economie

How the US Navy’s ice cream ships boosted morale aboard warships during World War II

July 4, 20240
A propaganda poster designed during World War II features a battleship next to icons of supplies needed by crews on board, including 60,000 quarts of ice cream.

National Archives Catalog

In 1941, the US government declared ice cream a nonessential food as part of rationing efforts ahead of World War II.

The International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers and the National Dairy Council launched an intense campaign to reverse the decision, publishing propaganda posters emphasizing the “health” benefits ice cream could offer US troops.

“There’s a reason the US Navy serves ice cream,” a 1944 ad by the National Dairy Council read. “America’s favorite dairy food — ice cream — is an important source of vitamins, proteins and minerals.”

The ad goes on to cite the work of subsistence researchers in Chicago, who approve foods served by the Navy.

“That is why it is significant that ice cream ranks so high on Navy menus,” the ad read. “It is not only a favorite food, but it also supplies valuable vitamins, proteins, and minerals. For that reason, wherever practical, the Navy gets ice cream!”

Meanwhile, civilians at the homefront faced ice cream shortages amid the rationing of sugar and milk. However, organizations framed the ice cream scarcity back home as a sacrifice for the well-being of US troops.

“Ice cream is a favorite with all branches of our armed forces — and it is important that they get this valuable food,” according to the ad. “So if you aren’t always able to get all the ice cream you want — remember, you’re ‘sharing’ this nutritious food with our fighters.”

Aiding the recovery of sick troops
Sailors gather around a soda fountain and ice cream parlor aboard the light cruiser USS Brooklyn.

US Naval History and Heritage Command

As time went on, ice cream operations at sea began to more closely resemble experiences back home.

The first-in-class super-dreadnought battleship USS Pennsylvania had its own maritime ice cream parlor, featuring a soda fountain and tiled walls decorated with images of famous ships, according to the US Naval Institute.

The Navy also installed a brand-new soda fountain aboard the Omaha-class light cruiser USS Memphis, which cost $7,000 — about $130,000 in 2024.

A frozen treat before abandoning ship
Navy sailors are seen enjoying ice cream aboard a tender while their submarine gets serviced.

US Naval Institute Photo Archive

Even if their vessel didn’t have a gedunk bar on board, sailors could still enjoy the sweet treat while serving in the European theater of WWII.

Crews aboard the destroyer tender USS Melville carried out several duties while servicing Navy vessels in both world wars. The Melville rearmed tank landing ships, transported and installed new equipment, replaced anchors and ship propellers, and repaired boat davits on amphibious landing craft known as Higgins boats.

When it wasn’t assisting the US Navy’s fleet, the Melville also gave respite to weary sailors with luxuries they didn’t have access to at sea.

“After the first flush of the invasion, a steady stream of LSTs pulled alongside the Melville for check-ups and repairs,” according to a 1945 edition of the US Navy’s All Hands bulletin, “and it was then that the crews availed themselves of the luxury of the tender’s soda fountain, barber shop, tailor shop, and laundry.”

Crewmen assigned to tank landing ships dubbed the Melville the “Ice Cream Ship” of the European invasion, according to the bulletin.

‘A touch of home’
A sailor aboard a refrigerated barge delivers gallons of ice cream to another ship at sea.

Official US Navy Photograph published in All Hands Magazine/CAP History Library/Scribd

The Navy’s commitment to bring ice cream to sailors serving in the Pacific also benefited the struggling ice cream industry amid wartime rationing and ingredient shortages.

The US government awarded contracts to ice cream businesses like Carvel and Howard Johnson’s to provide it in commissaries at military installations and defense plants, according to “World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia,” by William H. Young and Nancy K. Young.

“The armed forces, wherever their location, had ice cream to soothe both the palate and nerves,” they wrote.

The ice cream industry boomed as companies capitalized on its popularity in the postwar era, experimenting with new flavors and ways to serve the delicious frozen treat.