This part is the beginning of the ritual wherein they are stripped down to their underwear (or nothing!) As is with all cadets, sleep is the all-engulfing element that overpowers the necessity to change ones boiler suit and go in for a shower! 14 0 obj When the ceremonies were first conducted, they were physically challenging and could even be painful or embarrassing to the Sailors. Download image. Heinous as the accusations are, no one seems too concerned until the royal handmaidens bring out the fish. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. A Neptune party to celebrate crossing the equator, 1923. For instance, blackface was a common element of it before World War II, but once integration hit the military that part stopped. NH 106226. We still laugh about it to this day. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. After the show, Pollywogs receive a subpoena from Davy Jones to stand before the court the next day and answer to charges brought against them by the Shellbacks. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. The ship's artist, Augustus Earle, made a sketch of the scene.[5]. [citation needed]. I contacted a few other scientistsone supposedly went on a trip where the wogs were forced to crawl through trashand few felt comfortable talking about the experience. Prior to writing for Veterans United Network, David served in the United States Air Force and spent 7 months in Afghanistan as a Logistics Officer and Brigade Engineering Officer with the Army National Guard. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. WebEquator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are common in the Navy and are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. Equator Crossing or Baptism Ceremony Showing gratitude towards the sea and its masters may come in the form of a whispering pray behind the four walls of your cabin, but it sometimes requires a loud shout and a real ceremony which must be attended by everybody else on board. A feast is prepared at night for dinner with thorough fanfare. Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. % Some people may find this a silly game, but seafarers know for certain that receiving the blessing from the God of the Sea is always an honor and must be regarded as such.Equator Crossing ceremony is just a humble way of recognizing Neptune as Master of the Seas and all the seafarers who receive Neptunes permission to sail his waters have to be celebrated and congratulated by all the crew on board. Read about: Joining Ship? USMC Golden shellback here, aboard the USS Denver, 1981 much more fun pitching than catching on Wog Day!!! The scepter is laid forth to mark this moment of truth. Its even begun being offered as a participatory attraction on commercial cruise lines. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. Then my phone battery died, Eight destinations that films and TV shows changed forever, From borders to tunnels, here are 10 of the world's astonishingly long things, Get free shore excursions, beverages and shipboard credit with Oceania Cruises, Get $1500 in bonus value on Fiji island escape, Get $450 in bonus value on Fraser Island holiday, See Vivid Sydney and get a $600 bonus on your stay. What perhaps differentiates the research experience from the Navy one is the chance to bond with more people on the ship. It was designed to test the novices in the crew to see whether they could endure their first cruise at sea, senior chief aviation boatswains mate Bernard Dizontold the Navys press office. It was also an initiation rite commemoratedthe first time a sailor crossed over. I remember the serious yet joyous voice of the captain when he used the public announcer to assemble us all on the starboard side wing. "Major Combatant Ships Added to United States Fleet, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945", ibiblio.org. On the other hand, the ceremonys goal is to ensure that the new comers are capable of facing and handling rough seas and are ready to be called sailors. US Navy at War 1941-1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy. Pollywogs or Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the line. However, most lenders have similar criteria. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. %PDF-1.5 % No purchase necessary. It is these little gems that bind us seafarers together in work and spirit and give us the inner strength to carry forward inspire rough seas and long periods away from home. The rarest Shellback status is that of the Emerald Shellback (US), or Royal Diamond Shellback (Commonwealth), which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian,[16] near the Null Island weather buoy. ae. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. The tradition began with the Navy over 400 years ago, says anthropology and sociology professor Carie Little Hersh in her 2002 paper Crossing the Line: Sex, Power, Justice, and the U.S. Navy at the Equator. Given its long history, the ritual has changed over the years, but it remains a well-knownalbeit sometimes controversiallinchpin of Naval culture. He actually told me that he had never agreed to humiliating or painful trials for the new comers because the strength of a real seafarer stays in his heart, his wisdom and his kindness and these qualities can not be tested through silly, humiliating or painful ordeals.. WebEquator crossing certificate. I had my baptism ceremony nine years ago, in the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean, somewhere North of the Seychelles Islands, while heading towards the West Coast of Australia. endstream endobj startxref Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. "?HF]y@O?&jL _ One by one, all the older and more experienced seafarers take their turn in congratulating the newly anointed sailors, glasses are raised in their honor and even a party can be thrown to emphasize the event. He actually told me that he had never agreed to humiliating or painful trials for the new comers because the strength of a real seafarer stays in his heart, his wisdom and his kindness and these qualities can not be tested through silly, humiliating or painful ordeals. The Equator Crossing Ceremony is an age-old tradition to commemorate a seafarer crossing the equator for the first time. King Neptune is said to be the ruler of the seas and this entire shindig is orchestrated to appease the King by showing Him respect, to keep a sailor away from the perils of the sea and to bring good luck. Juan Pablo Rosato of the Argentine navy. Credit score requirements vary by lender. Retrieved June 7, 2017. The first "griffin" was Charles Darwin, who noted in his diary how he "was then placed on a plank, which could be easily tilted up into a large bath of water. It looks like a trout, but the bloke who goes in for the full tongue action is definitely a groper. <> [10], U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt described his crossing-the-line ceremony aboard the "Happy Ship" USSIndianapolis with his "Jolly Companions" in a letter to his wife Eleanor Roosevelt on 26 November 1936. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. It is very seldom to find an age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto at shore. 