How Aircraft Carriers Prepare 17,000 Meals a Day

I served on a fast attack submarine in the 1980s during the Cold War. We typically took 90-100 sailors, sometimes more , to sea. Our cooks were phenomenal. They put out great meals every six hours, four times a day, 7 days a week without fail. They did it from a galley (kitchen) that was the size of a large walk-in closet. It would come out hot, delicious, served with fresh baked bread, and be delivered directly to the table. During one very long deployment we made the second longest run ever (at the time, at least) at nearly two months under the Arctic ice cap. Early in the mission due to a freon leak we lost our food freezers and all of the frozen meat and vegetables in them. For 44 days all we had were our canned and dry goods but we stayed on mission. The meat was SPAM served four times a day with each meal. The cooks found every imaginable way to cook it: SPAM Cordon Bleu, Spaghetti and SPAM balls, SPAM Cacciatore, SPAM Stroganoff, SPAM pizza, Country Fried SPAM, SPAM Omelets, etc. It certainly got tiring to have the same meat for a month and a half but the ingenuity of the cooks to find so many ways to present it spoke to their professionalism, dedication, and ingenuity, and eased what proved to be a very trying underway in harsh conditions fraught with more than a few challenges. Navy cooks are the best! (U.S.S. Ray, SSN-653)

Our grandson is a culinary specialist aboard the USS Gerald Ford. He loves to cook and bake!! And he stays very busy!! So proud of him!!

My youngest son (21) is on his way, he was sworn in yesterday! I've been watching all sorts of videos because the Navy is new to me....his older sister is Air Force and his younger brother is Army. The sheer volume of food they prepare everyday to feed all the women and men on those ships who are serving our country is mind blowing! I'm so thankful for all branches of the U.S. military and pray for the safety of all of our loved ones serving.

The sheer logistics of the US military are absolutely insane. One of the most underrated feats of civilization.

I was in the Navy for 6 years during the Viet Nam era and I can tell you the food was incredible, there was nothing to complain about. The holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving were outstanding and very special.

I never let anyone speak ill of a cook or chef in military. Their knowledge of the culinary arts is second to none.

As the saying goes, "Amateurs study strategies. Geniuses study logistics."

Former army guy. Good food is not only nourishing and supplies the calories, protein, and proper nutrition, but a full stomach is so important for morale. Even things like thr weather can he tolerated better on a full stomach. The cold isn't as cold.when your belly is full. You're not as likely to shiver or get the shakes when your tank is full. Your exhausted body jumps back up when a full hot meal goes down the pipe. Your fatigue is soon forgotten and you're popped up with something as simple as a good sandwich and a bowl of hot soup. But for an army guy, having a field kitchen making hot food means the supply line is going and things are alright. Having the field kitchen operating means the rear echelon is not attacked and supplies are coming through. Along with hot meals, the supply lines will bring you ammo and medicine and resupplies. That means the front is holding and making progress. A field kitchen tells the ground pounder a lot and mainly good messages. That means morale is going to he good.

We had a bake shop on my ship USS Dixie back in mid 70s ... those bakers were AMAZING I'd put them up against ANY bakery I could go to today. I worked nights and our shop was right above the bake shop. About 4 in the morning you'd begin smelling fresh baked caramel rolls, crescents, whatever .... thanks guys .... well done. PS ... you should have seen Thanksgiving on board ... I wish I could relive that ....does the Navy need a highly skilled 70 y o IT specialist?

The food is the least we can do as a country. Thank you both, those that prepare, and those that eat. We appreciate what you do, we are proud of you.

It's funny that the same amount of money per person is spent, regardless of the ship-type, yet I ate so much better on submarines than I did aboard a surface ship. It may be the difference in crew-size (a submarine has a crew of @120, while I served on a surface ship with 1500+), but the meals served aboard the tender were basic and thoughtless. Aboard the Subs I served on, we had "Surf and Turf" night every week, fresh Lumpia for MidRats (rolled by our Philippino Mess-Specialists every night during the movie), Steam-Ship Round roast during mid-patrol and many other treats. We did this, despite being on patrol for as long as 75 days underwater, with no resupply. Yes, fresh milk was gone by week 4, fresh eggs by week 8 and we have no memory of a garden salad, yet we enjoyed sumptuous meals for the duration of our missions. God Bless the Mess-Specialists and Mess-Cooks (I and everyone else got to be one for 45 days) on the boats I served on.

I was one of those cooks on the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66) in the late 70's. Unfortunately, the America was scuttled in 2005 to help design the Ford-Class carriers. It was VERY different back then. We didn't have the most updated equipment. In out bakery, our bread mixer was a 1932 Champion cement mixer. Everything was made from scratch, we didn't have the packaged food items where you simply put them into an oven. After about a week, fresh stores had already been consumed so we relied heavily on canned and/or dehydrated goods to prepare meals. I see the working hours has not changed much, we worked about 16 hours a day. It looks like the cooks are much more appreciated in today's Navy, and it's about time!

Kudos to all the culinary staff that keeps everyone well fed!! Huge thanks from a civilian for all the hard work it takes to keep everyone fed and happy!! Man that food looks amazing!! Money well spent!!

We don’t appreciate people like cooks, but they are essential

Thank you for the very informative and interesting video. It made me very hungry and although I know these brave men and women are putting their lives on the line they must enjoy those wonderful looking meals. Makes you want to join the Navy. But once again we must be grateful of those wonderful men and women who protect us every day. They deserve the best that is available.

I can tell you from experience that 95 percent of the time they didn’t carve roast beef for the enlisted. It was usally chillymac cornbread Mac and cheese, chicken and rice or potato over and over again. Pizza and burgers at Midrats .Breakfast was dehydrated egg’s sausage. That’s it after a mouth out you really on frozen and canned or dehydrated goods.

Desert Storm - Camped on the end of a pier in Al Jubail, SA for 3 weeks eating MRE's. I must have picked the wrong line to stand in. Finally got moved to a camp out in the desert where we had 1 hot meal per day. MRE's for breakfast and lunch. When we got back home 5 mos later, we had all lost a bunch of weight and were tanned super dark. I look back now many years later and smile. They really were good times. If I was 18 again, I would be back down at the Navy recruiter's office in a heartbeat.

I was USAF Japan in the 80s/90s. We had a Navy and AF chef run dining facility. I still think about how good the food was three times a day.

In 1972, my boy scout troop got to spend 3 days on the Guadalcanal, an aircraft carrier from WWII. The food was really good and very plentiful. My older brother got some personalized attention from the captain who, explained the role of helicopters in the daily operations and he was hooked. It was a great time. Thanks for the video.

I was a cook on CV 66 in the early 80s. I worked in the officers mess only...my best friend cooked for the Admiral onboard...we didn't call ourselves culinary specialists, just messman or cooks. Franky the best food onboard was not the officers or Admiral but the Chief petty officers mess... Christ they had the best rations.