Shell Back Ceremony

Hey Family!! (my comments are in RED…the rest is from WIKIPEDIA.COM)

On Sunday morning we crossed the Equator. This is a very significant event in the lives of a Sailor. The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the U.S. Navy and other navies which commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator. Originally the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. Sailors who have already crossed the equator are nicknamed (Trusty) Shellbacks, often referred to as Sons of Neptune; those who have not are nicknamed (Slimy) Pollywogs.

The two-day event (evening and day) is a ritual of reversal in which the older and experienced enlisted crew essentially takes over the ship from the officers. Physical assaults in keeping with the 'spirit' of the initiation are tolerated, and even the inexperienced crew is given the opportunity to 'take over'. 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. Like the old physically- and emotionally-intensive boot camp, the "Crossing the Line" ritual deconstructs then reconstructs the initiates' experience from newbie outsider into the experienced military fraternity. Most of this commentary is from WIKIPEDIA.COM, noone actually took over the ship from the Captain…we just had a fun ceremony to initiate all the Slimy Wogs (70 of us, including me) as Trusty Shellbacks.

The eve of the equatorial crossing is called Wog Up-Rising and, as with many other night-before rituals, is a mild type of reversal of the day to come. 'Wogs' - all of the uninitiated - are allowed to capture and 'interrogate' any shellbacks they can find. The most that happened onboard ELROD were a few signs taunting the shellbacks, some tobasco in the coffee pot in Central Control Station (where most of the shellbacks live ;) We also had a “talent show” where the all the wogs had to perform skits, songs, and games for the entertainment of the Shellbacks. The Wardroom did a skit on life in the Wardroom, all the Wog Officers performed as other officers. I donned a pipe cleaner mustache, put on LCDR rank, and got on my knees (XO is a short latin-american w/ a cheesy mustache), and the DCA donned socks in his shirt, glasses and a female military hat and acted as the Commodore. Our embarked Commander is a female CAPTAIN who is in charge of all ships I the Africa Area of Responsibility. All were entertained and had a great time.

The morning of the “Shellback Ceremony”, all the Slimy Wogs got up at the crack of dawn and had breakfast together on the messdecks…we were greated w/ green eggs, green ham, green pancakes and syrup, green potatoes and various other disgusting looking eats. Instead of getting it on a plate, it ended up being served like a cafeteria food fight, which was actually pretty fun! When was the last time you had an organized food fight on a Navy Warship???

After crossing the line, Pollywogs receive subpoenas to appear before King Neptune and his court (usually including his first assistant Davy Jones, her Highness Amphitrite, and their offspring the “Royal Baby”, who are all represented by the highest ranking seamen), who officiate at the ceremony, which is often preceded by a Beauty Contest of men dressing up as women (yes, two of my Sailors dressed in drag, freaking hilarious), each department of the ship being required to introduce one contestant in a women’s dress. During the ceremony, the Pollywogs undergo a number of increasingly disgusting ordeals (wearing clothing inside out and backwards, including undergarments you can see this in the pictures); crawling on hands and knees on nonskid-coated decks; rowing a paint punt (small boat used to paint the side of the ship) full of bright green sea dye (fluorescent sodium salt); kissing the Royal Baby's hand coated with green spaghetti, etc), largely for the entertainment of the Shellbacks. Afterwards, all Wogs are "interrogated" by King Nepture and his entourage, getting the time honored question after running the guantlet, “What are you!?!?!?”, the ideal answer being “I’m a TRUSTY SHELLBACK, SIR!!”. Of course many of my shipmates didn’t get it, saying “I’m a Slimy Wog”, and were banished to another cycle of “fun”, frought w/ shellbacks foaming at the mouth, firehoses in the face, more “games”, and lots of pushups.

Once the ceremony is complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate declaring his new status. Another rare status is the Golden shellback, a person who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian (international date line). When a ship must cross these lines, the ship's captain will usually intentionally plot a course across the Golden X so that the ship's crew can be initiated into the Golden Shellbacks.

The rarest Shellback status is that of the Emerald Shellback, which is received after crossing the equator at the prime meridian. A watered-down version of the ceremony, typically featuring King Neptune, is also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships.

-JR