Q&A · 2:44:02-2:44:47

Did Italian warships have ashtrays and wine on tap?

A caveated material-culture exchange describes smoking fittings and wine service aboard Italian and French ships.

Question

Did Italian warships have built-in ashtrays and wine on tap?

Short answer

Published accounts describe both, although the wine-tap detail is explicitly secondhand rather than something personally verified aboard an older ship.

Notes

Built-in ashtrays reflected the smoking practices expected aboard some older warships. Published accounts also describe wine taps aboard Italian and French ships. The wine-tap detail is explicitly secondhand because none of the relevant older vessels had been inspected personally. A family anecdote about a tap expected to supply water instead producing wine illustrates the custom, while leaving uncertain whether the ship was Italian or French. This is a glimpse of shipboard life rather than a claim about combat capability.