According to the Sunday Mirror:
Six hundred sailors have gathered to toast the birth of Prince George in a tradition dating back hundreds of years.
The Royal Navy personnel gathered at Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, to “splice the mainbrace” – a celebration involving drinking a tot of rum.
Splicing the mainbrace…refers to fixing the main brace of a sail…. Such a repair was strenuous work and it was customary for sailors carrying out the task to be rewarded with an extra ration of rum.
Nowadays the order to “‘splice the mainbrace” is issued to mark special occasions….
To read the entire article in the Sunday Mirror, please click here.
An aerial port quarter view of the British aircraft carrier HMS INVINCIBLE (R-05) underway during the NATO exercise Display Determination ’91
