How Aircraft Carriers Prepare 17,000 Meals A Day For 5,000 US Navy Sailors

How Aircraft Carriers Prepare 17,000 Meals A Day For 5,000 US Navy Sailors

With more than 5000 sailors aboard, over 17,000 meals have to be prepared each day on an aircraft carrier. Each ship has its culinary staff consisting of over 100 cooks and food experts to handle these mountainous amounts of food every day. It is impressive how the cooks manage to deliver the same standards of food in plenty of quantities every single day. How do they tackle this large-scale cooking during the time the ship is deployed?

The culinary specialists aboard an aircraft carrier prepare 17,000 meals a day - from breakfast to lunch, to dinner, and a midnight meal popularly referred to as "mid-rats" among sailors. These midnight rations are mainly for the night crew members who have a different food timetable - the midnight portions are what they have for lunch, they have breakfast for dinner, and dinner for breakfast. The mid-rats consist of leftovers from dinner and the addition of other food items to spice the meal up.

To ensure this quota of meals is met every day, the kitchen staff adheres to a strict 2-week food plan. The food aboard the ship must, in no circumstances
whatsoever, be used up, even though it is restocked at regular intervals.

It takes 1600 pounds of chicken, 350 pounds of lettuce, 20,000 cups of coffee, 160 gallons of milk, and 30 boxes of cereal to feed the 5000 Navy sailors aboard an aircraft carrier each day! The ship's cooks prepare meals in massive proportions to ensure they are available for other Naval officers on board almost 24 hours each day while carrying out other aspects of their culinary duties.

#usnavy #sailors #aircraftcarrier

[navymedia]

Have you ever been on an aircraft carrier?! Tell us about it! 😃

[wooddawg]

Food is food. When I was in the army in the field our Base commander insisted everyone ate the same thing and rank meant nothing. He only required separate staff meeting to business for officers that’s it. Our unit was faster and more rested because of it. The base commander also required every person regardless of rank work with the cooks on rotation to appreciate what they do.

[georgetuider]

I spent 32 years in uniform. I am eternally grateful to the men and women who fed me. I don't know how you did it morning noon and night. One thing I do know, I ALWAYS appreciated it! Thank you all so much!

[forrestcommander]

Carriers have a serious benefit of a 24 hour galley. I’m a small boy sailor, and our ship had extremely strict chow hours. My worst experience occurred when I got off watch, was getting in line for chow, then the unthinkable happened: “EMERGENCY UNDERWAY!”

I got off watch and had to wait another 7 hours to have a bite to eat

[jacobnyhart]

As a former US Navy sailor (fast attack submarine), we had the absolute best culinary staff in the world. They served 4 meals per day, and everything was always perfect (even when fresh stores ran out and they had to prep canned foods). The 2am checkout for cookies trade was the best. I hated that some people disrespected the cooks because "they were just cooks". They were more than "just cooks". They were friends, our lifeline to survival, and above all else, our shipmates.

[projektxent]

I was in the Army not Navy however I am extremely impressed on the logistics and organization our men and women have developed. Great video

[Fsudryden]

My Grandfather and Father in Law both served as Navy cooks. Without Navy cooks the sailors wouldn't have the energy to make the ships run. Thank you.

[ourv]

During Viet Nam, My carrier served 4 meals a day. Breakfast, Lunch, Supper & at 11pm
they set out box lunches & whatever the bakery had leftover from that days baking.
The 11pm meal was first & foremost for the watch crew, but, they always put out WAY
more box lunches than was needed & all hands knew it too. So, anyone who was still up
in their sleeping compartment reading, writing or watching tv, they could & would come
down to the mess deck and get a late night snack and take it back to their compartment.
Yeah, the Navy saw to it we all were well fed.

!

[cheagle]

I started out doing fast food in high school, went to even volunteering for mess duty in Marine Corps and cooking in the chiefs mess on board LPH-3 and National Guard. Ended up running kitchens in nursing homes, buffet restaurants and half-way houses. Can't imagine any other career so much fun and rewarding.

[MetalsirenIXI]

The amount of engineering, science, logistics involved feeding 17, 000 meals per day out at sea is incredible.

[chrisi]

I am from Germany and I am so impressed. Thank you guys for feeding these heroes. And thank you for being a friend of Europe and the Nato.

[MrMurda]

Seeing my commander and first sergeant eat the same food we did AND be the last two in the chow line was always a sign of camaraderie and respect to me. Hot meals bring all people together regardless of rank.

[gregvetter]

Never served in the Navy. I was an Army guy.
I did, however, work 4 years in Alaska on the oil platforms (Cook inlet).
Let me tell you, those on-board chefs and bakers kept our crews well fed.
Hats off to them and the men and women feeding the armed forces.
Peace!

[carlosfrontera]

These are the kind of cooks I salute at any given time. Cooking 170 meals per day, per cook, that is one hell of a cook, respect to all of you cooking aboard a U.S. Aircraft Carrier.

[georgetunstill]

My dad was a military cook when he was in the Army. I think even he will be amazed at what the preparation and effort those Navy cooks go through to feed the entire crew of an aircraft carrier. My hats off to them.

[bigdaddychacha]

Incredibly impressive. It almost hurts the brain to think of the amount of space, coordination, timing, organization, and skill needed to consistently and nutritiously feed that number of people in that kind of space. Fascinating to get an inside look at it.

[CelestialStar]

I have two sons in the navy. One of them is a culinary specialist. I enjoyed watching this video. I now have a better understanding of what he does.

[doodskie]

Man, without these guys, our soldiers would go nowhere nor have the energy or motivation. Cooks are the real heroes that don't get enough credit.

[robertortiz]

These men and women deserve nothing but the best, thank you all who have served and those who will

[greybush]

I served for 20 years in the Navy as a MS/CS. I have cooked for the crew & the officers as well as the CO. It was a wonderful journey and I miss it very much! God bless our cooks and troops.