--- title: "This is what happened when the Navy banned alcohol on its ships" description: "In 1914, the Navy banned alcohol on its ships. It led to increases in coffee and ice cream consumption. Which is almost as cool, sure." date: "2022-08-26" modified: "2023-08-24" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/navy-banned-alcohol-on-its-ships/" categories: - "History" - "Navy" tags: - "Food" - "Military History" - "Navy" --- # This is what happened when the Navy banned alcohol on its ships ![navy alcohol ban]() *What do you do with a drunken sailor? Join him. (U.S. Navy)* On July 1, 1914, infamous buzzkill and then-[Navy]() Secretary Josephus Daniels implemented [General Order No. 99](): "The use or introduction for drinking purposes of alcoholic liquors on board any naval vessel, or within any navy yard or station, is strictly prohibited, and commanding officers will be held directly responsible for the enforcement of this order." **Related: [George Washington’s eggnog recipe will destroy you]()** Daniels was a supporter of the Temperance movement, a legendary turn-of-the-century mistake social movement that supported a nationwide alcohol ban. Before those pioneers of virtue could wreak havoc on the country with the 18th Amendment (also known as "Prohibition," which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors), they actively worked to pass legislation against the beverage in municipalities across the United States. Some of those laws are still in effect. ![beer fridge]() *Hampering Sunday Funday for a century.* The U.S. Navy used to honor the grand tradition of giving its sailors a daily portion of grog, which started out as a half-pint of rum and later evolved to include good ol' American whiskey. If a sailor didn't drink, they earned an extra per diem for it, the 2016 equivalent of around $1.44. A very small price to pay to encourage teetotaling. The ration was reduced to a gill (quarter-pint) in 1842 and then eliminated during the Civil War. Ironically, for the rest of the country, the Temperance movement was effectively silenced in the Union during the war because states needed the tax revenues from booze to keep paying for the war. In contrast, the Confederate Navy kept the boozy naval tradition alive in an effort to recruit sailors from other countries. American sailors were allowed to keep their *own* stores of liquor and beer on board until 1899, when the sale was restricted. The new rules barred "enlisted men, either on board ship, or within the limits of navy yards, naval stations, or Marine barracks, except in the medical department." When Daniels issued General Order No. 99, the only alcohol aboard U.S. ships was reserved for the officers of the wardroom and the Captain's Mess. If you ever needed proof that there have always been different spanks for different ranks in the Navy, look no further. ![daniels]() *Sailors would rightfully boo this guy on the street. (National Archives)* A creative reader can probably imagine what happened when the sailors learned about the ban. Daniels was already not a popular guy, but commanders rushed to sell what they had left—and they had a *lot* left. The Navy decided each ship should hold one last blowout to say fair winds and following seas to their beloved drink. To their credit, American vessels the world over moved to comply with the Navy's order. Many ships held banquets with food, others had theme parties, and some held funeral processions for their departing friend. A few ships just poured whatever they had left into a giant bowl. Pictures of these "grog bowl" parties are hard to find—not only because cameras were rare in 1914. Presumably, the sailors didn't want to make every American party for the next 60 years seem lame by comparison. ![cher battleship]() *And Cher wouldn't board the battleship Missouri for another 75 years.* The Navy banned alcohol entirely, at sea and on land, for its sailors for a total of six years. Selling booze on shore and in clubs was reinstated after Congress passed the 21st Amendment, finally repealing Prohibition. President Jimmy Carter's Secretary of the Navy, Edward Hidalgo (himself a World War II-era Navy veteran), changed the rules to allow sailors at sea for 45 days or more to have two beers a day. ![navy alcohol ban]() *If there's a direct opposite of a Blue Falcon, this shipmate is it. (U.S. Navy)* Allowing sailors to tipple a drink now and then isn't just good for morale; it's also good for the local economies of wherever they happen to be. During a 2018 NATO exercise, for example, American sailors and Marines [drank the beer supply]() of the entire country, probably a sales coup that Icelandic bartenders will never see again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVwtoL2-VhU ## Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### • [This pilot shot down an enemy fighter with his 1911]() ##### • [Why Saddam Hussein buried Iraq’s air force in the desert]() ##### • [The best Cold War communist military technology was all stolen from the West]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()