2023 New Year, New Home $75K Veteran Homebuyer Giveaway, the Sirens and Sea Monsters of the Odyssey, Check if you meet the official VA loan requirements, Department of Veterans Affairs Lender Statistics, Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Directory. The Shellbacks plan the coming festivities, but they also spend the entire month taunting the Pollywogs until a mock mutiny is staged by them on the day before the Equator crossing Pollywog Day. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. The Greenwich Meridian didn't become the International standard until 1884, two years after the Ashmore crossed the equator. Many naval traditions, from the Sirens and Sea Monsters of the Odyssey to the boatswain's call, date back hundreds and even thousands of years. hb```>VB eaX;f8L/```b^22jtsVP 6z k$}`+9Vxyo Nk1TO4# }/$ I am one of the disappointed. Let's look at the minimum credit score for a VA loan and what lenders typically expect. This having completed, an entire round of the shop is taken to commemorate the event altogether. She recalled the innovative costumes and how almost everyone on the ship was involved. )\gXpj 4_M\ ot%H8#,}u{ XXej4nM+#I endobj Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. It starts at night. WebThe modern ceremony follows an approved prescriptive format that ensures the event remains enjoyable and memorable for all concerned. Get the latest news and updates emailed straight to your inbox. Perhaps Neptunes approval doesnt depend on harassment. SMH! There were pageants where wogs were forced to crossdress in front of their superiors, and then spend the rest of their day performing often degrading tasks. The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. (Photo: The Rise and Fall of Cruisingforsex.com, a Digital Atlas of Casual Encounters, AO Video Investigation: Movie Worms Ranked By Size, Morlocks, CHUDS and Graboids: A Bestiary of Fictional Subterranea. It is a ceremony which has its roots centuries ago when the first adventurous discoverers started their quest for the unknown seas in all four corners of our planet, taking untraveled routes and praying for Gods to bring fair winds, good captures to take back home and pirate free waters. The Iron Shellback are those on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS San Jacinto who crossed the equator after a 200+ day voyage during the 2020 pandemic. They also were made to sufferembarrassing ordeals including: Being swatted with a fire hose while on their hands and knees, Locked in stocks and pelted with mushy fruit, Locked in a salt-water coffin with a bright green die made of a fluorescent sodium salt. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have well-established line-crossing rituals. Church, Andrew. According to old tradition, all those crossing the equator for the first time, must be baptized and thus made an able-bodied seaman. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. What proceeds is a day of festivities, which builds camaraderie among the seafaring crew. There are other similar ceremonies for different locales including the Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the International Date Line, and others. WebThis is a continuation of EQUATOR CROSSING CEREMONY PART 1. The Pollywogs (also referred to as landlubbers) must be dipped in water for the initiation and passing into the realm of the seas. Officers rebelled and did it anyway, which ultimately led to court martials. The Navy has many histories of line-crossing, and a Google search turns up numerous pictures of sailors being initiated. ", "List of Unofficial U.S. Navy Certificates", "The Short Snorter Project - Harry F. Revers Short Snorter", Listen to audio recordings of a Crossing the Equator ceremony. This is likely because of the bad rap the ceremony has accrued over the years. Hersh mentioned how the ceremony morphed as more people entered the Navy. The custom of crossing the line was immediately adopted following the formation of the Royal Australian Navy, as seen here onboard HMAS Australia (I) in 1913. Although crossing the equator may seem like a routine event for any modern-day naval vessel, navies have celebrated the time-honored tradition for centuries. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). Professor Hersh described the proceedings of the ritual to me as an inversion. While you are going through the ritual, she explained, you are constantly submissive. In her paper she points to some examples where men were made to perform simulated sexual acts. The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. [citation needed]. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). One of the men onboard are made to dress up as King Neptune, with the Trident scepter in hand and a crown for the glorious head! Myriad approaches to conducting the ceremony will yield myriad accounts. Because I know with a smile and a handshake [], A Queen is no ordinary woman. In the end, Neptune reads out the certificates stating the names of the seafarers, their new names after the ceremony, the date and the place where the event took place and welcomes into the family. Offer subject to change without notice. 227 0 obj <>stream Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. Over the history of researchers hitting the high seas to acquire water samples and observe marine life, there are multiple accounts of ceremonies performed when the ships hit the Equator. Shilavadra Bhattacharjee is a shipbroker with a background in commercial operations after having sailed onboard as a Third Officer. As the cruise ship Voyager of the Seas nears the equator, excitement mounts and all Pollywogs those who have never crossed the line are encouraged to register for the crossing the equator Slimy (the traditional adjective) Pollywogs are led out for their hazing in front of King Neptune, and his assistant reads the charges. But their businessis for me no problem. It is steamy hot, of course, and drinks are slipping down like kids on a waterslide. DhD!D4n4I8P5>U`_FC.i`p8~xz_ep;MtBgCrf"FB:&t#W>V98}&I75(*^bqYe[A_xJ4k) Bx^c;.vT{c,kv8J>U_ It took quite a journey to make that change; early accounts of the ritual were brutal. Using a speaking trumpet he questioned Neptune, who would visit them the next morning. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. [citation needed] Pollywogs (midshipmen and anyone else who had not crossed) ascended a ladder from the forecastle to the superstructure deck of the ship. The older and more experienced sailors were always so happy to perform the most outrageous tricks and games on the new comers that they sometimes crossed the limits of entertainment and brought the game to a dangerous and even deadly point. The ceremony observes a mariner's transformation from slimy Pollywog, a seaman who hasn't crossed the equator, to trusty Shellback, also called a Son or Daughter of Neptune. Nowadays, the most common ceremonies always include at least two members of the crew willing to conduct the show, the fire hoses ready to splash, glasses of miraculous drinks, baptism certificates, a noisy and supportive crowd and a well deserved party afterwards. The ceremony is carefully orchestrated by the ship's officers, with some sailors reporting the events to be lackluster due to the removal of the rites of initiation. 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