"Splice the Main Brace!"

HMS Somerset's Executive Warrant Officer with a few of the empties...

"The lad with the look of sheer anticipation is one of my baby Stokers - bet that put hair on his chest." Commander Burns, Commanding Officer, HMS Somerset

Ships from over 36 of the world's navies took part in the International Fleet Review in England on 28 June 2005 at the invitation of the Royal Navy.

A unique range of sea vessels - everything from romantic tall ships of yesteryear to powerful warships of today - filled the waters of the eastern Solent. Aircraft and helicopters took part in thrilling flypasts. Merchant ships, racing and cruising yachts, fishing boats and family and work-boats were also there - a dramatic reminder of the importance of the sea in our lives.

Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy, Her Majesty the Queen, sent the following message to the Royal Navy and to the Flag and Commanding Officers of Commonwealth ships assembled at Spithead or the International Fleet Review.

"It gave me great pleasure to review the International Fleet assembled today at Spithead to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Admiral Lord Nelson and to witness the maritime flypast.

"I was most impressed by the array of vessels and aircraft from the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the many nations which took part. This review reflects the true spirit of cooperation which exists between maritime nations and is a fitting symbol of the enduring legacy of the spirit of Nelson.

"To those of you who have participated in this memorable event, and to all who continue to contribute to and support the many demanding operations around the world, the Duke of Edinburgh and I send our best wishes and thanks.

"Splice the main Brace."

And hence Pusser's Rum, the original Navy rum, was broken out from Royal Naval ships' stores throughout the world to "Splice the Mainbrace". HMS Somerset, in Crete, was one of those ships. "We got through quite a bit of rum on the day, and very nicely it went down too, thank you," said HMS Somerset's commanding officer, David Burns. Pictured above is Somerset's Executive Warrant Officer with a few of the empties...

The term "Splice the Main Brace" dates back to the days when the great sailing ships were propelled only by the wind in their sails which were attached to spars called yards. The lines to trim the sails were called braces and ran from the ends of the yards to the deck. The main brace was the largest and heaviest of all the rigging being up to 20" diameter on the big ships. To splice it was one of the most difficult tasks on board ship.

Sometimes in the heat of battle, the braces were shot away making the ship unmanageable. To those that "Spliced the Main Brace"! went a double issue of rum. It became customary to always "Splice the Main Brace" before battle, always after victory, and to reward a ship's crew, or sometimes the entire fleet, with the order to "Splice the Main Brace!" which meant a double issue of rum for a job well. The ritual was always preceded by hoisting the flag signal to "Splice the Main Brace!" In recent times, to say to a friend, "Let's 'Splice the Main Brace'!" is akin to saying "Let 's have a drink!".

Pusser's continues to maintain strong links with the Royal Navy. When the Royal Navy finally terminated the daily rum ration to serving sailors in July, 1970, it was decided that the money saved would be used to set up a fund to provide amenities for serving personnel. The Royal Navy Sailors' Fund, as it was called, quickly became known as the Tot Fund, and when Pusser's Rum began to produce the authentic Navy blend in 1979, chairman Charles Tobias promised that a donation would be made to the Tot Fund in perpetuity for every bottle sold worldwide.

Twenty five years later, Pusser's has contributed some GBP750,000 to the fund, and the company is now the largest single contributor to the fund outside of the original bequest.