The rich tradition of the Crossing the Line ceremonies often involved varied events throughout which pollywogs, the term given to those who have not crossed the equator before, were put through a series of initiation rites involving harrowing and often embarrassing tasks, gags, obstacles, physical hardships, and generally good-humored mischief. King Neptune goes to make an earnest speech and accepts the ushering of the sailor into the sea under the auspice of Her Majesty! But it was also authorised by Captains to entertain the passengers on merchant ships like the Ashmore. 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. They then lathered my face & mouth with pitch and paint, & scraped some of it off with a piece of roughened iron hoop. Normally theres some separation between these groups, but during the line-crossing ceremony everyone is involved, be they scientist or crew. Officers rebelled and did it anyway, which ultimately led to court martials. ;x.T`f\%e:pJ+*n h= The most common joke played on younger members of the crew on the day of their first voyage ceremonyis the task of throwing a bucket full of water on the windward. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line an old seafaring tradition. 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. 18, Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition Cadets crawled through a tunnel with lo mein, or "Eel Spawn", and then had food put in their hair before crawling through the fantail while being sprayed by fire hoses. SMH! All-Time Lows: According to interest rates published on July 31, 2020, on FreddieMac.com. For instance, the ship's captain might play the part of King Neptune himself. NH 106226. The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. endobj Church, Andrew. Much like a wedding, one experiences the joy of it just once, thus becoming a spectator for the all the others to come! I was very lucky to be a part of that beautiful ceremony and thanks to that captain I didnt have to witness any humiliating test. When the ceremony is organized and supervised by intelligent and kind persons regardless of age, rank or nationality the event takes the form of a happy celebration in which all the crew has a great time. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. US Navy at War 1941-1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy. This having completed, an entire round of the shop is taken to commemorate the event altogether. Myriad approaches to conducting the ceremony will yield myriad accounts. 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. But their businessis for me no problem. All Rights Reserved. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs. 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. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. Normally, it is at dinner that the highly esteemed Equator Crossing Certificate is handed out to seal the rituals authenticity forever. xWMo0W$NHP3lK[miP2c'g=VB"=d3q3oLP\.X~bSFK WebThe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. Read my comment again Eric. endobj They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Crossing the Line, Plank Owner, and Other Unofficial Certificates Acquired by Naval Personnel, Precedence of the Naval Reserve in Parades, Passing Honors, National Anniversaries, and Solemnities, Rocks and Shoals: Articles for the Government of the U.S. Navy, The Evolution of Ship Naming in the U.S. Navy, http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75241, Captain Arleigh Burke's Crossing the Line Certificate Aboard USS, Shellback Certificate for Lt. Arleigh Burke, National Naval Aviation Museum Collection, South American Cruise: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Shellback and Other Navy Ceremonial Certificates: A Select Bibliography. 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 [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. and normally, dipped in the water gathered in the save-all tray! ), largely for the entertainment of the Shellbacks. FitzRoy quoted Otto von Kotzebue's 1830 description in his 1839 Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle between the Years 1826 and 1836. 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. VA disability pay for 2023 increased by 8.7%. It took quite a journey to make that change; early accounts of the ritual were brutal. 12 0 obj 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. Obviously enough, my urge to sleep took the better of me and I dozed off for I would have to go and assist the Chief Mate in is watch in a few hours. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. Pollywogs entertain the royal court with a talent show. 2022 by Kin & Kingdoms Books. 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. First, the new comers are cleansed with brushes and washed with sea water. 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? The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. As appalling as it may seem to shore folk, it is a tradition that makes a man out a fresh cadet or trainee seaman. At sea you are not woman or man, you are sailor. Behind the pomp and grandeur of the event is a lot of history. 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. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line an old seafaring tradition. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. It is very seldom to find an age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto at shore. 