Ice cream barge

The ice cream barge is the colloquial term for the BRL (Barge, Refrigerated, Large). This was a towed vessel employed by the United States Navy (USN) in the Pacific theater of World War II to store frozen and refrigerated foodstuffs. It was also able to produce ice cream in large quantities to be provisioned to sailors and US Marines. The craft, a concrete barge acquired from the US Army and worth one million dollars, stored 1500 tons of frozen meat and 500 tons of refrigerated vegetables, eggs and dairy products, indefinitely at 15 °F (−9 °C). To raise the morale of overseas troops, an ice cream freezer facility was included, able to create 10 US gallons (38 L) of ice cream every seven minutes, or approximately 500 US gal (1,900 L) per shift (equivalent to five tons per day), and could store 2,000 US gal (7,600 L). It was employed in the USN's Western Pacific area of operations, at one point anchored at Naval Base Ulithi. The army built three concrete barges of their own.

Ice cream barge

History

In 1914, the U.S. Navy issued General Order No. 99, which banned the consumption of alcohol aboard naval vessels. This policy was soon reinforced by the passage of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol across the United States. In the absence of liquor, ice cream became a favored treat for boosting morale among sailors.

Even after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Navy's appreciation for ice cream endured. During World War II, the demand for this comfort food was further highlighted by an incident in 1942 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. After the ship was struck by a Japanese torpedo and began to sink, sailors abandoned ship—but not before raiding the freezers for containers of ice cream. According to reports, survivors scooped ice cream into their helmets, eating it before lowering themselves into the Pacific.

This enthusiasm for ice cream led the Navy to invest $1 million in the construction of a floating ice cream factory during World War II. Borrowed from the Army, a concrete barge was retrofitted to produce and distribute ice cream at sea. Stationed in the Western Pacific, the barge supplied ice cream to smaller ships, such as destroyers, that lacked onboard production capabilities.

While practical limitations hindered its operation—such as its lack of propulsion, requiring it to be towed by tugboats—the ice cream barge was immensely popular among sailors. Its unique role in providing a morale boost underscored the Navy's commitment to the well-being of its personnel.

See also

• USS Quartz (IX-150), a contemporary of the ice cream barge, used as a "crockery" ship
• USS Mizar (AF-12), a class of converted civilian refrigerated food carriers also used by the USN.

References

Sources

• Bovbjerg, R. V. (2004). Steaming as Before. G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Hamilton Books. ISBN 978-0-7618-2850-1.
• Wingo, J. D. (1994). Mother was a gunner's mate: World War II in the Waves. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-924-6.
• Meister, C. (2017). Totally Amazing Facts About Military Vehicles. Mind Benders. Capstone Press, an Capstone imprint. ISBN 978-1-5157-4542-6.
• Funderburg, A. C. (1995). Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla: A History of American Ice Cream. Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 978-0-87972-692-8. Retrieved 23 June 2018.

Further reading

• Matt Siegel (6 August 2017). "How Ice Cream Helped America at War: For decades, the military made sure soldiers had access to the treat—including spending $1 million on a floating ice-cream factory". The Atlantic.