The US Navy and the Ice Cream Barges - Chilling in the Pacific

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@thehandoftheking3314]

Hi drach, When researching topics or answers for dry docks questions regarding historical decisions, such as the Japanese decision to attack Pearl Harbour for example, do you find it difficult NOT to apply hindsight to the situation when assessing the decision? I find a lot of historical commentary or online discussion groups, like Quora or Reddit, focus on the events after the decision rather than the Decision or events leading upto it. Thanks for the great content as always!

[@c0dy85]

floats should be ice cream first with liquids poured over it.

[@BigAl7976]

Thank the Mrs. for her sacrifice

[@brendonbewersdorf986]

I recently discovered some of the ferrocement tugboats that were built in the UK some of them even still exist today did any of them serve in WW2 in any capacity?

[@comstr]

So what DID the axis think when they heard the US navy had ships devoted to making ice cream?

[@alanbrown9178]

... at the same time, the Royal Navy, understanding the needs of their personell, converted a Blue Funnel liner into a floating brewery... HMS Menesheus..... Perhaps you could cover that peculiarity?

[@officialboomtish214]

Ah that ship has a particular place in my heart: it was retrofitted with the brewery, along with an onboard theatre, in my hometown of Vancouver! I’d love to hear more about it and what drach would have to say about it!

[@nathanzylla4961]

That so cool!

[@lordvictory6718]

At the same time this came out, Tasting History with Max crewed out a video on making ice cream for marines -COINCIDENCE?

[@TomFynn]

"Make it to admiralty: Ship is refueling. And so are the men."

[@robertsolomielke5134]

I read about the brewery ships, very obscure , forgotten BPF support vessels. Drac would be the guy for this, and yes the one I know of was made over in Vancouver BC, Canada....maybe Allied shipyard, or Davies- Burrard .

[@Phatman2167]

The "Soda Barges" usually served hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. They also had Juke Boxes and Pinball Machines according to the stories I've read. There's also a story that 2 young Ensign's at Ulithi decided to pull rank and cut to the front of the line on the Ice Cream Barge. As they were making their way forward, a voice from behind yelled out "GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO THE END OF THE LINE!!" They turned around to discipline the sailor with the big mouth, only to see Admiral Halsey, standing half out of line, glaring at them. RHIP didn't work on the barge when it came to getting ice cream.

[@Dynasty0612]

I can only imagine the horror on their faces

[@pauldietz1325]

That's the kind of story that would circulate all up and down the ranks.

[@shoofly529]

"1st you feed the horses, then the men, then the officers."

[@Dynasty0612]

If Admiral Halsey himself is refusing to go RHIP then you know ensigns don’t have a chance in using it.

[@nonamesplease6288]

It's an old custom, at least in the US Army, and when there was a general mess, the other ranks ate first, then the NCOs, and the officers last. Of course, officers frequently had their own mess.

[@danielgrant9213]

When Drach mentioned there was not only a US Navy Ice cream barge during WWII, but also a Coca Cola Barge, my reaction was "dammit this really is the greatest country in the world" then he mentioned Spitfire pilots flying in kegs of beer attached to the hard points used to carry bombs and I thought "now that is one impressive ally" Finally, at the end he revealed the Rum Vanilla Ice Cream float that could only exist when the British and American Pacific fleets both met, and I thought "No doubt about it, greatest alliance ever". Seriously though, I am going to need to make a Rum Ice Cream soda for myself now.

[@mellon4251]

But don't forget the Japanese on the Pacific islands had rice up to once a month 🙈

[@AptWaffleMantis2278]

Honestly same

[@fakharhaider6269]

In "Clear the Bridge!", Richard O'Kane mentions "obtaining" an ice cream maker that was for a battleship and then enjoying ice cream while on patrol. Imagine a sub commander looking through a periscope making observations on enemy vessels while gobbling down on ice cream..

[@asteropax6469]

6:35 I imagine the sub in question celebrated a successful torpedo attack with the ice cream

[@FryingTiger]

I imagine you're quite the gobbler yourself. Gross.

[@jlvfr]

"We licked them!"

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Meanwhile the deep fryer experienced significant animosity, resulting in it being jettisoned off of Japan.

[@TomFynn]

"Fire number - ouch, brain freeze! - 1 to 4."

[@kleinjahr]

I,vaguely, remember a story. During a siege,maybe Bastogne, the Allies made an airdrop of supplies including Christmas dinners. The Germans got some of them. An officer looked at what it was and said, “We’re going to lose.”

[@richmcgee434]

Knowing how much better the enemy's food is than your own is seriously demoralizing. Unless you have an opportunity to raid their supplies, in which case it becomes quite motivational.

[@808bigisland]

English food? Seriously doubt this quote. 🎉

[@Baconatorz]

If I recall there was chocolate cake in the airdrops, basically the Germans figured if they could spare the resources to make and send real chocolate cakes to soldiers then the game was pretty much over.

[@kleinjahr]

@@808bigisland Not a quote, just a vague memory. Possibly apocryphal . However if even somewhat true, it does point out the differences in supply and logistics capabilities.

