Few things are as important as coffee and ice cream in today’s Navy. Though coffee offers caffeine to get through long days, ice cream acts on a separate level of physiological necessity. Studies have shown that ice cream is a “comfort food” that ranks above all others. Aside from being the only food to lower the human startle response, the frozen treat is thought to provoke nostalgia that reminds us of childhood. In 1914, with the new ban on alcohol on Navy ships, naval leaders sought alternative methods to keep morale high. Researchers found that sailors were extremely fond of ice cream, so they turned two Army refrigerated concrete barges into maritime ice cream factories that produced about 1,500 gallons of ice cream a day. In 1942, as Japanese torpedoes slowly sank the USS Lexington, the crew abandoned ship, but not before breaking into the freezer and grabbing all the ice cream. Survivors describe scooping ice cream into their helmets before lowering themselves into the Pacific. The Pentagon responded with an official statement ensuring that soldiers were served ice cream a minimum of 3 times a week, and it's a rule that still applies today.
