VA-approved lender. Pollywogs or Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the line. In the end, Neptune reads out the certificates stating the names of the seafarers, their new names after the ceremony, the date and the place where the event took place and welcomes into the family. Line-crossing Ceremony: Homophobic or Homoerotic? This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. Read my comment again Eric. King, Ernest J., USN. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Learn how your comment data is processed. (Photo:Lou Sander/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0). I am one of the disappointed. Your email address will not be published. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and 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. Titanic is the best movie that has happened to the world cinema. [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. Shilavadra Bhattacharjee is a shipbroker with a background in commercial operations after having sailed onboard as a Third Officer. The Equator Crossing Ceremony is an age-old tradition to commemorate a seafarer crossing the equator for the first time. 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. In 1995, a notorious line-crossing ceremony took place on the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMASOnslow. [13] Depending on the Ocean or Fleet AOR, there can be variations in the rite. For instance, as Naval backlash increased due to allegations of oppressive line-crossing practices, many officers dug in their heels and vehemently defended the ceremony, despite consequences to their own careers. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, Naval Forces Europe Naval Forces Africa, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, United States Armed Forces School of Music, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, United States battleship retirement debate, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Line-crossing_ceremony&oldid=1133712939, Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from March 2017, Articles needing additional references from July 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 04:40. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. She is the one to whom all other woman look up to. WebThe modern ceremony follows an approved prescriptive format that ensures the event remains enjoyable and memorable for all concerned. Fortunately no head shaving but the foul mixture was foul in the extreme. 12 0 obj With the pollywog to shellback transition complete, a certificate was often awarded to the new shellback as a rite of passage. WebWelcome to Equator CrossingThe line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. She recalled the innovative costumes and how almost everyone on the ship was involved. Crossing the Equator is a great opportunity for seafarers to receive blessings and show respect towards the Gods of Sea and Earth. And there are no two thoughts on that. Why? Most prominently, ocean scientists are known to perform similar ceremonies. It was also called crossing the line. 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). 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. 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. Little did I know what was to happen! Let's look at the minimum credit score for a VA loan and what lenders typically expect. [citation needed] The Wogs are made very aware that it will be much harder on them if they do anything like this. VA disability pay for 2023 increased by 8.7%. 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. But their businessis for me no problem. 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. According to old tradition, all those crossing the equator for the first time, must be baptized and thus made an able-bodied seaman. Throughout history, line-crossing ceremonies have sometimes become dangerous hazing rituals. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. 7 0 obj This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. When a ship crosses the equator, King Neptune comes aboard to exercise authority over his domain and to judge charges brought against Pollywogs that they are only posing as sailors and haven't paid proper homage to the god of the sea. 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. A Queen represents confidence and unconditional dedication towards her task. For instance, the ship's captain might play the part of King Neptune himself. Source: 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.. King Neptune's First Mate was called Davy Jones and the Second Mate was called Her Highness Amphitrite. 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. USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) UPDATE of 1973 CTL. They are being summoned into Neptunes Court for crimes theyve committed against the god. She is a symbol of strength, love, patience, responsibility, beauty, happiness and honesty. Youwill see old military footage from an actual King Neptune Ceremony. [2] The officer on watch reported a boat ahead, and Captain FitzRoy ordered "hands up, shorten sail". and normally, dipped in the water gathered in the save-all tray! The Line Crossing Ceremony might just be the most interesting of today's naval traditions. Ship passengers who have never traversed the nautical line are forced to prove they are worthy to make the transition. endobj U.S. sailors and Marines participate 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. and 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. Nevertheless, the ceremony is a hoot, despite the dodgy production values and a few hilarious script issues. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. WebThe ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. They then lathered my face & mouth with pitch and paint, & scraped some of it off with a piece of roughened iron hoop. The transition flows from established order to the "controlled chaos" of the Pollywog Revolt, the beginnings of re-order in the initiation rite as the fewer but experienced enlisted crew converts the Wogs through physical tests, then back to, and thereby affirming, the pre-established order of officers and enlisted. 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. This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. People hear a knock on their door and they know it has begun. 18, All the same, its not a secret. 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. 2022 by Kin & Kingdoms Books. Anyone inducted is quick to say they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more detail. 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. 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. It was also called crossing the line. By submitting your email you are agreeing to Nine Publishing's 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. Sailors and Marines from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Uruguay crossed the equator together aboard the USS New Orleans. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs. "?HF]y@O?&jL _ 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. Your email address will not be published. Using a speaking trumpet he questioned Neptune, who would visit them the next morning. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. As appalling as it may seem to shore folk, it is a tradition that makes a man out a fresh cadet or trainee seaman. 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. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks, Honorable Shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. Licensed in all 50 states. 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. 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