[@Sarmgerra]

Iirc, it was something along the lines of "we can't even keep our tanks in working order, and this cake was baked in Boston a week ago"

[@zacharyeggebeen9835]

"There's always room for Ice Cream." This was what my grandfather would always say at the end of every meal. This often came at the vexation of my grandmother and parents when I or my siblings were being picky eaters. I never understood the importance behind those words until many years later. My grandfather's mind was declining, and every so often, his refusal to talk about his experiences in WWII would slip. After one meal, where he had barely touched his food, I served him a bowl of his usual desert, Vanilla Ice Cream and chocolate syrup (I had stopped putting the roasted peanuts on since neither he or my grandmother could chew them.) He said the phrase and I asked him why he always said that. This time he explained as best he could remember, the rest being pieced together from some of the ship's historical society document that I have sadly lost track of. In 1945, his LST was sent to Okinawa during the later stages of the battle. They were carrying supplies in, and were warned when they arrived that they would be taking on walking wounded troops to be ferried out to a hospital ship. As part of this, they took on more supplies from a transport, since their passengers might have to stay on board for up to a day. On of they guys on the ship they were taking supplies from told them make as much ice cream as they could, and gave them extra supplies to help them. My grandfather, the ship's engineering officer, who also did duty as the mess officer and the ship's de facto chaplain, handed off his duties to his senior chief to help get the wounded settled in on the tank deck. The first few wounded men were able to get themselves on board and settled in to the makeshift racks on the deck. Then came the men with mobility injuries, including men who were missing legs. The last group to board were a few men under guard, the exhaustion cases. Off duty crew filtered in among the men passing out coffee and sandwiches, cigarettes and candy. They got underway just before noon, and started to head for the Hospital ship. Lunch came, and my grandfather along with a few other guys came up to check on their passengers. The mess crew brought their meals around, including small dixie cups of ice cream. My grandfather was shocked to see several of the wounded burst into tears as they tasted their first ice cream not in the field. The ended up being delayed for about a day, and word spread among the crew, who gladly sacrificed their portions to the wounded. As mess officer, my grandfather arranged for the cook to get a few extra hands to help turn out more ice cream, and took the expedient step of putting the "Chocolate Sirrup" on top to speed up the process.

[@grundlestiltzken761]

Good story, thanks for sharing. There's a lot of war stories like these people will never hear simply because they're never shared.

[@jayteaman]

lovely story. blessings and peace to your grandparents and family.

[@Givemepeanutbutter]

Thank you for sharing, I have been trying to research this Ice Cream Barge for a later project, but I cannot find many sources that have new information. It's always the same 3 or 4 paragraphs and then nothing else.

[@andrewadkins5567]

Ice cream was also a nice reward to a sub or destroyer crew after they delivered a recovered pilot back to his carrier. The pilot went across the wire and nice cold ice cream came back the other direction :)

[@CachingCadre]

Sometimes the pilots were held for "ransom' to get the ice cream and sometimes "medical" rations. All good natured of course.

[@firehawkdelta]

@@CachingCadre I've heard some versions of the story that pilots were traded back to their carriers for "their weight in ice cream." I doubt anyone ever actually *bothered* to weight the pilot ("Which weight? Naked? Soaking wet? In full gear?") and/or the ice cream, but it's the kind of story that would get around, and level-set the expectations for a "proper" pilot ransom.

[@andrewgillis3073]

I have heard this too, but can’t verify it with documentation

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I’ve also heard stories that destroyer crews would negotiate for more ice cream if they picked up aces or other more notable airmen’s

[@RuralTowner]

@@firehawkdelta Am left to wonder if some crews when returning the downed pilot would pull alongside...declare over the intercom "Deliver the Ice Cream bounty or Ye Pilot walks the Plank! Ar!" with the pilot standing where a quay walk would go. Pilot playing the part "I'd do it if I were you! I don't fancy a second swim! The Skip will have a mutiny if you don't!". Higher the rank of pilot they could ask for bonus finder's fee. 😁 Add some levity. If not for it being a war zone a friendly "shot across the bow" to emphasize "We mean it!"

[@napalmholocaust9093]

The difference in needing to add milk to the new mix vs only water is milk fat. I can almost guarantee the navy was using milk powder in their mix with the fat still in it. You can hardly find that kind now and its more expensive.

[@marcusott2973]

When I visited Asmara in Eritrea, where there was a guy who made excellent Vanilla ice cream using baby formula, which still has the fat in it.

[@loboheeler]

Not sure what milk powder fat content was available in the 1940s, but you can't get anything but nonfat now except some low fat from Mexico. You can get ultra pasteurized milk in aseptic containers now that have long shelf life (1+ year) without refrigeration.

[@SnakebitSTI]

I think the closer you are to dairy farms, the more likely you are to see more variety in milk types. And if you're close enough, you might be able to buy directly, including often hard to find stuff like cheese curds, fresh yogurt products, or unhomogenized milk. And possibly less pasteurized milk, which has a very short shelf life but often tastes better.

[@eldonerc2524]

It's because the fat will go rancid during long storage. If they take the fat out it's more "shelf stable".

[@michaelhitchcock9255]

There are some companies that make dry whole milk. I found some online at an online retailer. It's origin was from an Amish company. It tastes a lot better than the low fat kind, as long as you reconstitute with bottled water or distilled water. Chlorinated tap water makes all dry milk taste awful.

[@VintageCarHistory]

Whilst in Dubai during the Gulf War, we traded 30 gallons of ice cream for four cases of cigarettes with the port master.

[@khaelamensha3624]

Trading is a tradition among different forces. I made y turn of duty in French army and I can say that when I see others MREthere is no way I eat them 😂.

[@adarkstarz]

In 1942, as Japanese torpedoes slowly sank the U.S.S. Lexington, then the second-largest aircraft carrier in the Navy's arsenal, the crew abandoned ship-but not before breaking into the freezer and eating all the ice cream

[@ramal5708]

Cool story about Cmdr. William "Killer" Kane, commander Air Group 10 of USS Enterprise, during Battle of Philippine Sea, after the carrier air raid Killer Kane had to ditch his Hellcat fighter and one of the screening destroyers plucked him out of the water and when the destroyer wanted to return him to the Enterprise, the destroyer "extorted" the carrier on how much ice cream cans would the carrier trade for Kane and if I remember correctly the destroyer got at least 2 ice cream cans for Kane. Kane on the other day managed to shoot down at least 3-5 enemy aircraft and since he had great value to the air wing the destroyer could get a nice price for Kane.

