This is typical of certificates awarded in the pre-WWII period. The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a line-crossing ceremony. Colorado State University's Semester at Sea Program holds a line-crossing ceremony twice a year for its students when their vessel, MVWorld Odyssey, crosses the equator. Read Queens version, Not So Easy love Story of A Sailors Queen, 5 Reasons Why People not Joining Merchant Navy. 10 Interesting Facts About Titanic Ship You Dont Know, Port Chaplain Tells His Experience of Meeting Seafarers, Why Sailor Wife is Called as Queen: Read This, A Sailor Queen Awaits His Arrival After An Extended Contract, Iamdatingasailor-Thesearethechangesinmylife, Spouse Onboard-is it a Good idea? When the ceremonies were first conducted, they were physically challenging and could even be painful or embarrassing to the Sailors. A Queen represents confidence and unconditional dedication towards her task. U.S. sailors and Marines participate in a line-crossing ceremony. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. [6], Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMSBeagle suggested the practice had developed from earlier ceremonies in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian vessels passing notable headlands. privacy policy. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the Equator. USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) UPDATE of 1973 CTL. Perhaps Neptunes approval doesnt depend on harassment. The coverage provoked widespread criticism, especially when the videotape showed some of the submarine's officers watching the entire proceedings from the conning tower. Get the latest news and updates emailed straight to your inbox. MO 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. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). Behind the pomp and grandeur of the event is a lot of history. A feast is prepared at night for dinner with thorough fanfare. At sea you are not woman or man, you are sailor. Youwill see old military footage from an actual King Neptune Ceremony. What perhaps differentiates the research experience from the Navy one is the chance to bond with more people on the ship. Pollywogs are then doused with water to symbolise a baptism and are duly admitted to the District of Equatorius as Trusty and Honourable Shellbacks and Sons of Neptune. 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. hVYoH+=#E Mclu"m*~Ks4/ mF[S,N8Z tpX#?H8Aao5Fh7FAc1!)o5Sq. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. I think that being able to participate in the rite of passage with another friendly navy is always an honor and it allows us to know each other better.". This part is the beginning of the ritual wherein they are stripped down to their underwear (or nothing!) Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. 2023 Atlas Obscura. DhD!D4n4I8P5>U`_FC.i`p8~xz_ep;MtBgCrf"FB:&t#W>V98}&I75(*^bqYe[A_xJ4k) Bx^c;.vT{c,kv8J>U_ Reflecting the popularity of tattoos among sailors, some people choose to get tattoos to mark that they have participated in a ceremony, such as an image of a shellback turtle or King Neptune. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. Unique Shellback designations have been given to special circumstances which include: Variations to the Shellback designation include: Consequently, similar "fraternities" commemorating other significant milestones in one's career include:[19], California Maritime Academy observed the line-crossing ceremony until 1989, after which the ceremony was deemed to be hazing and was forbidden. Equator-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. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. The Pollywogs (also referred to as landlubbers) must be dipped in water for the initiation and passing into the realm of the seas. Pollywogs received subpoenas after crossing the equator and were made to appear before King Neptune and his court. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line an old seafaring tradition. Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. First, the new comers are cleansed with brushes and washed with sea water. The scientist I spoke to was also proud of her line-crossing, describing it as really positive. But from her account, the experience seems to have been an inclusive, constructive one, fully compatible with what the Navy member called political correctness. Some rites have discussed a role reversal as follows, but this is not always a normal feature, and may be dependent on whether a small number of Shellbacks exist to conduct the initiation. (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 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. The ship's artist, Augustus Earle, made a sketch of the scene.[5]. Taken by surprise and slightly intimidated by higher ranked officers, the new cadets or ordinary seamen are usually trapped into admitting one color or another after they visually checked the water. