Did Pepsi Really Have The Sixth Largest Navy? #Shorts

Did Pepsi really have the sixth largest Navy?

Truly one of the most unique stories of the cold war, the soft drink empire of Pepsi really did have one of the largest navies in the world. Commonly referred to as ‘The Kitchen Debate’, Richard Nixon and Khrushchev would meet in Moscow to debate the benefits of their respective systems of governance. At the plea of the Pepsi CEO, Nixon would introduce Khrushchev to the delights of the sugary beverage. A love at first taste, Pepsi would be accepted as the first US company to ever sell in the USSR.
However, Pepsi would instead exchange their soft drinks for the hard liquor of Soviet Russia: Vodka. Unfortunately for the USSR, this vodka exchange would fall apart from the US boycott of Soviet products in 1980. Not willing to sacrifice their Pepsi addiction a new deal would be hatched. Agreed in 1989, the USSR would swap 17 submarines and 3 warships for Pepsi to maintain production. Though Pepsi Co quickly traded their navy fleet for scrap metal at insane profits, it was regularly joked they were dismantling the USSR faster than the US government.

#History #HistoryExplained #QuickHistory #HistoryShorts #HistoryShort #USgovernment #Russia #Soviet #Navy #TheKitchenDebate #Nixon #Krushchev #USSR #Pepsi #PepsiCo #PepsiNavy #Submarine #Warship

Many thanks to the following for the use of their images...

[matthewrudolph]

The reason they scrapped the ships was because most of them were inoperable but the scrap was still worth quite a lot. That was the whole deal.

[cringepog]

For those curious, no, the ships did not have half the weapons, they were old ones and waiting decommissioning anyway, and the size of the quote unquote "navy" was not even 10th largest

[Celtic_Blade]

The deal was always to scrap the ships and then pay Pepsi. They never sold the ships to Pepsi. So the answer is No.

[Infernoblade]

USSR: I'll give you many warships for your soda
PEPSI: YES

[mralpha]

Russians really just give rich ppl anything. "You vant nuclear submarine? 30 million."

[fkvncecuh]

At least the USSR was right about capitalism destroying communist life

[panzermensch]

Imagine working for the 32nd division of the Pepsi corps

[Heythebrodyboy]

Pepsi in a alternate universe: COCA COLA WHERE ARE YOU

[de]

As a metalworker, I do see how producing virgin steel is such a pain in the ass. The ore and the coke isnt all the same composition, they need to be dry too. You gotta sinter the mix into pellets, and then produce some really toxic CO gas without leaking it into the environment (supposedly). Then when you end up with brittle useless pig iron of unspecified carbon %, you gotta remove the excess carbon. Too much oxygen and you lose your yield. Too little oxygen, you dont reach the right composition. And you need enough slag forming stuff to remove impurities. And shape the molten steel to an appropriate size. Throughout the process, you gotta handle stuff at temperatures +/- 1500 degrees celcius (2700 degrees in r*tard units). You spend lots of energy and fuel to produce it. Put the environment and safety of workers at risk and discomfort.

To make steel from scrap, you just drop a few thousand amps into a vat of old steel and cast it into your slabs/billets. Still a giant feat of engineering, yet your headache is focused in one narrow avenue.

Please recycle folks. The world cant ever feed our wants, but it is enough to cover our needs

[EruseanPug]

pepsi pulling up on the coke offices with aircraft carriers:

[papermacheapple]

imagine having such a Chad tier drink that the USSR lets it be the first US-Made Product to sell there

[AnMComm]

IIRC, it was not to "continue production", but to provide a large amount of cola to the party higher ups during the Olympics.

[The_Wong]

They need a navy to protect the secret formula

[The_Flying_Comrade]

This is really incorrect it was proposed but it was instantly denied afterwards and the plan was to scrap it not to keep it and even if they did except it wouldn’t even be near to The sixth largest navy it would have 20 ships and that’s not large at all

[dantewilliams]

Literally just was talking to my neighbor about this today wtf

[Gary_Harlow]

And 17 subs and 3 warships wasn't even close to be in the top 30 of largest navies!

[gaiusjuliuscaesar]

They could have taken care of Coca-Cola that moment

[BisexualPlagueDoctor]

They should have kept one ship, it would be astounding marketing

[redtob]

randomly shows a british king george v class battleship from ww2

[garrettboltjes]

Unfortunately this exact exchange never happened and The thing is, the proposed deal for the Soviet flotilla never actually went through. Instead, a $3 billion agreement was reached that would’ve seen Soviet shipyards “build at least 10 commercial vessels for Pepsi that will then be sold or leased in the international markets. A spokesman for the Purchase, N.Y., soft drink maker and fast-food marketer said the ships will range in size from 28, 600 to 65, 000 tons.” And even if it did it would not give Pepsi the word’s 6 largest navy