[@ph89787]

Donald “Flash” Gordon. Said on Battle 360 that Enterprise ended up piping over 25 Gallons (95 litres) of Ice Cream.

[@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942]

"How much ice cream is Killer Kane worth?"

[@Thirdbase9]

This is from an article on British paper drop tanks. A story we came across, about which we have our doubts, but will relate nonetheless, told by Charles D. Mohrle, who sadly passed away earlier this year, related the following: “One morning Sgt. Sing, our Squadron cook, asked me if I would help him with a project to which I agreed of course. He sawed a panel from the top of a paper gas tank in which we carried extra fuel - one that had not been used. He took the baffles out of the inside and hinged the panel he’d cut out so that it could be opened and closed. Into the tank he poured 50 gallons of powdered milk mix, ten gallons of mixed, canned fruit, ten pounds of sugar, some vanilla extract and a few other ingredients that I don’t remember. All this was mixed thoroughly and the tank was hung under the wing of my plane. Sgt. Sing told me to fly up to 30,000 feet where the temperature would be about 30 degrees below zero F. I was to slip and skid the airplane around for half an hour to keep the contents mixed up until it froze, then dive down and land as quickly as possible. When I parked the airplane Sgt. Sing dropped the tank off the wing and opened it up to reveal ICE CREAM. Everyone had a feast.”

[@davey7452]

An American B29 pilot did something during his bombing raids over Japan he had some 5 gallon containers with the ingredients placed in a secure place inside the cabin the journey took place at high altitudes below freezing by the time he got back to base it would freeze into icecream, no suprize after the war he went into the icecream business.

[@SnakebitSTI]

Milk, sugar, cold temperature, and mixing are really all it takes to make ice cream. Getting a good texture is challenging, but less than perfect ice cream is better than no ice cream!

[@71Chris]

@@SnakebitSTIIce Cream is frozen custard, ideally made from milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Frozen milk and sugar would make a solid mass, you need the fat from the cream and eggs to not have the crystals and give a less labour intensive product.

[@SnakebitSTI]

@@71Chris The cream I'll grant you, but you do not need eggs to make ice cream. First off, there are a lot of other things that can be done to keep the ice crystals small. Second, if it comes out gritty/crunchy because of uncontrolled ice crystal growth, it's still ice cream. Just not very good ice cream. That said, I am all for adding some egg yolk to the mix.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Thanks for the story

[@nonamesplease6288]

I knew a tin can sailor from the Pacific in WWII. He spun many a good yarn about life on board, but he seemed particularly fond of the times when their ship pulled off some notable feat in combat and the larger ship that was the recipient of their derring do would send over ice cream as a thank you. His face literally lit up while recounting these tales. Ice cream and cold beer were a huge morale boost for the sweating crews packed into their tin cans and were fondly recalled in the memories of at least one old sailor.

[@gyrene_asea4133]

Well told. Thank you.

[@LuvLikeTruck]

Am I the only one disappointed that we didn't get a view of Doginifel?

[@fenman1954]

I like the way Drach suffers for our entertainment and education.

[@LeCharles07]

The King should give him a medal. Not even joking.

[@davidbrennan660]

Seeing how Drach has already personally experienced the damage taken by a German Battle Cruiser at the Battle of Jutland, he has long shown his dedication to the Channel. 🍦

[@wiryantirta]

I guess if you’re in the IJN you know your war effort is truly over when your opponent is spending fuel to haul ice cream around, with even pilots go up to high altitude flights just to make ice cream… while you can’t even scrape enough fuel to send out your planes and ships for sorties.

[@Jimorian]

"We've almost broken their code, Admiral, but there's one part I still can't quire figure out... 'ice cream ships'? Do you think this is some kind of new secret carrier or battleship? Maybe a new type of super submarine?"

[@bkjeong4302]

The IJN did actually have a few ships dedicated entirely for producing food to the crews of other ships. No dedicated ice-cream ships though.

[@ph89787]

Not to mention the Destoryers spent just as much time haggling with the carriers for Ice Cream as much as protecting them.

[@camenbert5837]

Imagine if he'd dropped it on enemy territory...?

[@pauldietz1325]

@@bkjeong4302 Wouldn't most Japanese be lactose intolerant?

[@cathyharrop3348]

My brother was an academy grad who eventually was the commander of the USS Norfolk. He told me once, as an engineering officer, his first important duty was making sure the soft ice cream machine was always sand free.

[@LeCharles07]

Can you imagine the chaos if the Navy used McDonalds' machines?

[@br0k3nman]

@@LeCharles07 actually, if you dig in to this topic. There are multiple competing reasons why McDonald’s ice cream machines are always broken. Wendy’s uses the same machines and never has any issues. Part of it is process, cleaning, and very locked in and valuable service contracts with the McDonald’s ones having crazy firmware with weird controls.

[@J-1410]

How would it get sand in it?

[@J-1410]

@@LeCharles07 "Our top story tonight: the US Navy appears to have invaded an ice cream machine manufacturer..."

[@cathyharrop3348]

@@J-1410 What, you think a working warship is a clean place?

[@hoppycom888]

Drac, As an honorable and faithful Airman of the US military, and a proud member of the E-4 mafia. I can say nobody I knew (STOLE) anything from another squadron or sister service. I will admit to the honest and noble trate of (ACQUISITIONS) of whatever was needed to complete the mission, or make life a little more enjoyable. And I was one hell of an acquisition specialist.

