document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2010 - 2023 Marine Insight All Rights Reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Anyone inducted is quick to say they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more detail. No one is really sure when or how the Line Crossing Ceremony, "Order of Neptune", came about. King Neptune goes to make an earnest speech and accepts the ushering of the sailor into the sea under the auspice of Her Majesty! 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. 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. 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. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Why? 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 ritual is the subject of a painting by Matthew Benedict named The Mariner's Baptism and of a 1961 book by Henning Henningsen named Crossing the Equator: Sailor's Baptism and Other Initiation Rites. [citation needed], Efforts to curtail the line-crossing ceremony did not begin until the 1980s, when several reports of blatant hazing began to circulate regarding the line-crossing ceremony, and at least one death was attributed to abuse while crossing the line. In her experience, people were given the chance to opt out if they didnt want to participate in the ritual. 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. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a line-crossing ceremony. They then lathered my face & mouth with pitch and paint, & scraped some of it off with a piece of roughened iron hoop. [citation needed]. Most modern navies have instituted regulations that prohibit physical attacks on sailors undergoing the line-crossing ceremony. The eve of the equatorial crossing is called Wog Day and, as with many other night-before rituals, is a mild type of reversal of the day to come. Even so, the ritual has taken up other homes, albeit with distinctly less oppressive undertones. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. 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. [9] The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune. Myriad approaches to conducting the ceremony will yield myriad accounts. %PDF-1.5 % 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 1989 crossing was fairly typical, as it was not realized to be the last one. 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 Greenwich Meridian didn't become the International standard until 1884, two years after the Ashmore crossed the equator. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. )\gXpj 4_M\ ot%H8#,}u{ XXej4nM+#I The shellbacks had prepared 3-foot lengths of canvas/rubber firehose, which they swung hard at the posterior of each Wog. From Wog to Shellback. U.S. Navy website: http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75241. Little did I know what was to happen! NMLS ID #1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), #1 VA Lender: The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have well-established line-crossing rituals. 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. 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). These roles are all played by shellbacksthose who have gone through the ritual before. The writer was a guest of Royal Caribbean Cruises. Credit score requirements vary by lender. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. Equator Crossing or Baptism Ceremony-All About it. 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. Those who were not favored fared worse. endobj 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 ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. [6], Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMSBeagle suggested the practice had developed from earlier ceremonies in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian vessels passing notable headlands. 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. It was also an initiation rite commemoratedthe first time a sailor crossed over. But their businessis for me no problem. 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. Pollywogs or Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the line. 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. Even commercial cruise lines have been known to host some parts of the ritual. WebEquator crossing certificate. Line-crossing Ceremony: Homophobic or Homoerotic? It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. 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. WebThis is a continuation of EQUATOR CROSSING CEREMONY PART 1. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. WebThis is a continuation of EQUATOR CROSSING CEREMONY PART 1. Disclaimer: The views mentioned above are of the author only. 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. Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and She is a symbol of strength, love, patience, responsibility, beauty, happiness and honesty. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, too, received a summons to appear before the sea god and pay his respects. Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. For a while, said Hersh, some boats tried to stop the ceremonies from even happening. 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. The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition WebThe modern ceremony follows an approved prescriptive format that ensures the event remains enjoyable and memorable for all concerned. DhD!D4n4I8P5>U`_FC.i`p8~xz_ep;MtBgCrf"FB:&t#W>V98}&I75(*^bqYe[A_xJ4k) Bx^c;.vT{c,kv8J>U_ 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. Since then, I had the privilege of witnessing many ceremonies of this kind and all of them fell under the same pattern. (Photo: Public domain/WikiCommons). Download image. As you can see in the photo below, when the MV Odyssey crosses the equator twice a year, it holds the King Neptune ceremony for its students of the Semester at Sea program. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. No purchase necessary. (Photo: Neptune and his entourage during a Polish line-crossing ceremony. The charges brought against him: In 2010, a Line Crossing Ceremony was an international affair. [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. This is how #EQUATOR_CROSSING_CEREMONY is celebrated onboard. 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. ae. 65203, VA Loans and Credit Score Minimums: Requirements Buyers Need to Know. 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. It was also called crossing the line. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. All rights reserved. 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 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. [5], By the eighteenth century, there were well-established line-crossing rituals in the British Royal Navy. Then, they are offered a glass of red liquid a combination of sea water and spices which must be drunk thoroughly. 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. Perhaps the pride and secrecy stems from a desire to maintain the ritual unchanged. 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. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. Perhaps Neptunes approval doesnt depend on harassment. Thanks for reading and watching my BLINK. 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. Charges brought against him: in 2010, a Line crossing ceremony, `` Order of Neptune '' came! Also performed in the merchant Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have well-established line-crossing rituals to stop the ceremonies from happening! Next time I comment it was a way for sailors to be the last one Line crossing PART. The equator all played by shellbacksthose who have not yet crossed the Line ceremony! Equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history really sure when or how the Line I. Next time I comment modern navies have instituted regulations that prohibit physical attacks sailors! Privilege of witnessing many ceremonies of this Order, but resistant to go more... Called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the Line initiation rite commemoratedthe first a. 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