SPECIAL STOWAGE OF SHIP'S STORE STOCK
Certain items of ship's store stock are highly perishable in nature and, therefore, proper stowage techniques are important. You have already learned that the oldest stock on hand must be issued first, unless the newer stock was manufactured before the stock already in the storeroom. Perishable items should be inspected frequently for signs of damage, spoilage, insect infestation, or rodent contamination. If hot pipes, such as steam lines, are present in your stowage space, you should make sure they are insulated properly to prevent heat transfer to stowed food items. A high stowage temperature is always bad for perishable items. High temperatures increase the risk of bacterial growth, and insect infestation is particularly dangerous when accompanied by high humidity. When high humidity is present, chemical action is accelerated; food acids naturally present within cans become activated resulting in pinholing, blackening of contents, and swelling of cans. In the following section, we discuss specific ways you can prevent damage and personnel hazards from happening when stowing specific items. Although laundry and dry-cleaning chemicals require special considerations, they are not discussed in this section because they are discussed in later chapters.

Flammable Ship's Store Stock
Any ship's store stock that has a closed cup flash point of 200 F or less is classified as flammable stock. These authorized items of ship's store stock are listed in the NAVSUP P-487, par. 6008. The flash point of a liquid can be defined as the lowest temperature at which its vapor forms an ignitable mixture within the air. The flash point measures the risk of combustion when the liquid escapes its packaging. Do not confuse the flash point with the combustion temperature which is when the liquid will actually burn. As long as the temperature remains below the flash point, there is no potential danger of a liquid burning.

The following precautions are taken to minimize the hazards of handling flammable ship's store stock:

. Carefully estimate needs to prevent overstocking of flammable items. Limit retail store quantities to 3 days of anticipated sales.

. Once you receive flammable ship's store stock, check it for condition, correct identification, and proper marking/ labeling.
. Do not concentrate flammable items in the store; stow remaining stocks in a flammable liquid storeroom or other protected space.
. Identify flammable stock on the Stock Record, NAVSUP Form 464.
. Periodically inspect flammable stock in the store and in the storeroom for leakage.
. Post NO SMOKING signs and make sure good housekeeping practices are strictly followed in areas containing flammable stock.
Clothing
Dunnage or deck gratings must be used to keep clothing cases off the deck and away from bulkheads since moisture caused by sweating can be absorbed by the cases and result in stains and mildew on the clothing. Clothing should be stowed in a systematic manner; that is, arranged according to stock number and by sizes of articles. When preparing for inventory you will save time in getting the stock ready for counting. Remember to always put the new stock in back of the old stock, so that you can follow the first in, first out rule when issuing material. Clothing stock, such as gold braids, buttons, cap devices, insignia, and so forth, must be wrapped individually in nontarnishing paper and not held together by rubber bands. Rubber bands and certain types of wrapping paper contain sulfur that tarnishes gilt or gold articles, especially braid and thread. Always be careful when handling white articles because they stain so easily. Any clothing items made with rubber should be kept clear of heat. Frequently you must inspect your storeroom where clothing items are stowed for dampness and the presence of moths.

Food Products and Snack Bar Items
The proper stowage of food products and snack bar items is essential if you are going to give the customer a fresh product. Food products should be stowed at 70 F. Cookies or crackers must be stowed in a well-ventilated space because they will rapidly deteriorate and become stale and musty when the humidity is greater than 75 percent.

Light can cause deterioration to snack bar supplies bottled in glass containers. The cases holding these glass containers should not be opened until ready for use or sale. High temperatures are also the chief cause of accelerated spoilage in snack bar canned foods and toppings and can speed up the pinholing action caused by the acid in canned citrus fruit juices. All snack bar supplies except cups, dishes, and spoons should be stowed in a cool, dry space.

Candy
Candy is included under the confections category aboard ship. Candy will keep reasonably well when it is stowed in a dry space and air freely circulates around the cases. If the air circulation is improper, hot spots may develop and cause the product to deteriorate. Never stack cases of candy over 8 feet high because the pressure and weight will damage the product in the lowercase. Never stow candy with other ship's store stock such as dry goods protected with camphor, detergents, or other products, or the candy will spoil. Candies can also be spoiled by high temperature and humidity. Chocolates should be stowed and displayed at 60 to 65 F with a relative humidity of 50 percent. If chocolates are stowed above 70 F, the cocoa butter will melt and rise to the surface of the candy causing a condition referred to as white bloom. Although it is still edible, it looks bad and will hurt sales. Nonchocolate candies are affected more by high humidity than temperature. High humidity will change the taste of nonchocolates. With items such as marshmallows, nougat, and fudge it is just the opposite, if the humidity is less than 40 percent, these types of items will dry out. Other nonchocolates such as jellies, caramels, and hard candies will become sticky when the relative humidity is over 60 percent.

Film
Film should be stowed in a cool, well-ven-tilated space since it deteriorates rapidly in high heat and humidity. Film stocks must be rotated and issued according to the expiration date printed on the package by the manufacturer. Cut film and sensitized photographic paper should be stowed on edge to prevent them from sticking together.

Tobacco
To keep tobacco products from becoming stale and musty, they should be stowed in a dry, well-ventilated space. Cigarettes should be stowed in a cool place at 70 to 75 F with a relative humidity of 60 percent. Cigars and tobacco require dry stowage of about 60 F.

Canned Drinks
Canned drinks can last for quite a while if they are stowed properly. First, always cross stock sodas to keep the stack solid. Second, do not stack canned drinks too high or bursting and crushing can occur to the lower layers. Third, do not stack canned drinks too close to steam or heated pipes. Fourth, stow canned drinks on pallets or deck gratings secured with battens. This will not only provide good air circulation around the stacks, but will prevent the stacks from falling and becoming damaged while the ship is underway. Canned drinks must also be properly rotated so the customer purchases a fresh product. You must frequently inspect canned drinks and remove any leaking or wet cans from the pallet to prevent secondary damage. Secondary damage occurs when you leave damaged or leaking cases in a stack of canned drinks. If they are not removed, these cases will cause the cardboard, plastic wrap, and cans below or adjacent to the damaged cases to become wet and sticky for long periods of time. This wetness is sometimes not seen from the outside of the pallet and corrosion will take place. The outside of good cans deteriorates and begins to pinhole and leak. Secondary damage can destroy an entire pallet if the damage is not corrected promptly.