  | Holiday Menus from Ship to Shore Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners on Navy ships and shore installations provide an excellent snapshot of military food service and life in the Navy. Although today's Navy cooks and bakers are preparing more health-conscious meals for sailors and their families, these menus from 1905 to 1950 provide a nostalgic glimpse for all those who remember a meal with fellow sailors. These menus are part of the Library's collection of holiday menus. Cover - Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, U.S.S. Kentucky, 1907. Menu - Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, U.S.S. Kentucky, 1907. About this Site (Navy Department Library), The purpose of this website is to provide information and news about the United States Navy to the general public. All information on this site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline, photo, image credits is requested. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER. 805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD. WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060 |
An excellent glimpse of holiday life in the Navy is a new exhibit of historic Navy Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menus set up in the Navy Department Library, Washington Navy Yard, D.C.
“To celebrate the 2003 holiday season, the Navy Department Library has mounted a special exhibit of its eclectic collection of holiday menus from ships and shore installations dating from 1905 to 1950," said Jean Hort, director, Navy Department Library.
Holiday dinners are important memories and experiences for past and present Sailors, with many remembering these special times away from home and with their fellow shipmates.
“Even in wartime, traditional holiday dinners, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, are served up to our nation's Sailors deployed off foreign shores or in combat theaters,” said Hort. “Sixty years ago this Thanksgiving, Sailors on board USS Wake Island (CVE 65) were taking on supplies at Astoria, Ore., as the ship began its wartime assignments, while cooks below prepared a traditional meal of roast turkey and Virginia ham. In much the same way today, our Sailors on a high state of readiness on board USS George Washington (CVN 73) as they support Operation Iraqi Freedom will enjoy their Thanksgiving feast.”
Over many years, the library has collected more than 100 examples of ship and shore menus, with the pre-World War II examples considered especially detailed and artistic.
Other menus on exhibit include ones from: USS Raleigh (C 8), 1905; USS Kentucky (BB 6), 1907; USS Case (DD 285), 1929; USS Oklahoma (BB 37), 1935; U.S. Naval Repair Base, San Diego, 1944; Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Va., 1945; USS Sperry (AS 12), 1950; Destroyer Division 25; Villefranche, France, 1926; USS Astoria (CA 34), 1937; U.S. Navy Receiving Station, Boston, 1942; and USS Kalinin Bay (CVE 68), 1943.
Because today’s military is more health conscious, the menus on display show the different types of food that were served years ago. Veteran Sailors will also notice formerly popular items missing from modern holiday menus, such as cigars and cigarettes, which were regular menu items for the first half of the 20th century.
An online version of this exhibit with sample menus can be found at Holiday Menus from Ship to Shore.
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2 comments:
Hi - I just found a USS JFK New Year's Day (1972) Menu in some old letters to my Aunt. Very intersting to see.
Hi anonymous, re: finding the USS JFK New Year's Day (1972) menu---congrats :-)
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