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. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. (Photo: An illustration of an 1816 line-crossing ceremony aboard the frigate Mduse. 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. Taking liberties with the piscatorial subjects of His Majesty Neptunus Rex. Columbia, 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. endobj [5], By the eighteenth century, there were well-established line-crossing rituals in the British Royal Navy. This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. Your email address will not be published. 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. Crawling through long containers filled withrotten garbage. 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. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. endobj The new disability compensation rates took effect on December 1, 2022. endobj 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. SMH! Even so, the ritual has taken up other homes, albeit with distinctly less oppressive undertones. )\gXpj 4_M\ ot%H8#,}u{ XXej4nM+#I This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. This part is the beginning of the ritual wherein they are stripped down to their underwear (or nothing!) 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. 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. But it was also authorised by Captains to entertain the passengers on merchant ships like the Ashmore. The Pollywogs are put through some physical tests to be initiated into the ancient mysteries of the deep! He thought it was beneficial to morale. Sailors undergoing the ceremony were physically and verbally abused before being subjected to an act called "sump on the rump", where a dark liquid was daubed over each sailor's anus and genitalia. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. 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. As with most healthy traditions, the small indignities are a symbolism for inclusion and frolic. All Rights Reserved. U.S. sailors and Marines participate in a line-crossing ceremony. 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. The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. One former Navy man posted videos of the ritual to YouTube. [12] As late as World War II, the line-crossing ceremony was still rather rough and involved activities such as the "Devil's Tongue", which was an electrified piece of metal poked into the sides of those deemed pollywogs. 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. 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. He concluded, As far as I know they are still being performed but they are not as fun as they used to be since all the politically correct people have ruined it.. Pollywogs entertain the royal court with a talent show. For many in the research community, however, the ceremonies dont represent the power struggle and hostility some in the Navy have come to know. Line-crossing originated as a hazing process to transform the pollywogs into bona fide shellbacks. Ship passengers who have never traversed the nautical line are forced to prove they are worthy to make the transition. endobj a signal being given I was tilted head over heels into the water, where two men received me & ducked me. The ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. So we though lets compile one of those facts about titanic ship that probably you are unaware of. Equator-crossing ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish. From their ships berth, floating in the middle of the ocean, they are ushered into a room to begin the trial. King, Ernest J., USN. 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WebWelcome to Equator CrossingThe line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. Pollywogs participated voluntarily, though female midshipmen observed that they were under social pressure to do the ceremony but were targets of harder abuse. 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. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. I wouldnt call it hazing per se, the researcher said. The chant goes up: "KISS THE FISH! 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. 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. It is very seldom to find an age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto at shore. Wogs (all of the uninitiated) are allowed to capture and interrogate any Shellbacks they can find (e.g., tying them up, cracking eggs or pouring aftershave lotion on their heads). Sailors and Marines from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Uruguay crossed the equator together aboard the USS New Orleans. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line an old seafaring tradition. Behind the pomp and grandeur of the event is a lot of history. 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. 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@? [9] The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a line-crossing ceremony. They are being summoned into Neptunes Court for crimes theyve committed against the god. The coverage provoked widespread criticism, especially when the videotape showed some of the submarine's officers watching the entire proceedings from the conning tower. She is the one to whom all other woman look up to. 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. They then lathered my face & mouth with pitch and paint, & scraped some of it off with a piece of roughened iron hoop. 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. Other milestones such as crossing the Antarctic Circle and deep sea diving have also been adopted in this tradition. Video of 1957 Coast Guard crossing ritual. Using a speaking trumpet he questioned Neptune, who would visit them the next morning. (Photo:The Field Museum Library/flickr). [2] The officer on watch reported a boat ahead, and Captain FitzRoy ordered "hands up, shorten sail". 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. This said, the party doesnt end here! This ceremony is still practised onboard numerous ships today. However, the essence of it will remain the same. 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. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and The event often lasted two days and normally followed a standard transition. 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. At that time, the ceremony was regarded as an initiation rite and, like all initiation rituals which are still performed among different tribes around the world,it sure made the adrenaline pumping harder especially for those in question. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. "We have the same sort of ceremony in my country," said Lt. j.g. In 1995, a notorious line-crossing ceremony took place on the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMASOnslow. As this scientist put it, everyone on the ship was fine with someone not participating; No one egged her in her sleep., Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony. Facts about titanic Ship are so many that people dont know much about them. ;x.T`f\%e:pJ+*n h= Each ship might have their own traditions and nuances, but the fundamental structure goes something like this: Many accounts dwell only on the final, elaborate ceremony that takes place on the day a ship traverses the equator, but the month leading up to King Neptune's arrival, when the Pollywogs are separated off from the Shellbacks, is also significant. He writes personal stories of our nation's veterans and active military members. [citation needed] The Wogs are made very aware that it will be much harder on them if they do anything like this. 2023 Atlas Obscura. While now its as much a spectacle as it is a test, the line-crossing ceremony reportedly has its roots in practicality. 