[@Armored_Muskrat]

"Liberated" sounds even better. 😁

[@danielseelye6005]

Strategic Transport of Equipment to an Alternate Location. 😁 As for the "Mafia", I don't know what you're talking about. According to The Fat Electrician, there's _No Such Thing as The E-4 Mafia._ 😋

[@mikeross5372]

'Moonlight requisition' is the phrase I believe you're looking for... at least in British English.

[@kpdubbs7117]

There are a few keys to a perfect root beer float. 1. Place a large glass mug, at least 20oz, into the freezer a few hours before. (Thanks @SHOOFLY) 2. Make sure the ice cream is as cold as possible. This will create a thin layer of frozen root beer on the surface of the ice cream, almost forming a crust. 3. GENTLY place the ice cream in the mug so that root beer does not foam over the top. The foam layer will slowly move down the liquid over several minutes. 4. Using a spoon, gently scoop off small portions of the crusted ice cream along with a small amount of the root beer and enjoy. If you disturb the lump of ice cream too much before the foam layer has reached the bottom, it will trigger a rapid foaming of the root beer and it could foam over the top of your mug. Note: If the root beer does rapidly foam up, simply enjoy this bubbly layer, but you have to be quick. Drink it before it goes over the side and makes a mess.

[@shoofly529]

If you can put the glass mug in the freezer for a few hours before also helps.

[@kpdubbs7117]

@@shoofly529 Good call, adding it to the procedure.

[@shoofly529]

@@kpdubbs7117 You're very kind, thank you.

[@kpdubbs7117]

@@shoofly529 Credit where credit is due.

[@harveywallbanger3123]

This sounds like it would be absolutely delicious if rootbeer were fit to drink by humans.

[@seasirocco3063]

Fun fact, USS Quartz, mentioned and shown at 9:25 in the video is still afloat in British Columbia, and in pretty good condition too, still having her name and hull number as well as most of her gun tubs.

[@ClaymoreM18]

Rum in addition to Coca-Cola it's known in south America as "cuba libre" and it's fairly well known and tastes really good.

[@adenkyramud5005]

When I was still drinking regularly I always loved Cuba Libre. Especially when using vanilla coke. The flavors perfectly mesh with each other. Of course I mostly used very cheap rum, I was between 16 and 20 and constantly broke, so it also removed the slightly disturbing aftertaste of said cheap rum, making it easier to consume 😂

[@jst7714]

I believe the defining difference between bog standard “rum and coke” and a Cuba Libre is a good squeeze of fresh lime. Once you’ve had it that way, you’ll never go back

[@Sleep-is-overrated]

I work for the USS Pampanito SS-383, a Balao class submarine now museum and memorial in San Francisco. We still have the ship’s original ice cream maker in crews berthing, and while it’s not functional at the moment we do want plan to fix it for our overnight programs. Especially so after we got our hands on a WW2 USN cook book with the same ice cream recipe that Tasting History used in his video

[@chrishernandez6685]

Thanks for honoring history! Great plan. I hope you'll publicize the advent of the original recipe tasty treats there! Wiill bring the fam if this ever gets working 💪🏽. You know... for the kids... not me.

[@SSN515]

We were constantly repairing those on the Tincans I rode. They broke down a lot, and we usually had to manufacture our own parts in the little machine shop because they we no longer supported by the supply parts system. Good luck.

[@mattblom3990]

If you get it working, you have to let Max know!

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

That'd be awesome to see and taste! :D

[@kingleech16]

Good luck, that sounds neat!

[@dimitriosvyzirgiannakis3551]

The lengths to which the US goes to support and provide facilities to its troops never ceases to amaze me. Totaly contradictory to the way it usually treats them later as Veterans.

[@JimmyCricket93]

They are a commodity while they are in service, and as soon as they leave, they are an expense?

[@diestormlie]

The ones still in the service have far easier access to firearms *and* expensive military equipment!

[@jasonirwin4631]

It's two different parts of the government. The DOD recognizes the value of moral and put effort into developing and maintain it. The VA is a disorganized mess that probably has plenty of people that want to help veterans but is understaffed and underfunded. If we just got ride of the VA moved the education benefits to the department of education, the loan services to the Treasury department, and turned the health care services into a government funded insurance allowing veterans to use private hospitals for medical needs veterans might get better service. It can't get much worse.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

But meanwhile, the MREs are meals rejected the the enemy.

[@Paladin1873]

@@jasonirwin4631 About 20 years ago I was asked by a retired BG friend who had been an Air Force doctor to offer my opinion to a retired colonel who was working for the VA (he also happened to be a Medal of Honor recipient). I was very blunt and suggested we get rid of the VA hospital system and replace it with a portable health insurance card that could be used anywhere. Neither the general nor the Colonel were impressed by my suggestion. I still think it's a good idea. By the way, I've been retired for 16 years and never use the local VA hospital for anything. I don't need the hassle and maybe my not using it will free up space for some poor vet who has nowhere else to turn.

[@bkjeong4302]

We need food-related specials for all WWII navies.

[@ph89787]

My uni diet occasionally resembled the IJN's diet during World War 2. In that there's a lot of curry.

[@ramal5708]

Read about troop transport ships or vessels serving Steak and Eggs prior to Amphibious landings, for some it's the last meal they ever had in their lives

[@ph89787]

@@ramal5708 In Battle 360 (the episode on Midway) Dusty Kleiss said that whenever the Mess was serving Steak and Eggs that it was “a busy day.” While Lloyd Childers a tail gunner for VT-6 (yes the one with the Devastators) said that he heard some joked about it being “Last meal for the condemned men.”

[@nathandanner4030]

@@ramal5708 My last few weeks in NAVY Bootcamp they were serving Steak and Shrimp at almost every meal. It was September (end of fiscal year) so someone must have been trying to finish the budget. Contrastingly, the days they served Chicken the Seaguls would be missing from the "Grinder" (a field to pratice marching).