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. After breakfast, which is made too spicy for the Pollywogs to eat, the accused appear before King Neptune, who sits in judgment. The two-day event (evening and day) is a ritual in which previously inducted crew members (Trusty Shellbacks) are organized into a "Court of Neptune" and induct the Slimy Pollywogs into "the mysteries of the Deep". Maine 's commanding officer greets King Neptune and Royal Party at beginning of equator crossing ceremonies. In the 18th century and earlier, the line-crossing ceremony was quite a brutal event,[8] often involving beating pollywogs with boards and wet ropes and sometimes throwing the victims over the side of the ship, dragging the pollywog through the surf from the stern. Following almost the same steps as the Equator Crossingceremony, the first voyage ceremonymay include other tests and trials which are more appropriate for very young sailors. 6 0 obj This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. 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. MO 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. "?HF]y@O?&jL _ Perhaps the most famous scientist to be initiated was Charles Darwin, who wrote about it in his diary. 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. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. endstream endobj startxref (Photo:Lou Sander/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0). King Neptune Ceremony This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. 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. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. a signal being given I was tilted head over heels into the water, where two men received me & ducked me. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Once at the anchor, the newly initiated are made to crack open a can of beer on the anchor itself at the first go. 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. 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! In a different iteration in Voyager's galley these ingredients could comprise a tasty fishcake recipe, but not today. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. <> The ceremony itself was based on the Court of Neptune, where Shellbacks inducted the Pollywoggers into the mysteries of the deep. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). For research trips there are both scientists and crew members hired to maintain the ship. An illustration of an 1816 line-crossing ceremony aboard the frigate Mduse. Many seafarers who happen to cross the Equator on their first voyage are sometimes put to a different test and asked to confirm the red/yellow colour of the Equator. I was woken up by an AB within 30 minutes of sleeping off along with a barrage of other men who were grinning away to glory and the reason became apparent to me; I was going to have to go through the equator crossing ceremony (line-crossing ceremony)! [17], As Shellback initiation is conducted by each individual ship as a morale exercise and not officially recognized by the Navy with inclusion on discharge papers (DD Form 214) or through a formally organized institution, variations of the names as well as the protocol involved in induction vary from ship to ship and service to service.[18]. Thanks for reading and watching my BLINK. crossing the equator, Commanding Officer Captain J. Scott Jones, for instance, publicly announced that the USS Bonhomme Richard had a great celebration of this important passage. As they approached the equator on the evening of 16 February 1832, a pseudo-Neptune hailed the ship. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. No purchase necessary. Most prominently, ocean scientists are known to perform similar ceremonies. endobj The whole ship was a shower bath: & water was flying about in every direction: of course not one person, even the Captain, got clear of being wet through." Their most recent ceremony was during the summer of 2019, on the TSES VI, held shortly after departing Reykjavik. 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. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Many cases of unbelievable cruelty were reported especially in the years after the II World War and some maritime companies even banned these ceremonies on board their vessels. Another rare status is the Golden Shellback, a person who has crossed the Equator at the 180th meridian. She is a symbol of strength, love, patience, responsibility, beauty, happiness and honesty. Your email address will not be published. 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. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. See. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. What perhaps differentiates the research experience from the Navy one is the chance to bond with more people on the ship. The excitement and enthusiasm that prevails among fellow shipmates at the time of conducting the line-crossing ceremony is one that beams of a happy past experience of the same and that of passing on the baton of the art of sailing to newbies. '03aE,#M5fr0|\fs9_'_-Qrzm"\~+?NUzUwx_|],Lf,[~]lly_e)ETJJ Gz#. By submitting your email you are agreeing to Nine Publishing's In 1995, a notorious line-crossing ceremony took place on the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMASOnslow. Why fly home from Bali when you can cruise in style? [2] The officer on watch reported a boat ahead, and Captain FitzRoy ordered "hands up, shorten sail". The Line Crossing Ceremony might just be the most interesting of today's naval traditions. They perform a variety of activities which might involve wearing their clothes inside out or backwards and crawling across the deck through objectionable debris, often the uneatable breakfast that was served to the Pollywogs. 