Indeed, it is a day that should live in infamy.

I would note that the law has not been followed on every merchant vessel. I was on one ship in the mid-80s on which the average consumption per day was about 8 beers a day, and on that ship, the three mates hardly ever drank anything.

I also had one trip as a cadet when the Captain made me post signs about the company drinking policy. The policy was simple: no drinking, no alcohol on board, no alchohol in you when you were on board. I posted the signs, and that afternoon the Captain pointed to the sign leaving the lounge at coffee time, and said: "If I had to enforce this, I'd have to fire everyone one on board, including myself."

I also know things have been getting tighter and tighter. The industry is not a the same as when I was on board. It was not the same then as when my father started, and it had changed then from when the generation before him started. I've heard about the days when your first beverage in the morning was not a cup of coffee, but about three shots worth of whiskey.