Alcohol and grog could be safer than stored water during the wooden-walls era, before modern filtration and quality testing. Long storage made potable water a persistent logistical problem. The later survival of a 'wet navy' is explained through tradition and an honor system in which officers are trusted to use their access to alcohol responsibly. Observing conduct among shipmates could also reveal who might become indiscreet ashore.
Chapter · 1:33:08-1:35:20
From grog and unsafe water to a 'wet navy' tradition
A discussion of shipboard alcohol links the age-of-sail water problem with later Royal Navy traditions of trust and wardroom conduct.