[@davidlogansr8007]

SPAM, SPAM AND SPAM! Just had a typo where it autocorrected to spasm. ?

[@johnspurrell1200]

The DDs on plane guard for CVs raced each other to pick up splashed aviators not only out of safety concerns but the breech buoy used to transfer them back to CV made a delivery of ice cream to the DD.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

These Ice Cream Barges need to work together with the Hotel Yamato and French Pre-dreadnought Hotels

[@bkjeong4302]

In all seriousness, Yamato wasn’t all that luxurious as battleships went. She only seemed that way to the Japanese because the Yamatos were the only Japanese battleships to actually be as habitable as everyone else’s battleships (the rest being cramped, spartan, and not having air conditioning that was standard in other navies’ capital ships) If you want to see a REALLY luxurious battleship look at the Littorios-their officer’s quarters reached ocean liner levels.

[@enoing_1107]

@@bkjeong4302 it's more the fact that she served as a hotel for a couple thousand Japanese as she sat around at different islands and didn't do anything for most of the war. Kind of like Tirpitz which in my own opinion was the most heavily bombed Norwegian ski lodge in history.

[@issacfoster1113]

Ya ma to has her Ramune. Good Match.

[@bkjeong4302]

@@enoing_1107 Yamato was still significantly more active than the Nagatos, Fusos and Ises were (which didn’t even move around between different anchorages, the Nagatos because of propaganda value and the Fusos and Ises due to being just too old and seen as useless); in addition, it should be noted that most battleships that did actually sortie regularly in WWII (including all American fast battleships save Washington) still didn’t end up accomplishing all that much, especially when it came to actually doing the job of a capital ship.

[@jasondouglas6755]

In "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailor," I read how some crew of the Samul B. Roberts stole an Ice Cream maker from the navy yard just before they sailed for the Pacific. Making them one of the few DE in the fleet to have one.

[@scooterdescooter4018]

was everyone on the Roberts insane?

[@gerardmdelaney]

@@scooterdescooter4018 No, bit it helped.

[@Oldguy1900]

Using your warplane to deliver kegs of beer=Epic Making ice cream while dogfighting Japanese zeros =God level

[@michaelkovacic2608]

"...officers and men conspiring to aquire the means of production by any means necessary..." Drach playing with fire here 😅

[@Norbrookc]

There are many euphemisms used in the military for this. "Midnight requisitions," "tactical acquisitions," etc. Back in my military days, my commanding officer realized that there was a piece of equipment that wasn't on his inventories, and asked me where we got it. I replied "Sir, you should just be happy we have it."

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

Strategic Transportation of Equipment to Alternate Locations.

[@eddievhfan1984]

"Seizing the means of production?! In MY capitalist navy?!?! ...It's more likely than you'd think."

[@Flapjackbatter]

My dad was onboard the USS America for a few days when she came here to Norway for Ocean Safari 85. (He was a coast pilot). And one of the things he talked about when coming home was the large amounts of ice cream that was served onboard.

[@leftcoaster67]

Skip the hardtack.

[@johnmoore8599]

This was a nicer taste testing episode than the hardtack and salted beef episode. I hope you both enjoyed it!

[@GearGuardianGaming]

dont forget when he made coffee from burnt toast. that was also great

[@Wolfeson28]

Lol, I still remember watching that one, holding my breath (along with probably most viewers) wondering what would break first: the hardtack or a tooth. At least Drach has learned some better technique for measuring dry ingredients.

[@rickden8362]

That was a fun episode. He might a better taste of the flavors if he dug down to the bottom of the bowls. In some of the bowls, some of the flavor could still be seen sitting a the bottom.

[@jacklucas5908]

Great to see you do a video on this, whilst bringing up Tasting History! Big fans of you both!

[@johnmiller8975]

Ditto both take their job very seriously (and make it fun)_

[@tedb.5707]

During the Korean War my father's "encouragement for cooperation" with various unit commanders was #10 cans of popcorn kernals. They weren't contraband, he had (legal) access to lots of it, and it was greatly appreciated in the field. Plus being in cans it didn't spoil, freeze or get wet so you could save for an evening's reward ...or trade it for something you needed. He got lots of cooperation when he needed it.

[@JTA1961]

Surprised you didn't call him... P0P

[@masterskrain2630]

Just don't steal the Strawberries that are used as toppings for the Ice Cream! Just ask Captain Queeg as to what can happen.

[@shoofly529]

Need to make a duplicate of the key!

[@Wolfeson28]

Nice reference. :)

[@Statusinator]

MUGI WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

[@mpetersen6]

I used to have access to large steel balls from ball bearings (1) and other applictions. I had some about 40 mm in diameter. I pulled them out at coffee one Saturday and started quoting Bogey. 1) A ball bearing is the complete assembly. By themselves the balls are just steel balls. Not to be confused with big brass balls

[@wesleypeters4112]

My Grandpa (my mom's dad) served in the Pacific Theater, Philippians New Guinea. He recalls that one day some of the other men found a grease container and decided to make fudge in it. He recalls that the first batch tasted a lot like grease than fudge, but the second batch came out just right. Moral was an important thing to keep high for those guys and anyone who was at war.

[@davidlogansr8007]

Actually Prohibition ended on 5 December 1933. Also, during WW2, I remember seeing depictions of beer being distributed, in the Island hopping campaign and aboard ships in Liberty ports

[@shoofly529]

One Pacific Marine vet told me that on the islands, the Army guarded the Marines' beer & vice versa. The way to get it cold was to continuously dip the beer cans in & out of gasoline!!

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

Rum and coke is a fairly standard drink here in Queensland. A tot of rum and a glass of milk over ice is called a Moreton Bay Porridge. The latter is usually consumed on ANZAC Day along with ANZAC biscuits (which are gobbled down year round with a cuppa).