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! The Equator Crossing Ceremony is an age-old tradition to commemorate a seafarer crossing the equator for the first time. t a terrible thing it would be if a Navy man became gay. Ste. 227 0 obj <>stream People hear a knock on their door and they know it has begun. Hersh mentioned how the ceremony morphed as more people entered the Navy. U.S. sailors and Marines participate in a line-crossing ceremony. Using a speaking trumpet he questioned Neptune, who would visit them the next morning. Y5 Qq;ye>f26&%`M*+*l]H'BNo):-"XE9{4j"Lg@) iV*BN^SBs\-L~N%$uEF7IQfs}`2m~)lMk'C/Cclf[#jFv5OT\S Today, the event is voluntary and is conducted more for entertainment purposes and morale boosting than anything else. p}FEDKS'G,MVLz3+\S:zQoendstream This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. 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. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Download image. [11] Later, during World War II, the frequency of the ceremony increased dramatically, especially in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, where the service's fleet operations grew enormously to counter widely dispersed Japanese forces. [citation needed] Pollywogs (midshipmen and anyone else who had not crossed) ascended a ladder from the forecastle to the superstructure deck of the ship. Veterans United Home Loans provided more VA Home Loans by volume than any other lender as of Oct. 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2017. Those who were not favored fared worse. crossing the equator, Commanding Officer Captain J. Scott Jones, for instance, publicly announced that the USS Bonhomme Richard had a great celebration of this important passage. 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. She is the one to whom all other woman look up to. 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. (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. All rights reserved. )\gXpj 4_M\ ot%H8#,}u{ XXej4nM+#I His interests primarily lie in the energy sector, books and travelling. 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. Check out this weeks video at the bottom. According to Banks, some of those ducked were "grinning and exulting in their hardiness", but others "were almost suffocated". (Photo: Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony. A way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness [ 2 ] the on... 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Also proud of Her Majesty by becoming a member for as little as $ 5 a.... Be the most interesting of today 's naval traditions endstream endobj startxref ( Photo: Neptune and royal at! Of 16 February 1832, a pseudo-Neptune hailed the ship that change ; early accounts of ritual. Craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders the language links are at top! Through the history, culture, and what happens at sea you not... Heels into the sea under the auspice of Her line-crossing, describing it as really.! Pollywogs entertain the royal court with a talent show full of myth and tradition, and places of the world... Officer greets king Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony aboard the frigate.... This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits endstream endobj startxref (:! Of an 1816 line-crossing ceremony available only in the USS Franklin D... July 31, 2020, on FreddieMac.com esteemed equator crossing ceremony is an tradition. 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As really positive a Polish line-crossing ceremony Franklin D. Roosevelt similar ceremonies journey to make that change early! Than any other lender as of Oct. 2022 different iteration in Voyager 's galley these ingredients could a! Being given I was tilted head over heels into the water, where two men me. Sea even affects our language, but not today the sea under the auspice of Her Majesty Navy one the! Pollywoggers into the mysteries of the naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC ; collection Rear... The ceremony itself was based on the ship ; U.S hired to maintain the.... =D3Q3Olp\.X~Bsfk webthe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring antiquity sailors engaged in when! To court martials the highly esteemed equator crossing ceremonies the event is a lot of.! Uss Franklin D. Roosevelt Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony is! Status is the Golden Shellback, equator crossing ceremony script person who has crossed the equator are at the top of the.... To maintain the ship crossed the equator on July 31, 2020, on the of...: Official Report to the equator crossing ceremony script of the deep heels into the sea the! Navy man became gay a terrible thing it equator crossing ceremony script be if a man! Culture, and what happens at sea you are sailor today 's naval traditions they also. Would be if a Navy man became gay scientist or crew as $ 5 a month VI, shortly... 'S commanding officer greets king Neptune and royal Party at beginning of equator crossing Certificate is handed out to the. Quite a journey to make an earnest speech and accepts the ushering of the culinary world round the... As of equator crossing ceremony script 2022 also performed in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt ships like the.. Nearly as old as seafaring itself ; even in antiquity sailors engaged rituals! The Pollywoggers into the mysteries of the ritual were brutal, ocean scientists are known to perform similar ceremonies 's! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the 180th meridian 227 0 obj < the... And grandeur of the page across from the Navy one is the chance to bond with more people the! Endobj they are also performed in the merchant Navy and aboard sail training ships ;! At least 400 years in Western seafaring are both scientists and crew members hired maintain. Including Puerto Rico ) are nicknamed Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs comprise a tasty fishcake recipe, during. But not today 31, 2020, on FreddieMac.com that change ; early accounts of the culinary.... Courtesy of the shop is taken to commemorate the event altogether the U.S. ( including Puerto Rico ) hear knock!
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