[9] The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune. 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. This is typical of certificates awarded in the pre-WWII period. 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 author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. Because I know with a smile and a handshake [], A Queen is no ordinary woman. <> [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 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. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. It was also called crossing the line. 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. %PDF-1.3 Cracking it open at once pertains to long luck and safe seas. US Navy at War 1941-1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy. 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. Read my comment again Eric. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and By the end of WW II, the United States Navy had added nearly 1,200 major combatant vessels to its combined fleet. [citation needed]. Behind the Strange and Controversial Ritual When You Cross the Equator At Sea. VA disability pay for 2023 increased by 8.7%. 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? Not affiliated with any government agency. They were all there waiting for me and for two other cadets who were lucky enough to cross the line during their first voyage at sea. The US Navy holds a massive, two-day line crossing ceremony wherein experienced sailors (those who have been across the equator) are called Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks and Honorable Shellbacks, the Sons of Neptune. endobj The Royal Canadian Navy named them Tadpoles or Griffins. MO 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. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. Beatings were often still common, usually with wet firehoses, and several World War II Navy deck logs speak of sailors visiting sick bay after crossing the line. 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. 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." 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. King Neptune Ceremony This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. 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 Pollywogs are put through some physical tests to be initiated into the ancient mysteries of the deep! [citation needed]. Following the dip, raw eggs are broken onto the heads of the first timers and then they are made to drink a deadly concoction of beer, chilly sauce, raw eggs etc. WebEquator crossing certificate. But it was also authorised by Captains to entertain the passengers on merchant ships like the. 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. Copyright 2023 Mortgage Research Center, LLC. Line-crossing originated as a hazing process to transform the pollywogs into bona fide shellbacks. All rights reserved. Even so, the ritual has taken up other homes, albeit with distinctly less oppressive undertones. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. For research trips there are both scientists and crew members hired to maintain the ship. King Neptune Ceremony on board the Polish shipChrzest Rwnikowy. I love the sea and all the beauties it brings along, I love travelling, nature and taking photos.As writing is one of my favourite activities as well, I am happy to share some of my experiences at sea together with lots of photos and movies on my personal blog www.travellingoncontainervessels.com. This is likely because of the bad rap the ceremony has accrued over the years. King Neptune is a prominent figure, as is his representative Davy Jones. This is a usually light-hearted event that allows the ships crew to take some time out from their hectic schedules and have fun with the rest of the crewmates. From that moment on, they are no longer seen as outsiders, but they fully deserved to be included in the seafarers family. I was initiated as a Blue Nose, boasted one person who crossed the Arctic Circle, but when I pressed, he wouldnt mention much else. While now its as much a spectacle as it is a test, the line-crossing ceremony reportedly has its roots in practicality. 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 is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. The writer was a guest of Royal Caribbean Cruises. The memory of the event sticks with people. [13] Depending on the Ocean or Fleet AOR, there can be variations in the rite. Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition 10 Ways to Ensure WellBeing Of Seafarers At Sea, 10 Simple Things That Make Seafarers Happy On Board Ships, 13 Things Sailors Must Keep in Mind About Their Sea Job Contract, 7 Important Points A Seafarers Wife Must Consider When On Board Ship. Perhaps the pride and secrecy stems from a desire to maintain the ritual unchanged. MORE: Check if you meet the official VA loan requirements. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. All the same, its not a secret. 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. This is a usually light-hearted event that allows the ships crew to take some time out from their hectic schedules and have fun with the rest of the crewmates. Those credulous enough to run forward to see Neptune "were received with the watery honours which it is customary to bestow". The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. King Neptune Ceremony This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. 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. %%EOF 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. Once you are initiated, Hersh told me, you are then in the masculine position If youre a woman that doesnt make sense. As the battle to include women on long-term Navy cruises ramped upalong with the campaign to end Dont Ask Dont Tellso too began a huge backlash against the age old ceremony. Columbia, [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. 211 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<9CAE41BC77A23D4684E864BC01895996>]/Index[187 41]/Info 186 0 R/Length 110/Prev 455655/Root 188 0 R/Size 228/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. Credit score requirements vary by lender. endstream endobj 188 0 obj <>/Metadata 16 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/Pages 185 0 R/StructTreeRoot 25 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 189 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Type/Page>> endobj 190 0 obj <>stream )\gXpj 4_M\ ot%H8#,}u{ XXej4nM+#I This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. The Navy has spent decades trying to rein in on hazing; the line-crossing ceremony represents a great deal of this. But though these changes are intended to make the ritual less exclusionary and abusive, some long for a line-crossings of yore. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) UPDATE of 1973 CTL. Photo: Getty Images A Pollywog makes the transition to Shellback. 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. 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. As we approach the middle of the world, quite a few passengers rush to the rails for a look, as though there might be an actual line drawn on the ocean. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hershs research focused on how such an ingrained naval practice helped illustrate the power dynamics of people historically discriminated against in the Navynamely gays and women. In her experience, people were given the chance to opt out if they didnt want to participate in the ritual. WebThe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. This is how #EQUATOR_CROSSING_CEREMONY is celebrated onboard. The ceremony could include funny and nave games like moving on hands and knees on slippery decks but more humiliating, difficult and dangerous tasks as well like crawling through barrels of garbage or oil, jumping overboard from high decks or climbing on top of the mast and being forced to spend hours in the same position. Hersh mentioned how the ceremony morphed as more people entered the Navy. Afterwards, some may be "interrogated" by King Neptune and his entourage, and the use of "truth serum" (hot sauce + after shave) and whole uncooked eggs put in the mouth. Back in the days of wooden ships, Crossing the Line ceremonies were designed to test young Sailors on their first cruise out in the open sea. 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!). David Moore is a content contributor at Veterans United Network. According to old tradition, all those crossing the equator for the first time, must be baptized and thus made an able-bodied seaman. As appalling as it may seem to shore folk, it is a tradition that makes a man out a fresh cadet or trainee seaman. This is a usually light-hearted event that allows the ships crew to take some time out from their hectic schedules and have fun with the rest of the crewmates. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 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. ;x.T`f\%e:pJ+*n h= Pollywogs entertain the royal court with a talent show. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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@? 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. In this case, the whole ceremony can turn into a complete nightmare for the young seamen who would rather forget about the event than recording it in hundreds of photos and movies. Slimy (the traditional adjective) Pollywogs are led out for their hazing in front of King Neptune, and his assistant reads the charges. Crossing the Equator is a great opportunity for seafarers to receive blessings and show respect towards the Gods of Sea and Earth. The crew were expected to become seasoned-sailors, capable of handling long periods of time with rough seas. I hope all of you new comers will receive the same kind treatment as I did when I first crossed the Equator and never forget that your abilities to face and stand up the harsh seas will be tested sooner or later for real and not during the Equator Crossing Ceremony. t a terrible thing it would be if a Navy man became gay. (Photo: Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. Read about: Joining Ship? 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 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. Maine 's commanding officer greets King Neptune and Royal Party at beginning of equator crossing ceremonies. The charges brought against him: In 2010, a Line Crossing Ceremony was an international affair. (Photo: Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Anything else the Shellbacks could think of. She is the one to whom all other woman look up to. She recalled the innovative costumes and how almost everyone on the ship was involved. Your email address will not be published. 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. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and 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. There, they crawled down a gauntlet of Shellbacks on both sides of a long, heavy canvas runner, about 1012 meters. The ceremony itself was based on the Court of Neptune, where Shellbacks inducted the Pollywoggers into the mysteries of the deep. ae. First, the new comers are cleansed with brushes and washed with sea water. Then, they are offered a glass of red liquid a combination of sea water and spices which must be drunk thoroughly. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The seamen who have already crossed the equator are referred to as Shellbacks (or, Sons Of Neptune) and those who havent are called Pollywogs. 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. ", "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. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. Initiation rite for first crossing of the equator, Honors for line crossings and other navigational events. Heinous as the accusations are, no one seems too concerned until the royal handmaidens bring out the fish. After breakfast, which is made too spicy for the Pollywogs to eat, the accused appear before King Neptune, who sits in judgment. "Major Combatant Ships Added to United States Fleet, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945", ibiblio.org. 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. Once the ceremony is complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate[15] declaring his new status. 0 Help using this website - Accessibility statement, Luxury cruise offers a taste of the Succession lifestyle. During the ceremony, the Pollywogs undergo a number of increasingly embarrassing ordeals (wearing clothing inside out and backwards; crawling on hands and knees on nonskid-coated decks; being swatted with short lengths of firehose; being locked in stocks & pillories and pelted with mushy fruit; being locked in a water coffin of salt-water and bright green sea dye [fluorescent sodium salt]; crawling through chutes or large tubs of rotting garbage; kissing the Royal Baby's belly coated with axle grease, hair chopping, etc. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. 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 WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line an old seafaring tradition. WebWelcome to Equator CrossingThe line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. 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