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. I remember the shock I had as soon as I discovered that half of the Filipinos on board were gathered there, some of them dressed up like pirates with funny dresses, tattoos, wigs made up from cleaning mops and a whole arsenal of wooden weapons. There, they crawled down a gauntlet of Shellbacks on both sides of a long, heavy canvas runner, about 1012 meters. Lastly, the Pollywogs take a royal bath in a pool of sea water before being declared Shellbacks, after which they receive their certificates, which they can proudly hang on their wall at home. Once the ceremony is complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate[15] declaring his new status. Crossing The Equator - King Neptune Ceremony, This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. Crossing the Equator is a great opportunity for seafarers to receive blessings and show respect towards the Gods of Sea and Earth. It was also an initiation rite commemoratedthe first time a sailor crossed over. This said, the party doesnt end here! 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. Initiation rite for first crossing of the equator, Honors for line crossings and other navigational events. So we though lets compile one of those facts about titanic ship that probably you are unaware of. Anyhow, as people on board grow more and more connected with each other by sharing the same interests, leisure activities and hard work this kind of ceremony becomes less and less popular. (Photo: Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony. 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. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. This is likely because of the bad rap the ceremony has accrued over the years. 12 0 obj 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. Most prominently, ocean scientists are known to perform similar ceremonies. The Navy has spent decades trying to rein in on hazing; the line-crossing ceremony represents a great deal of this. The Pollywogs are put through some physical tests to be initiated into the ancient mysteries of the deep! Even commercial cruise lines have been known to host some parts of the ritual. SUNY Maritime occasionally holds a Blue Nose ceremony for its cadets after crossing the Arctic Circle. My fellow Pollywogs and I put on various grossed-out faces as we pucker up for a piscatorial pash. The reason behind this is to give the beginners a truth serum in order that they speak the absolute truth when they swear their allegiance to King Neptune and the sea! 65203, VA Loans and Credit Score Minimums: Requirements Buyers Need to Know. Crawling through long containers filled withrotten garbage. The first-time participants are known as pollywogs. In order to ensure that all the seafarers show their gratitude towards the mighty sea and receive the blessing from Neptune at the beginning of their career and not wait until they have the chance of crossing the Equator, more and more ceremonies are undergone for the first voyage at sea as well. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. 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. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the Equator. 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 fun staple of modern cruising, such ceremonies have a long maritime history and have been used for centuries as a morale booster on long voyages. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. Anything else the Shellbacks could think of. I remember going back to my cabin at 1200 hrs after completing some important deck work. The event often lasted two days and normally followed a standard transition. All Rights Reserved. The Equator Crossing Ceremony is an age-old tradition to commemorate a seafarer crossing the equator for the first time. The 1989 crossing was fairly typical, as it was not realized to be the last one. 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. This is how #EQUATOR_CROSSING_CEREMONY is celebrated onboard. %PDF-1.5 % After crossing the line, Pollywogs receive subpoenas[14] to appear before King Neptune and his court (usually including his first assistant Davy Jones and her Highness Amphitrite and often various dignitaries, who are all represented by the highest-ranking sailors who are Shellbacks), who officiate at the ceremony, which is often preceded by a beauty contest of men dressing up as women, each department of the ship being required to introduce one contestant in swimsuit drag. #ashmore #sailingships #tallships #youngadult #historicalfiction #truestory #captain #shipsurgeon #interactiveadventure #kiwiauthor #immigration #youngadultfiction #kingneptune #ceremony #crossingthequator #shellbacks #pollywoggers #sonsofneptune. 767 And yes, mostly I am welcomed on board. Required fields are marked *. WebEquator crossing certificate. It was also called crossing the line. It starts at night. (Photo:The Field Museum Library/flickr). About 9 am the next day, the novices or "griffins" were assembled in the darkness and heat of the lower deck, then one at a time were blindfolded and led up on deck by "four of Neptunes constables", as "buckets of water were thundered all around". "It is interesting to see how similar our maritime cultures are to one another. Anyone inducted is quick to say they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more detail. Naval History and Heritage Command. Your email address will not be published. Naval History and Heritage Command. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. May you always sail in safe seas and always find your way back home! There are other similar ceremonies for different locales including the Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the International Date Line, and others. VA disability pay for 2023 increased by 8.7%. ), largely for the entertainment of the Shellbacks. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today, the event is voluntary and is conducted more for entertainment purposes and morale boosting than anything else. