What is a pollywog in the military?
A shellback is a sailor (or Marine, or other embarked personnel) who has sailed across the Equator. I was on a 6 Month tour of South American when I crossed the equator in 1994. In the U.S. Navy, when a ship crosses the equator, a time honored ceremony takes place. Define pollywog.
What are Shellbacks?
1 : an old or veteran sailor. 2 : a person who has crossed the equator and been initiated in the traditional ceremony.
Can a marine become a shellback?
Sailors and Marines who never crossed the line before, called “pollywogs,” had the opportunity to become “shellbacks” after “crossing the line.” Pollywogs, or wogs for short, were inducted as shellbacks by completing a series of obstacles and games while singing nautical-inspired songs and military cadences.
What happens when Sailors cross the equator?
THE SHELLBACK CEREMONY When a ship crosses the equator or “crossing the line”, 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.
What’s a Golden Shellback?
Another rare status is the Golden Shellback, a person who has crossed the Equator at the 180th meridian (International Date Line). The rarest Shellback status is that of the Emerald Shellback (USA), or Royal Diamond Shellback (Commonwealth), which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian.
What is a navy blue nose?
A Bluenose, sometimes incorrectly referred to as a Rednose, is simply a sailor who’s crossed the Arctic Circle, above 66°34′N. Just like crossing the equator, there’s a Line-crossing ceremony, and once you’re done, congratulations, you’re a certified Bluenose.
What are the different types of Shellbacks?
There are the Pollywogs (sailors who have not crossed the equator), the trusty Shellbacks (sailors who have crossed the equator), King Neptune (highest ranking Shellback), and his royal court.
What is a Golden Shellback mean?
In the U.S. Navy, when a ship crosses the equator a time-honored ceremony takes place. This is a Navy tradition and an event no sailor ever forgets. A Golden Shellback is one who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian.
What’s the difference between shellback and Golden Shellback?
Shellback variations. The shellback is simple enough: a sailor on official duty “crosses the line” of the equator. A golden shellback is more impressive; it means they’ve crossed at or near the International Date Line.
Why is crossing the equator a big deal?
The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailor’s 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 one’s profession.
Does the Navy still do shellback?
United States Navy. The U.S. Navy has well-established line-crossing rituals. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks, Honorable Shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs.
What is an honorable shellback?
When do the Pollywogs get separated from the Shellbacks?
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.
What do the Shellbacks do before the equator crossing?
The Shellbacks plan the coming festivities and come up with their list of ritualized activities, but they also spend these days making the lives of the Pollywogs utter hell and festooned with misery until a mock mutiny is staged by them on the day before the Equator crossing — They call this Pollywog Day. Rank doesn’t always have its privileges.
Where did the tradition of the Pollywog ceremony come from?
The ritual dates back at least 400 years in Western seafaring. 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. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness.
Who are the dignitaries at the Shellback ceremony?
Each US Navy warship might have their own traditions and subtleties, but the Shellback ceremony fundamental structure goes something according this: King Neptune and his royal court: The Court OF Neptune Rex consists of his queen, Davy Jones, the royal baby, and other dignitaries, arrive on the ship the evening prior to the equator crossing.
