What shall we do with the 17,000 drunken sailors? Survey reveals shocking extent of alcohol abuse in Royal Navy

In Nelson's day it may have been the done thing to go into battle three sheets to the wind.

But a new report has revealed that drunkenness in the modern Navy has spiralled to such an extent that it could be damaging fighting capability.

Damning research commissioned by defence chiefs shows that alcohol abuse is a much bigger problem among naval personnel than among the civilian population.

Got a problem? In a new survey one in five sailors said they drank over 50 units of alcohol a week (file picture)

In the new survey, one in five sailors said they drank over 50 units of alcohol a week – more than double the recommended safe limit for men, which is 21 units.

Almost half admitted to binge-drinking at least once a week, and about 15 per cent were classed as ‘problem drinkers’ who had been asked to cut down by bosses, friends, doctors or loved ones in the past year. This compares with six per cent of men in the general population.

The researchers said that if the survey was a true reflection of boozing in the Navy, it would indicate that 17,000 Royal Navy personnel were regularly drinking to ‘hazardous levels’ – that is, to such an extent that it was having a direct impact on their health.

The research was carried out by the King’s Centre for Military Health Research in London to assess the scale of the Navy’s drinking culture.

The researchers said: ‘Our results demonstrate that alcohol misuse is common within the Royal Navy.



Different era: Sailors being issued with rum at the Royal Navy barracks in Portsmouth in 1933

‘It may be argued that the military culture makes service personnel especially vulnerable to the consequences of heavy drinking; in effect, alcohol misuse may be viewed as an occupational hazard of military life.

‘The direct impact of alcohol misuse upon operational effectiveness is not yet known. But it is unlikely that this would not have a detrimental operational effect.’

The researchers said that there was a tendency for sailors to ‘alternate between restraint while at sea and the opportunity for excess while on shore’.

Last year researchers at King’s published a study that looked at the drinking habits of all of the UK’s armed forces.



It uncovered a worrying culture of drinking and suggested that it was driven in part by isolation and boredom.

But they said it could also be fuelled by a need to bond with colleagues after intensive periods of duty or training. A sense of communal risk-taking and comradeship is thought to promote drinking as a way of bonding.

The Navy survey of 1,333 personnel found those most at risk were young, single, low-ranked sailors.

The results appear to show that efforts to curb heavy drinking, including alcohol-awareness days and penalties for staff who commit alcohol-related offences, have failed to tackle widespread abuse.

Defence Minister Kevan Jones said: ‘I’m well aware of the potential harmful effects of alcohol and there is no room for complacency.’

The Royal Navy’s history is awash with alcohol.



From as early as 1590, a sailor’s daily rations included a gallon of beer – and the further from home, the stronger the brew.

As the Navy ventured even further afield, easier-to-preserve spirits such as brandy or arrack – an Arabic spirit – became a common substitute.



After 1655, when Jamaica was captured, rum became popular, and it was officially issued from 1731, when a half a pint was deemed equal to a gallon of beer.

Jolly tars: Sailors enjoying a beer

Men were traditionally given a double ration after the strenuous task of repairing the mainbrace – a heavy part of a ship’s rigging – and the order ‘Splice the mainbrace’ ultimately became a euphemism for any issue of extra drink.



Double rations were often served before battles.

In 1850, the Admiralty’s Grog Committee found, unsurprisingly, that rum was linked to discipline problems, and in the following year decreased the ration to one eighth of a pint – still potent, given that the official proof of Navy rum was set at 94.5 per cent soon afterwards.

To combat drunkenness, the Admiralty also directed that no officer was to partake of liquor until the sun was over the fore yardarm.



Rum rations were abolished on July 31, 1970, known as ‘Black Tot Day’.