How the US Navy's ice cream ships boosted morale aboard warships during World War II

Sailors scoop ice cream delivered by a Grumman F6F Hellcat, seen in the background.US Navy Reserve Lt. Junior Grade Wayne Miller/Naval History and Heritage Command National Archives

• The US Navy banned alcohol consumption on naval vessels, bases and shipyards in 1914.
• As the US faced the impending threat of war, sailors needed an alternative morale boost: ice cream.

In 1914, then-Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels issued an order prohibiting the consumption of alcohol on any naval vessel, shipyard, or shore station.

In lieu of alcohol, sailors enduring the hardships of the sea were in need of an alternative morale booster, especially as the US faced the impending threat of World War I.

Amid wartime rationing and supply shortages, an unlikely contender emerged: ice cream.

The service began adding ice cream makers to ships prior to World War I and resorted to operating refrigerated barges to meet the needs of the massive and far-flung Pacific fleet during World War II.