[@Dave_Sisson]

I guess that's because you make rum in Queensland? Down in Tasmania they grow a lot of hops and barley, so they produce beer and whisky.

[@LuvLikeTruck]

Rum and coke is pretty popular in the US and Canada too. I'm going to have to add ice cream to my next one though...

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

@@Dave_Sisson Queenslands own rum is Bundaberg Rum. Made in the heart of the sugar-producing belt so it stands to reason there'd be a distillery. It's a brown rum and goes very well with Coke. Not so good with another major brand of cola.

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

@@LuvLikeTruck when a Queenslander says "rum" it usually means a brown or dark rum based on sugar cane. Anything else is "for chicks". Ice cream could be a good combo though.......trying to remember where else I'd heard about that. Maybe my grandfather. Sounds like something he would have liked as a treat.

[@Dave_Sisson]

@@TheCaptainbeefylog I slightly prefer Beenleigh Rum to Bundaberg, although I suspect there are dozens of rum distilleries in Queensland?

[@Lazarus7000]

Reminds me of a bit from the book _Mailed Fist_ which is about Churchill tankers, and they're on their way across the channel. The group is broken up, with some men going on an American ship and others on a much smaller British civil vessel. Afterwards they compare experiences, the men who had come on the American ship were freshly showered and raving of the food and ice cream, while those on the British ship were simply told where the wardroom was and to feel free to finish the open bottle of gin, as there wasn't much left in it. It turns out that "the open bottle of gin" in fact had about three-quarters left in it so their small group was no less pleased with their accommodation than were those who went on the American ship.

[@TheJudge2017]

I think some of the US museum ships should master this recipe and sell it to guest. I would love to try some "authentic" world war two Ice cream

[@adenkyramud5005]

Would be a very cool idea (hehe), maybe even show the people how it's made when they tour the ship. Would definitely give me even more reasons to get my fat German arse across the Atlantic and aboard one of those beautiful old ships

[@paulmahoney7619]

It would be a good compliment to the USS Massachusetts' exhibit on the subject.

[@athodyd]

Drach you're a wonderful man but I'm glad Mrs. Drach is there to teach you the difference between extremely different fruits

[@hfdole]

My dad studied refrigeration in college. When he went to the South Pacific, he got promoted when he made an ice machine for the officers' club.

[@Kerndon]

Back when I was in the German Navy, we had a nice ice cream related tradition aboard whenever we entered or left the locks of the Kiel canal: On every lock, there's a small shop that also sells ice cream. A crew member that messed up on the way to the canal or in the canal, had to hop off board on the lock, and get ice cream for the rest of the crew (it was a mine hunter, around 40 people).

[@napalmholocaust9093]

You don't need a huge mixer to have a powerful one. A five or ten gallon Hobart will tear your arm off easily. I used to make chocolate silk pies and you hold the bowl up by hand so the blades cook the eggs you slowly add by rubbing the bowl at high speed. Sometimes it gets eccentric and away from you. It just throws you and the bowl when that happens.

[@808bigisland]

Eggs in icecream? That is softserve. Today it’s shaved ice phillipino style, japanese and korean brand ice creams , frozen vietnamese jelly and sorbets in Polynesia. Meadows is an old hawaiian brand. Good stuff.

[@SnakebitSTI]

@@808bigisland The difference between regular ice cream and soft serve comes from air content. The ingredients can be identical.

[@LeCharles07]

@@SnakebitSTI Eggs make it frozen custard maybe?

[@SnakebitSTI]

@@LeCharles07 I think there's a lot of regional variation in definitions? For example, the FDA says =1.4% egg yolk is frozen custard. Unless it's vanilla, in which case it can be labeled as "French vanilla ice cream" with >=1.4% egg yolk (according to Wikipedia). I'm not used to people distinguishing between the two, to be honest. They're both "ice cream" to me.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

You can visit the remains of a concrete ship near Whitby. You can walk out to it a low tide from the abbey side of the river mouth.

[@davidkleinthefamousp]

Drach, I know of countless days of research in dark draughty basements- this time you are really taking a hit for the team! Your sacrifice is appreciated.

[@Lopez_the_heavy]

“Welcome back, to Cooking with Drach”

[@ronaldfinkelstein6335]

Prohibition ended in 1933, not the 1920s.

[@markrobinson9956]

And many states continued some form of prohibition much longer than that.

[@maynardcarmer3148]

My destroyer (late 60s) had an ice cream machine, but the product could be described as such only by someone who had never tasted ice cream before.

[@cadkoger]

I remember touring USS Blueback in Portland and the tour guide mentioned the submarine would not sail if the ice cream maker was not operational. Blueback was one of the last diesel boats in the Navy, so it was a lot warmer inside than nuclear boats.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

20:09 -- Oh the noble sacrifices that Drach' makes for his viewers !

[@coldwarrior78]

My buddy from High School flew E3s off the carrier America during the 80s. He once broke his arm in a fall and wound up serving ice cream for 6 months until cleared again for flight ops.

[@kpdubbs7117]

Hmm, not sure what flavor this is... I better take another bite... still not sure, one more bite... Well played Drach.

[@aluminumfence]

"Now let's get this out onto a tray...NICE."

[@stargazer5784]

Steve1989.