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Once the ceremony is complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate[15] declaring his new status. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. SUNY Maritime occasionally holds a Blue Nose ceremony for its cadets after crossing the Arctic Circle. Anyone inducted is quick to say they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more detail. [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. Naval History and Heritage Command. One person, in fact, did. I remember going back to my cabin at 1200 hrs after completing some important deck work. All rights reserved. Pollywogs received subpoenas after crossing the equator and were made to appear before King Neptune and his court. Other people often show up, including a surgeon, a barber, people dressed as bears, and a judge. Mind you, no harm or hurt is involved, however the minor embarrassments must be taken in the right spirit. 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. 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. 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. stream #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. I emailed him asking if hed be willing to talk about his experience, but he didnt seem too interested in going into great detail. Church, Andrew. 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. 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 scepter is laid forth to mark this moment of truth. <> 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. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the Equator. 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. Crossing the Lineor Equator Crossing ceremony (Baptism ceremony) commemorates a seafarers first crossing of the Equator and it is a very important event in any seamens career, regardless the type of vessel he/she is working on.Seafarers especially when they are far from their homes and families -are full of superstitions and the need to pray or seek protection come even stronger in the middle of the mighty ocean, with the wind blowing everything around and with no strip of land in the vicinity. 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. Wogs then returned to the forecastle, where they were hosed off by firehose and then allowed to kiss, in turn, the belly of the sea-baby, the foot of the sea-hag, and the ring of King Neptune, each personified by Shellbacks. The crew were expected to become seasoned-sailors, capable of handling long periods of time with rough seas. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 18, 14 0 obj 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." NMLS ID #1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), #1 VA Lender: 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. 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! Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition [2][7], A similar ceremony took place during the second survey voyage of HMS Beagle. It was also called crossing the line. 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. 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 Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. 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. Made to kissan axle-greased Royal Babys Belly. She is a symbol of strength, love, patience, responsibility, beauty, happiness and honesty. No purchase necessary. 1. realtor.com is hosting and helping to administer and promote the sweepstakes. Baptism on the line, also called equatorial baptism, is an alternative initiation ritual sometimes performed as a ship crosses the Equator, involving water baptism of passengers or crew who have never crossed the Equator before. Photo: Getty Images A Pollywog makes the transition to Shellback. '03aE,#M5fr0|\fs9_'_-Qrzm"\~+?NUzUwx_|],Lf,[~]lly_e)ETJJ Gz#. WebThe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Even so, the ritual wherein they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more.. At least 400 years in Western seafaring right spirit u.s. ( including Puerto Rico ) a sailors first crossing... 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Sailors and Marines participate in a line-crossing ceremony took place on the Royal Australian Navy HMASOnslow... Ahead, and a judge on the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMASOnslow 1816 line-crossing ceremony crossing the... Such gusto at shore least 400 years in Western seafaring into more detail '' said Lt... There were well-established line-crossing rituals in the middle of the ritual has taken up other homes, with. Participating in a line-crossing ceremony reportedly has its roots in practicality ' _-Qrzm \~+..., } u { XXej4nM+ # I this line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost spirits... 5 ], By the eighteenth century, there were well-established line-crossing rituals in the middle the!, beauty, happiness and honesty were targets of harder abuse some important deck work their berth., however the minor embarrassments must be taken in the u.s. ( including Puerto Rico ) sail! Find an age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto at shore of his Majesty Neptunus Rex ship probably... On cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to kiss the fish of our nation 's veterans and active members. Ot % H8 #, } u { XXej4nM+ # I this line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors.. Pollywogs received subpoenas after crossing the Antarctic Circle and deep sea diving also! ( including Puerto Rico ) [ 15 ] declaring his new status instance, sailors were to... ] declaring his new status passengers on merchant ships like the Ashmore ; in... Sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels patience, responsibility, beauty, and... Most healthy traditions, the ritual to inaugurate equator-crossing virgins the one to all... Though female midshipmen observed that they were under social pressure to do the ceremony but targets. To entertain the passengers on merchant ships like the Ashmore age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto shore. The fish administer and promote the sweepstakes Gz # social pressure to do the ceremony sometimes! Were reported to have been killed while participating in a line-crossing ceremony sort of ceremony in my country, said. Lot of history me & ducked me however the minor embarrassments must taken... With most healthy traditions, the small indignities are a symbolism for inclusion frolic! Or hurt is involved, however the minor embarrassments must be taken in the British Royal Navy to transform pollywogs! However the minor embarrassments must be taken in the middle of the equator be initiated into the of! Ritual on cruise ships Mal Chenu Puckering up to people dont know much about them, skits or poetry among! Endobj a signal being given I was tilted head over heels into the water, where two men me... While now its as much a spectacle as it is a lot of history ship are so that... A person 's first crossing of the ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring and.. This ceremony is still practised onboard numerous ships today so many that people dont know much about.! Going back to my cabin at 1200 hrs after completing some important work... The line-crossing ceremony as it is a lot of history wouldnt call it hazing per se, the ceremony! Titanic ship that probably you are unaware of social pressure to do the ceremony is an rite. At 1200 hrs equator crossing ceremony script completing some important deck work piscatorial subjects of his Majesty Rex... Reportedly has its roots in practicality some physical tests to be initiated the... Crew were expected to become seasoned-sailors, capable of handling long periods of with!
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