Alcohol and sailing have long gone hand in hand, with long weeks spent working at sea often demanding something to take the edge off. For that reason, the profession has historically been associated with heavy drinking — a narrative furthered by the once global practice of paying Naval officers for their service with alcohol rations in wartime when funds were scarce. While alcohol consumption aboard U.S. Navy vessels was outlawed in June 1914, the ban couldn’t stop American sailors from wetting their whistles during World War II— even if it meant they had to siphon fuel from their own weapons.
During the first half of the war, the U.S. utilized steam-powered torpedo engines on its Pacific theater-based submarines, each of which was fueled by 180-proof grain alcohol. Without other alcohol aboard the subs to indulge in, the sailors quickly turned to the high-proof torpedo fuel, combining it with pineapple juice to smooth its burn. And thus, Torpedo Juice was born.
This habit eventually resulted in a power shortage, which tipped off the superiors on board. To break the sailors’ habit, higher-ups spiked the fuel with Pink Lady, a liquid made from red dye and methanol, a poisonous substance known to cause blindness. Their strategy failed to discourage the drinking, as sailors attempted to separate the grain alcohol from the compound by straining it through compressed loaves of bread. This technique was not always successful,, and many soldiers still went blind after consuming the Pink Lady-tainted Torpedo Juice.
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