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs. [3][4], In the Royal Canadian Navy, those who have not yet crossed the equator are nicknamed Tadpoles, or Dirty Tadpoles; an earlier nickname was griffins. 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 ceremony. NMLS ID #1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), #1 VA Lender: document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Another rare status is the Golden Shellback, a person who has crossed the Equator at the 180th meridian. What you should not forget. For the coming days, it is very easy to spot the sailors that have recently been through the ordeal, for their hair is either absolutely absent or styled as if rats had a feeding frenzy on them! [1] The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a "folly" sanctioned as a boost to morale,[2] or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long, rough voyages. WebThe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). From that moment on, they are no longer seen as outsiders, but they fully deserved to be included in the seafarers family. Equator Crossing or Baptism Ceremony-All About it. The glimmer in the eyes of those that have already experienced it, telling you to live every moment of it, for it is never to happen again, is priceless. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Paper Botanicals With Kate Croghan Alarcn, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown, Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi, Wonder Is Everywhere: Civil War Gold, a New Moai, and More From Around the Web, The Woman Preserving the Endangered Cuisine of Indian Jews, How a Lone Researcher Faced Down Millions of Army Ants on the March in Ecuador. USMC Golden shellback here, aboard the USS Denver, 1981 much more fun pitching than catching on Wog Day!!! "Major Combatant Ships Added to United States Fleet, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945", ibiblio.org. After the ceremony, the Sailors were inducted into the "Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep" meaning that King Neptune had accepted them as one of his trusty shellbacks. Help using this website - Accessibility statement, Luxury cruise offers a taste of the Succession lifestyle. and normally, dipped in the water gathered in the save-all tray! Then the heads are shaved in the most uneven manner possible (no historical reasoning for it, but personally judging, it is most likely to do with a purging process) and paint is applied at random all over the body (privates aside!). Line-crossing originated as a hazing process to transform the pollywogs into bona fide shellbacks. WebAlthough crossing the equator may seem like a routine event for any modern-day naval vessel, navies have celebrated the time-honored tradition for centuries. Columbia, Much like a wedding, one experiences the joy of it just once, thus becoming a spectator for the all the others to come! Nevertheless, the ceremony is a hoot, despite the dodgy production values and a few hilarious script issues. King, Ernest J., USN. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. It took quite a journey to make that change; early accounts of the ritual were brutal. Video of 1957 Coast Guard crossing ritual. My wife did hers on SS Acavus in 1980 when she sailed with me. Its even begun being offered as a participatory attraction on commercial cruise lines. It was my second voyage at sea and I was still a little uncomfortable on board, still a little shy in the middle of a 23-member crew (totally male). Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. It is a memory that is etched into each and every seafarer, for it is an event that ushers in a sense of belonging to ones profession. 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! WebCrossing The Equator (The Script of the Ceremony in HMCS Stettler 1957 February 26, 1957 at 106 East Longitude) (Name of original author not recorded 1957) Note to Reader: This is a typical script for a Crossing the Line ceremony. We still laugh about it to this day. 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. Maine 's commanding officer greets King Neptune and Royal Party at beginning of equator crossing ceremonies. 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. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Those who were not favored fared worse. If they had not, they must choose to give up their allowance of wine for four days, or undergo a ducking ceremony in which they were ducked three times into the ocean. As they approached the equator on the evening of 16 February 1832, a pseudo-Neptune hailed the ship. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. 