Exacting Job Of Feeding The Royalist's 600 Men

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28314, 27 June 1957, Page 11

Exacting Job Of Feeding The Royalist's 600 Men

H.M.N.Z.S. ROYALIST, at Sea. Three chief petty officers in • this atomic-age warship have the unenviable job of feeding more than 600 officers and men—sufficient to make up a small town — and feeding them well at that. Seagoing men have enormous appetites, and the Navy see that those appetites are satisfied. The three key men are: Chief Petty Officers W. Hansen, of Auckland (chief baker), George Merrett, of Wellington (chief cook), and John Melling, of Wellington (chief victualler), writes a correspondent. With a butcher they handle huge quantities of food daily. Since there is confined freezing and general storage space in this gadget-jammed ship, there is a constant replacement of fresh meat, vegetables, milk and other perishables. More than 1800 meals are served daily, plus morning and afternoon tea. The ship’s company daily consumes: half a ton of potatoes; 1001 b of sugar; up to 251 b of tea; 3401 b _of bread, plus 600 bread rolls; iftdre than 6001 b of fresh or frozen meat; 342 eggs (daily average); 1001 b of bacon; 7201 b of fresh vegetables; 60 gallons of milk; dozens of cases of fresh fruit; 2601 b of fish.

In addition to these basic foods, the ship’s company ploughs through every month scores of bottles of sauces, hundreds of tins of jams, dozens of jars of fish paste, as well as sardines, jellies, honey and other dainties. Monday: Soup; curried beef, boiled rice, cabbage and carrots, boiled potatoes; apple pie and custard.

Saturday: Soup: cold meats, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes,

jacketed potatoes; blackberry and apple pie, sweet almond sauce. Sunday: Soup; pork chops and apple sauce, baked pumpkin, cauliflower and white sauce, baked and boiled potatoes; tinned apricots and mock cream. I Evening Meal For the evening meal (supper? as it is called) there are a variety: of hot and cold dishes which in-, elude hamburger steaks, pork brawn, meat pies, crumbed loin! chops, bacon and egg pie, mixed grill and cold tongue, with appro- 1 priate vegetables and salads, and a wide range of sweets. I The breakfast menus always include cereals, and there is a wide range of offerings like pork sausages, fried bacon and baked beans, kidneys, egg and bacon, fried fish and bacon and tomatoes. On Sundays the chief baker turns out special fancy cakes for everyone.

Chief Petty Officer Hansen, who was awarded the B.E.M. during the New Zealand waterfront strike some years ago (he was catering officer for the naval men who loaded and unloaded the ships), estimates that he has used! something like lm lb of flour, or I mofe than 400 tons, in 17J years baking in the Navy. Stores C.P.O. Melling transferred from the Royal Navy to the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1949. He was ready to return to England at the qnd of his term, and actually had his passage booked. But instead he married a Wellington girl, Peggy Instone, and signed on for another term with! the Navy. Due to retire in about two years he may become a farmer or a trainee-schoolteacher. He can afford to do this since he will retire on a generous pension which guarantees him a good income each week.