sea story or truth?

Was cleaning out a filing cabinet and came across the following text.
Feels like a see story to me but enjoyable all the same.

MAH

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The USS Princeton, a carrier of the Forrestal class, was carrying its
regular crew plus a heavy complement of reservists. The consumption of
water aboard ship was greater than the evaporators could keep pace
with. The executive officer. trying every means to curb consumption,
issued a conservation order which concluded with this reminder -----

The USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) as a combat vessel carried 48,600
gallons of fresh water for her crew of 475 men and officers. This was
sufficient to last for six months of sustained operations. The total
evaporators installed -- none.

On the following day the ship's newspaper dutifully published the order
and addded this historical footnote -----

On the 23rd of August 1879 the USS Constitution, carrying its regular
cargo set sail from Boston with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of
fresh water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder, and
79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission was to destroy and harass English
shipping. Making Jamaica on the 6th of October, she took on 826 pounds
of flour and 79,400 gallons of rum. Then she headed for the Azores.
Arriving there on the 12th of November, she prrovisioned with with 550
pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portugeuese wine.

On the 18th of November, she set sail for England. In the ensuing days,
she defeated five British men-of-war, captured and scuttled 12 English
merchantmen, salvaging only the rum. On the 7th of January, her powder
and shot were exhausted. Unarmed, she made a night raid up the Firth of
Tay. Her landing party captured a whiskey distillery and transferred
40,000 gallons aboard. Then she headed home.

The USS Constitution arrived at Boston on the 20th of February 1780,
with no cannon, no shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no whiskey, and
48,600 gallons of stagnant water.