14 0 obj King Neptune Ceremony This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. <> Then, they are offered a glass of red liquid a combination of sea water and spices which must be drunk thoroughly. There are still cases in which seafarers are put to difficult and embarrassing tests sometimes humiliating and even painful experiences in order to receive the blessing of a very unkind and unfair God.The ones who received the same harsh treatment years before are more likely to perform the same unkind ceremony on the new comers and the more humiliating the situation is the happier they are. hbbd```b``"ZA$Sd&0,4 ,FHXL*H(H2 2 Sailors and Marines from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Uruguay crossed the equator together aboard the USS New Orleans. Beside him is seated his wife, Queen Amphitrite and theyre both surrounded by a few more (including a Davy Jones impersonator) to replicate a royal proceeding. It was also an initiation rite commemoratedthe first time a sailor crossed over. '03aE,#M5fr0|\fs9_'_-Qrzm"\~+?NUzUwx_|],Lf,[~]lly_e)ETJJ Gz#. WebWelcome to Equator CrossingThe line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. For instance, the ship's captain might play the part of King Neptune himself. Following this aspect of the grand event, the sailors are tied together and marched forward to the anchor with the sound of a drum to coordinate movement. WebThis is a continuation of EQUATOR CROSSING CEREMONY PART 1. Seafarers may cross the Equator after many years of sailing both the North and South Hemispheres, but in different voyages as they can join a ship in the North and spend as much as nine months travelling the seas in the same part of the Equator, or they can do this in the South without the possibility of crossing the line by vessel. x]KsSjF r.Kq9r_t)RMH[f~F`j4z0R.wo,y?_6 zXw{^7'/Vu:l~|cW;F:yVR0cSEQl:6hQOZr:iusl B9Pn~-~u6= f{w}XYaKn)VSwA#/Ye6=~ui)f{jL??GOn2{ >y 7KOs!Oy4+,Cc[`_rXVe(soAyG:x[HT1J-aFn-gfEXU0)EJhSsfD~5c6 ^Ub2?\%"0s5nFM 6VNG1ymVMgi;THbV:XB"`/8v6h?4`"n@? 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. 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. However, most lenders have similar criteria. 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. 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. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. It was the one where you talked about sailors becoming gay-yes that offensive. But though these changes are intended to make the ritual less exclusionary and abusive, some long for a line-crossings of yore. This is typical of certificates awarded in the pre-WWII period. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition When a ship must cross the Equator reasonably close to one of these meridians, the ship's captain might plot a course across the Golden X so that the ship's crew can be initiated as Golden or Emerald/Royal Diamond Shellbacks. The Line Crossing Ceremony might just be the most interesting of today's naval traditions. Pollywogs or Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the line. #marinersgalaxy, A post shared by marinersgalaxy.com (@mariners_galaxy) on May 2, 2020 at 9:10am PDT, google.com, pub-5737237464543751, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0, My name is Oana and I come from Romania. NH 106226. Licensed in all 50 states. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. After we drank our glasses with that awful tasting liquid, we received our certificates together with everybodys congratulations and enjoyed a wonderful party thrown in our honor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The researcher I spoke to remembered how on her trip two scientists were already in the order of shellback, so they joined the rest of the crew to help facilitate the days events. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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 and It was also called crossing the line. 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. After we drank our glasses with that awful tasting liquid, we received our certificates together with everybodys congratulations and enjoyed a wonderful party thrown in our honor. Cast of characters during a Crossing the Line ceremony, DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. Next, the Pollywogs kneel before the King and kiss the royal baby's belly, which according to some accounts is covered in grease. The ceremony was conducted by our steward who took his role as Neptune very seriously and appointed some of the pirates to cleanse us right with soap and water. Made to kissan axle-greased Royal Babys Belly. The Golden Shellback was awarded to those who also crossed the equator and the International Date Line or 180th meridian, (where the world is divided between Eastern and Western Hemispheres) at the same time. Normally, it is at dinner that the highly esteemed Equator Crossing Certificate is handed out to seal the rituals authenticity forever. 1. realtor.com is hosting and helping to administer and promote the sweepstakes. Juan Pablo Rosato of the Argentine navy. As appalling as it may seem to shore folk, it is a tradition that makes a man out a fresh cadet or trainee seaman. 11 0 obj We newly elevated Shellbacks get a certificate to mark the occasion, just in case we ever have to prove we are trusty and honourable, rather than lowly, slimy and scum-sucking. I am one of the disappointed. (Photo: Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. 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.. Other people often show up, including a surgeon, a barber, people dressed as bears, and a judge. [citation needed] The Wogs are made very aware that it will be much harder on them if they do anything like this. The Wogs then ascended a ladder to the boat deck to slide down a makeshift chute into the baptism of messdeck leavings in sea water in an inflated liferaft back on the superstructure deck. (Photo:Lou Sander/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0). She recalled the innovative costumes and how almost everyone on the ship was involved. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 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