, often depending on its source, which was a problem as sailors would complain if it was understrength.  Also, as the barrels were stored in the same area as the gunpowder a cannon shot entering the side could cause a broken rum barrel to saturate the gunpowder rendering it useless.  However, it was observed with rum at 57% abv the gunpowder would still ignite.  Pursers would demonstrate the strength of the supplied rum by pouring it on gunpowder and igniting it.  If it burnt then the rum was 100% strong enough, or 100 proof or gunpowder proof.  This strength of rum lasted till the very last day of the tot in the Navy. So my daughter’s present was in no way Pussers!

For most of the 20th century the method of distributing the rum to sailors followed a strict pattern.

The day’s requirement was calculated by the Pusser (the Navy term for the Ship’s Purser).  This was all eligible ratings (officers were not entitled) over the age of 20 who opted to receive the tot, annotated ‘G’ in the ship’s records.  Those who did not want the tot were ‘T’ (temperance).  Where an otherwise qualified rating lived ashore and receiving a Ration Allowance he would be ‘RA’.  Ratings under the age of 20 were annotated “UA” (Under Age).  Rations could be stopped as a punishment

The calculated amount was drawn from the spirit room (heavily protected) as a neat spirit and escorted by the Officer of the Day and an RPO (Regulating Petty Officer), LPM (Leading Patrolman, later Leading Regulator) or Cox’n (Coxswain) depending on the size of the ship, who would supervise issue.

The calculated amount of neat spirit would be drawn from the rum cask, neat spirit issued to the Senior Rates’ meses and the remainder placed into the Rum Barrel.  Then water would be added at a rate of twice the amount as the remaining spirit.  This amounted to 3/8th pint per eligible junior rating.

Measurements had to be accurate and to that end a range of much sought after rum measures were supplied.

Complete Set Of 7 Royal Navy Copper Lipped Rum Measures on eBay

At 1100 (Navy way of designating time.  The Army has to add “hrs” to avoid confusion with grid references.  The RAF don’t have this problem, they use Trip Advisor) the pipe is made “Up Spirits”.

Representatives from each mess get their issue in an aluminium tub known as the “rum fanny”, called after the occasion when the Admiralty first issued meat in tins, around the time 8-year-old Fanny Adams went missing and was reportedly cut up.  Navy humour led to the mess kettles (their proper name) being called fannies.

On completion of the main issue to messes, any remaining rum was disposed of via an adjacent scupper over the side of the ship.  There are rumours that some enterprising members of the Shipwright Department would divert the pipework to avoid this heresy.

At 1200 “Hands to Dinner” was piped (officers had dinner at 2000, it was lunch for them!) and the issue of individual tots began.  The rating dishing out the ration was know as the “Rum Bosun” aided by a “ticker-offer” who checked that only those entitled got the issue.  Junior ratings got their “grog” in pint glasses.  The rum bosun would dip a tot glass into the fanny, filling it, then pouring the rum into the accurate 3/8th pint measure to overflowing which was poured back into the tot glass to give the authorised measure.  The rating now had his ration – but there were traditions to follow.  Rum was in many ways a currency and had been for centuries.  Favours were repaid in rum to a tariff:

Sippers – just a small amount as the name implies.  The rum bosun and ticker-offer would be offered this (which is why these posts were highly valued and went to most senior alkies in the mess lol)

Gulpers – a mouthful, given as a reward for small favours

Half a tot – Something more substantial had been received such as subbing a duty to enable his friend to go ashore

Sandy Bottoms – finish the drink, could even be the whole tot but I never knew what extreme benefit received could possibly warrant this!

Any rum remaining in the fanny after full issue is known as “Queens” and should be shared but in practice this was often the perk of the bosun and pals.  Why is there any left I hear you ask.  Rum bosuns would hold the measure in such a way that their thumb would intrude into the measure reducing the individual’s ration but increasing “queens”.  After use the glasses are wiped on the outside and stowed away for the next days ‘tot time’, as is the mess ‘rum fanny’. The rum fanny will never be cleaned on the inside, as the gradual build-up of rum deposits adds to the flavour!

After having had their tot, the mess heads off for ‘hands to dinner’.

Often, there would be a glass by the fanny.  “Smudge Smith’s birthday” explains the bosun.  So an amount, depending on Smudge’s popularity, was poured into this glass to be consumed by said birthday boy on his return to the mess.  Smudge, in the meantime, would be going around other messes where, if he were popular, there would be similar glasses.  On his return, generally the worse for wear. Smudge would be faced with his own tot and another glass! Fortunately as was tradition, Smudge’s Chief would have given him a “make & mend” (an afternoon off, allegedly to repair clothes and carry out domestic tasks) so eventually Smudge would be carried to his pit and left to sleep it off

And die.

There were cases every year where a birthday on board would lead to a drunken rating turning on to his back in his sleep and drown from his own vomit.

As a Petty Officer (at the time of the final tot) I was lucky enough to receive “neaters”.  The grog (rum and water) allegedly “went off” and couldn’t be stored, not that I ever knew anyone who tried, but as a senior rate the tot issued would be kept until we had visitors in foreign ports.  At that time Senior Ratings weren’t allowed spirits, other than the tot, and had to purchase wine from the wardroom for lady guests.  By offering these fair maids a rum and coke, of a strength totally unexpected by the lovely creatures, wicked ways were often exercised.

There were other benefits.  A study found that those who drank rum every day had better blood sugar control than those who didn’t.

The study involved 100 participants with type 2 diabetes. Half of the participants were given 30 ml of rum daily, while the other half were given 30 ml of water daily.

After eight weeks, the researchers found that those who drank rum had better blood sugar control than those who didn’t drink rum.

They also found that those who drank rum had lower levels of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), which is a marker for long-term blood sugar control.

Rum has been historically used to prevent scurvy among sailors.

Its vitamin C content, along with other nutrients, can boost the immune system.

This makes it effective in preventing common colds and scurvy, especially in environments where fresh produce is scarce.

https://pangbenta.com/drinks/health-benefits-rum/

I wonder if that explains why I wasn’t diagnosed until 30 years after?  Maybe I should change my present-day tipple of choice from whiskey to rum.

In 1965 the Navy joined the modern world.  The Admiralty were subsumed into the MOD (N), pay and conditions were brought up to date and it was inevitable that the tot came under scrutiny.  After all, sailors were now working on complex and dangerous equipment having drunk an amount that would see them fail a breathalyser test ashore.  On 20th July 1971, after over 200 years of tradition, a vote was put to Parliament to end the issuing of rum to the fleet. Rum was seen as incompatible with the complex technology and advanced weaponry that was now in operation onboard naval vessels there were now crews operating nuclear submarines (who were still receiving a daily rum ration). Three days later, the last rum ration was issued to the fleet. ‘Funerals’ were held on Naval bases and some ships to mark ‘the day the rum died’, and the 31st July 1970 became forever known as Black Tot Day.  I was at HMS Royal Arthur on my Petty Officers’ Leadership Course at the time.  A sad day.

The final day
Public Domain

 

© Mike1944 2025