User:The C of E/rum

The Rum Ration was a daily amount of Rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that regular intakes of alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery.

Tradition
The Rum Ration traditionally consisted on 70 millilitres of rum given out to every sailor at midday. It was sometimes supplimented with splice the mainbrace. The rum ration was often served from one particular barrel, also known as the "Rum Tub" which was often ornately decorated and sometimes was renforced with brass.

The time when the rum ration was distributed was called "Up Spirits", which was between 11am and 12pm. Sailors were also required to toast the Monarch before they drank it.

History
The rum ration was originally beer with a daily ration of 4.5 litres per sailor until the 17th Century. In 1655, rum replaced beer as the sailor's daily alcohol ration because of the capture of Jamaica from Spain. This change was made because beer would often go off on long voyages. Until 1740, the ration of rum was half a pint twice a day before the amount was lowered to the traditional amount.

In 1970, Admiral Peter Hill-Norton abolished the rum ration as he felt it could have led to sailors failing a breathalyser test and being less capable to manage complex machinery. The last rum ration was on 31 July 1970 and became known as Black Tot Day as sailors were unhappy about the loss of the rum ration. In its place, sailors were given 2 cans of beer a day and improved recreational facilities. While the rum ration was abolished, the order to splice the mainbrace remained as the command for it could only be given by the Monarch and is still used to recognise good service.

In other navies
Other navies in the world also started to remove the rum ration. The Royal Canadian Navy abolished the rum ration in 1972. The last navy issuing the rum ration reguarly, the Royal New Zealand Navy abolished the rum ration in 1990.