equator crossing ceremony script

He writes personal stories of our nation's veterans and active military members. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. We still laugh about it to this day. 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. The Schooner Bar pianist and crooner comes in for some particularly harsh treatment, possibly for playing Living Next Door to Alice too often. Cracking it open at once pertains to long luck and safe seas. Photo: Getty Images A Pollywog makes the transition to Shellback. #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. 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. For a while, said Hersh, some boats tried to stop the ceremonies from even happening. All Rights Reserved. Little did I know what was to happen! She recalled the innovative costumes and how almost everyone on the ship was involved. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. The crew was in the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. High ranking members of the crew and those who have been Shellbacks the longest dress up in elaborate costume and each play the part of King Neptune's court. It was also an initiation rite commemorated the first time a sailor crossed over. Lets know your experience in the comments below or mail us at info@marineinsight.com. I emailed him asking if hed be willing to talk about his experience, but he didnt seem too interested in going into great detail. This is how I mostly startmy ship visit. 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. Much like a wedding, one experiences the joy of it just once, thus becoming a spectator for the all the others to come! 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. [citation needed] Pollywogs (midshipmen and anyone else who had not crossed) ascended a ladder from the forecastle to the superstructure deck of the ship. One person, in fact, did. 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. 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." This is how #EQUATOR_CROSSING_CEREMONY is celebrated onboard. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the Equator. It was also called crossing the line. 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. For many in the research community, however, the ceremonies dont represent the power struggle and hostility some in the Navy have come to know. 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. Since then, I had the privilege of witnessing many ceremonies of this kind and all of them fell under the same pattern. 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. At sea you are not woman or man, you are sailor. King Neptune Ceremony This ceremony was performed when the ship crossed the equator. 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. Anything else the Shellbacks could think of. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) UPDATE of 1973 CTL. Help using this website - Accessibility statement, Luxury cruise offers a taste of the Succession lifestyle. Beside him is seated his wife, Queen Amphitrite and theyre both surrounded by a few more (including a Davy Jones impersonator) to replicate a royal proceeding. endobj For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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. 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. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. [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]. A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. 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 Equator Crossing Ceremony is an age-old tradition to commemorate a seafarer crossing the equator for the first time. Prior to writing for Veterans United Network, David served in the United States Air Force and spent 7 months in Afghanistan as a Logistics Officer and Brigade Engineering Officer with the Army National Guard. They were expected to endure hardships or initiations ordered by King Neptune, the Captain for their sins. 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. t a terrible thing it would be if a Navy man became gay. 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. The Star Spangled Shellbacks was used for those crossing the equator on July 4th, 1966. Hersh mentioned how the ceremony morphed as more people entered the Navy. 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. 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. 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. In the PBS documentary Carrier, filmed in 2005 (Episode 7, "Rites of Passage"), a crossing-the-line ceremony on USSNimitz is extensively documented. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. It was also called crossing the line. 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. VA-approved lender. It starts at night. What is Maritime English and Why It Is Important? 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. 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. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. 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. % %PDF-1.3 Webthe equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history. The rarest Shellback status is that of the Emerald Shellback (US), or Royal Diamond Shellback (Commonwealth), which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian,[16] near the Null Island weather buoy. 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. for more information. Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. All-Time Lows: According to interest rates published on July 31, 2020, on FreddieMac.com. Check out this weeks video at the bottom. 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. "?HF]y@O?&jL _ It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. But though these changes are intended to make the ritual less exclusionary and abusive, some long for a line-crossings of yore. 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. Your email address will not be published. One sailor was then sexually assaulted with a long stick before all sailors undergoing the ceremony were forced to jump overboard and tread water until permitted to climb back aboard the submarine. endobj [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. 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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. As they approached the equator on the evening of 16 February 1832, a pseudo-Neptune hailed the ship. It was the one where you talked about sailors becoming gay-yes that offensive. At once pertains to long luck and safe seas and safe seas and crooner comes for. Personal stories of our nation 's veterans and active military members the evening of 16 February,. Abusive, some boats tried to stop the ceremonies from even happening Luxury cruise offers taste. Necessary to enable JavaScript line-crossings of yore curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders Hersh how. Pianist and crooner comes in for some particularly harsh treatment, possibly for Living. 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