[@caminojohn3240]

Great to see something different! Of course I need to provide everyone some helpful hints since I have made lots of ice cream at home. 1. Dry ice is your friend. Now your freezing bowl is only really good for one go, but if you pick up some dry ice, you can place it in the bowl, inside an ice chest, wait 20 minutes, and it's hard as a rock. It also makes a finer grain / creamier ice cream than just out of the freezer since the freezing bowl is actually colder than normal. Once batch #1 is done, you just have to wait the 10 - 20 minutes for the bowl to refreeze. 2. Cook / chill your ice cream mix. The closer your ice cream mix is to freezing temperature, the less time it will take to churn ice cream. Granted Drach used cold milk and room temperature mix, ideally he should have placed it in the fridge. This also lets the flavors time to integrate. 3. Make a larger batch. If you go the dry ice route, you now can make a larger batch of base. This has many positives since your measurement can be slightly off and it won't make as much of an impact. 4. What you freeze it in counts. Now thin, disposable plastic food storage container are your best bet. There is not much thermal mass to overcome one way or another. Make sure there's plenty of air flow as it sits in the freezer. Enjoy!

[@mpetersen6]

Dry Ice also is great for freezing parts to shrink them. If no dry ice is available a CO2 extinguisher will work.

[@HD-mp6yy]

Yeah! Another WWII USA Navy Ice cream video! Time to by go and buy Ice cream at 1am for the second time this week.

[@williamswenson5315]

I never thought I'd see such a perfect example of telepathy displayed on this channel as I did during the initial electric mixer segment. Just watching Drach's face allowed one to hear with a nearly perfect clarity Ms. Drach's opinion of his mixer technique.

[@JB-pk3bz]

27:15 After that audible, I expected to hear, "HMS Victory, arriving." 😆

[@robinstevenson6690]

I love it! Great episode - - ice cream manufacturing during wartime described by a naval historian and mechanical engineer!

[@MandoWookie]

I just want to hear more about the concrete ships. That is just such a cool concept. How long were they in service?

[@mpetersen6]

If they made one trip it was likely worth it.

[@mcribenthusiast7010]

Your efforts ins the spirit of international cooperation should be rewarded with an international peace prize.

[@erict7840]

Drach should do a video on various naval traditions such as crossing the equator (wog day) and others.

[@NetTopsey]

19:05 The mixing of measurement systems was... interesting for making the fancy ice cream version 😄

[@shaider1982]

Weird to have a Tasting History video jive with one from Drach but I like it👍

[@Scrat335]

When I was stationed in Italy we had what we called The Pizza Barge that was allowed to come alongside. Good stuff. It caught fire and sank one day though.

[@andrewgillis3073]

On ships that didn’t have huge freezer, you could put the mixture in a metal pod and suspend it in a mixture of ice and salt. My family used to do it in the late 1970s.

[@musoangelo]

Respectful correction, prohibition ended Dec 5 1933.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

Imagine thinking you can win a war against a nation with a navy and shipbuilding industry so big that they have ships dedicated to just making ice cream.

[@MsDevilMaria]

I was more than shocked seeing this video suddenly turned into a cooking programme 😂 been following your channel for a while, and I just want to say thanks for the amazing knowledge sharing.

[@j.thehappywyvern6397]

This is funny, this is now the third channel I follow in the same amount of weeks to cover the Ice cream barges.

[@Shandrunn]

22:00 That engineering degree coming in handy I see 😁

[@matthewstreeter5169]

But shows he wasn't a process engineer as he forgot that the US pint is smaller than a UK pint. 1 litre being just over 2 US pints.

[@ditzydoo4378]

Just watched Tasting History. Your take on ice cream is simply delicious being you can eat any mistakes with relish. ^~^ My grandfather S1C James Robert McCoy served aboard PT-108, Ron-5. and they would get their Ice Cream by returning downed aviators on picket detail for 10-gallons a head. The crew 2 officers and 10/11 enlisted would receive 2-gallons while 8-gallons went to the base personnel. They were very popular when they radioed back "Cold-Can" aboard.

[@GearGuardianGaming]

glad to hear there actually was a trade using pilots as "ransom"

[@BadlanderOutsider]

There's nothing wrong with mixing expensive spirits, especially when it comes to blended rums that often can really work in a cocktail. I keep many pretty pricey rums exclusively for cocktails. Even if I was making something like a Rum and Coke, I'd use a nice rum because while there can be diminishing returns, you should be tasting the rum, so why use a bad one? I'd also recommend a dash of Angostura or Orange bitters too.

[@DavidSiebert]

Ms. Drachinifel thank you for all that you do off-camera. I completely understand why you wouldn't want to expose yourself to the nightmare of KZbin comments. But thank you for you help and contributions.

[@andrewfanner2245]

And when he sobers up Drach will be appearing on the next series of MasterChef. That was a fun episode to watch.

[@TheShrike616]

I was thinking earlier when Max released his vid that Drach or Dr Clarke should have been involved... and voila. What a great and unlikely cooperation by two of my favourite tubers. ❤

[@DisheveledSuccess]

Genuinely wondering if Mrs. Drach is alright. That’s incredibly frightening….she doesn’t use aquanet hopefully.

[@91Redmist]

Nice to see that you sometimes cover all things naval, not just battles. This was a delicious diversion from the carnage of sea actions. Now I need me a pint of chocolate almond ice cream!

[@robomonkey1018]

I wish during my time in the US navy I had been asked to "tacticly acquire " something as vital as an ice cream maker. I only got to steal chocks from other squadrons. I was able to make repainting them last all day. So it was kind of a win.

[@LoderryPlaysPVP]

I think having food related specials every now and then would be a great idea. I really enjoyed this video!

[@malcolmlewis5860]

I saw this on tasting history channel and wanted to know more.

[@snowman333-]

we call them "Rootbeer floats" even when a different soda is used

[@reginabillotti]

Not in my experience. If another soda (e.g. ginger ale) is used, it's just an "ice cream float."

[@aidanfarnan4683]

"We're out of steel." "Make the ice-cream barge out of concrete."

[@Kowalski089]

Drach's reaction to the strength and flavor of the rum-and-coke-and-ice-cream float was a joy to watch :) Very enjoyable video through and through!

