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. King Neptune is a prominent figure, as is his representative Davy Jones. 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. This is how I mostly startmy ship visit. The new disability compensation rates took effect on December 1, 2022. Crossing the Equator is a great opportunity for seafarers to receive blessings and show respect towards the Gods of Sea and Earth. After breakfast, which is made too spicy for the Pollywogs to eat, the accused appear before King Neptune, who sits in judgment. Crossing the Line is nearly as old as seafaring itself; even in antiquity sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. The Pollywogs (also referred to as landlubbers) must be dipped in water for the initiation and passing into the realm of the seas. 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. I emailed him asking if hed be willing to talk about his experience, but he didnt seem too interested in going into great detail. While now its as much a spectacle as it is a test, the line-crossing ceremony reportedly has its roots in practicality. 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. All-Time Lows: According to interest rates published on July 31, 2020, on FreddieMac.com. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, too, received a summons to appear before the sea god and pay his respects. This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. Throughout history, line-crossing ceremonies have sometimes become dangerous hazing rituals. Help using this website - Accessibility statement, Luxury cruise offers a taste of the Succession lifestyle. Your email address will not be published. This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. So we though lets compile one of those facts about titanic ship that probably you are unaware of. Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition The seamen who have already crossed the equator are referred to as Shellbacks (or, Sons Of Neptune) and those who havent are called Pollywogs. It is very seldom to find an age-old tradition that is carried out with such gusto at shore. A beauty contest was held with one man from each department dressed up in womens swimsuit drag. He thought it was beneficial to morale. Top VA Purchase Lender each Fiscal Year between 2016-2022. It was also an initiation rite commemoratedthe first time a sailor crossed over. This power asymmetry played a role in the ritual, showcasing innate naval biases. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailors first time crossing of the equator. 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. 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. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. 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. 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. Officers rebelled and did it anyway, which ultimately led to court martials. 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. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. ae. 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. This part is the beginning of the ritual wherein they are stripped down to their underwear (or nothing!) The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs. What you should not forget. 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. In the PBS documentary Carrier, filmed in 2005 (Episode 7, "Rites of Passage"), a crossing-the-line ceremony on USSNimitz is extensively documented. WebThe ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the Equator. They were expected to endure hardships or initiations ordered by King Neptune, the Captain for their sins. Maine 's commanding officer greets King Neptune and Royal Party at beginning of equator crossing ceremonies. All the same, its not a secret. 1400 Forum Blvd. One person, in fact, did. <> Read about: Joining Ship? 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. 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. Naval History and Heritage Command. Youwill see old military footage from an actual King Neptune Ceremony. The ship's artist, Augustus Earle, made a sketch of the scene.[5]. Heinous as the accusations are, no one seems too concerned until the royal handmaidens bring out the fish. VA-approved lender. "Major Combatant Ships Added to United States Fleet, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945", ibiblio.org. stream Read Queens version, Not So Easy love Story of A Sailors Queen, 5 Reasons Why People not Joining Merchant Navy. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Cracking it open at once pertains to long luck and safe seas. 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. 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 Did mine in 1978 in the Indian Ocean on the SS Lepeta. %%EOF [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]. 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. All rights reserved. A feast is prepared at night for dinner with thorough fanfare. But it was also authorised by Captains to entertain the passengers on merchant ships like the Ashmore. 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 Lets know your experience in the comments below or mail us at info@marineinsight.com. But their businessis for me no problem. The scepter is laid forth to mark this moment of truth. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC; collection of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis; U.S. 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. King Neptune decrees the "lowly, scum-sucking Pollywogs must kiss the royal fish!". Get the latest news and updates emailed straight to your inbox. At sea you are not woman or man, you are sailor. 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 Line-crossing originated as a hazing process to transform the pollywogs into bona fide shellbacks. Behind the pomp and grandeur of the event is a lot of history. endobj endstream endobj startxref [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. The reason behind this is to give the beginners a truth serum in order that they speak the absolute truth when they swear their allegiance to King Neptune and the sea! The glimmer in the eyes of those that have already experienced it, telling you to live every moment of it, for it is never to happen again, is priceless. (Photo:The Field Museum Library/flickr). This line-crossing lunacy was sanctioned to boost sailors spirits. Download image. Offer subject to change without notice. I was initiated as a Blue Nose, boasted one person who crossed the Arctic Circle, but when I pressed, he wouldnt mention much else. 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. Anyone inducted is quick to say they are part of this Order, but resistant to go into more detail. 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. His interests primarily lie in the energy sector, books and travelling. Pollywogs or Slimy Pollywogs were those who have not yet crossed the line. Its even begun being offered as a participatory attraction on commercial cruise lines. Their most recent ceremony was during the summer of 2019, on the TSES VI, held shortly after departing Reykjavik. King Neptune and his royal court: his queen, Davy Jones, the royal baby, and other dignitaries, arrive to the ship the evening prior to the equator crossing. 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. No one seems too concerned until the royal handmaidens bring out the fish ceremonies have sometimes become dangerous rituals. 'S first crossing of the Succession lifestyle website - Accessibility statement, Luxury cruise offers a taste of the lifestyle! Who have not yet crossed the Line are unaware of officers rebelled and it... 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