[@ph89787]

*On 22 June 1944 either USS Patterson (DD-392) or Terry (DD-513) approached USS Enterprise (CV-6) with an important question. "How much Ice Cream was 'Killer' Kane worth?" CDR William R "Killer Kane, was the CO of Enterprise's Air Group 10 and previously the CO and XO of VF-10 "Grim Reapers." As well as part of the Air Group's veteran core from Guadalcanal. So he was worth quite a bit for the destroyer. In exchange for getting Kane back and the crew of Patterson or Terry got 25 Gallons (95 Litres) of Ice Cream. *Had to repost this due to KZbin on my end having a fit and deleted the original comment when i went to edit it.

[@Sigfried033]

I was just typing out how Max just did an episode on Ice cream in WW2 as you started to mention it. Glad you know about him.

[@barrielomas9056]

Last issue of Rum in the Royal Navy was after official closure date of June 1970, when in November 1970 following 1970 Bhola Cyclone killed an estimated 3,00,000 to 5,00,000 people when it made landfall in East Pakistan now Bangladesh. The Cyclone met the melting snow coming down of the Himalyas. HMS Intredid (LPD) and Triumph (Carrier repair ship) were sent on a Relief Operation. Intra Politics of the time had the locals on strike for burying their own dead. JCB's were landed and the mix was digger for graves and boozer with a slack of slack lime for the bodies. In the Tropical heat this was hard lying duty and Rum was re issued. It was Worlds worst cyclone disaster and last rum issue was welcome relief for the sailors solders, and marines except has is the tradition officers were excepted

[@well-blazeredman6187]

I recently enjoyed reading 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil', which tells the story of USN logistics in the Pacific in WW2. If you're into ice-cream, you might find it an interesting read.

[@gmannoname1492]

Hi Mate, I just realised I don't watch enough of your videos, I think you do good work.

[@jeromethiel4323]

American here, never heard of an "ice cream soda." But i grew up eating "ice cream floats." Just saying. ^-^

[@zawzawaung6789]

Up on the DMZ in Korea in the 1970s we would use large CO2 fire extinguishers to chill down cases of beer. We would aim the nozzle under a rain poncho to make dry ice, and then use it to make old fashioned hand-cranked ice cream with powdered milk, sugar, powdered eggs, unsalted butter, "John Wayne Bar" chocolate from C-rations. It was better than the AAFES-produced junk that showed up in the messhalls in garrison.

[@videodistro]

In the USA, floats and sodas are not the same. We also go by the term "float" for ice cream in a carbonated liquid, usually root beer. Sodas, from the old soda shops were a little different (ice cream in carbonated water) and term soda is now used solely for "pop" in the southern US.

[@dougredshirt3991]

I just couldn't help but smile throughout this wonderful video. Nothing like ice cream to bring out a smile.

[@greenseaships]

Call me old fashioned but I imagined ice cream barges to be covered end-to-end in stickers for every brand of ice cream and playing music box music as they pull up alongside.

[@GearGuardianGaming]

nothing would make my day more than seeing a boat coated with stickers cruising in to dock, with an old man on the bow wearing a white apron holding a couple of drumsticks with the music getting louder with the ships approach.

[@greenseaships]

@@GearGuardianGaming "PAYMASTER! PAYMASTER! Can I have my allowance now???"

[@linnharamis1496]

This was a very entertaining and informative "change of pace" to a military history KZbin page. Drach - you gave us an insight in one of the the pleasures and distractions that helped keep the military men and women going in a place far way from home and near to so much danger. Thanks for you and Mrs. Drach's efforts on this "home cooking" project. Spoons and Mugs Up!

[@TheAsh274]

I’ll hope that they’d play “Turkey in the Straw” or similar music over the loudspeaker when they’d pull into harbor

[@ToothbrushMan]

Your dedication to your chosen field of research is truly edifying.

[@tianwong152]

Chilling or Bing Chilling?

[@ivangenov6782]

Damn you beat me to it

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

The prefrozen-bowl type of ice cream freezer is a significantly more modern product (I first heard of it in the nineties), and I think it is only ever used at consumer-home scale. Household ice cream freezers used to place the mix in a thermal-conducting (usually, aluminum or steel) cylinder, which was immersed in a mixture of ice and salt, surrounded by something relatively more insulative (typically, wood). The salt made the ice want to melt, but the energy that it absorbed by doing so had to come from somewhere, so heat got pulled from the freezing ice cream. Crude, but easy to set up (the hardest part by far was the stirring apparatus), and it worked. At navy scale, however, they probably used something that works more like a refrigerator, freezer, or air conditioner: compress a gas on the outside, with a radiator to distribute as much as possible of the resulting heat away from the whole setup, then pass the gas through a narrow valve to the internal side, where you let it expand, absorbing heat from the contents of the freezer (see "ideal gas laws" for why this works), before passing back out to the compressor. WWII is _relatively_ early, so they didn't know as much about which gasses make good refrigerants as we know now, but in principle *any* gas will work, as long as it remains a gas at all the temperatures and pressures involved; picking a better one just makes the whole thing more energy efficient. (Also, some of the most efficient ones aren't used any more due to concerns about the environmental impact when they leak; but I think the forties is far enough back that the ones they used would not have been as good as what we use now. Nonetheless, as long as you've got power to spare, inefficiency isn't a deal-breaker.)

[@Drachinifel]

The original instructions include when to open valves to unleash fresh refrigerant :D I decided against doing that bit!

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

@@Drachinifel Haha. I see.

[@matehavlik4559]

The mighty USS Ben&Jerry 😂

[@ph89787]

Along with USS Baskin Robbins and HMAS Peters (Australian Ice Cream brand).