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EQUATOR CROSSING
(crossing-the-line)
The equator is an
imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North
Pole and South Pole. It divides the Earth into a Northern Hemisphere
and a Southern Hemisphere. The latitude of the equator is, by
definition, 0°. The length of Earth's equator is about 24,901.5
miles.
The crew of the
USS Stokes (AKA-68) crossed the equator at 0251 hours on 14
March 1945, Latitude 00°00´00´´, Longitude 163°02´00´´ East, and all
Pollywogs were properly imitated by King Neptune and his court, thus
becoming Shellbacks.
The ceremony of
“crossing-the-line” is a time-honored historical tradition of the U.
S. Navy and other navies of the world commemorating 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.
A traditional rite
of passage ceremony is carried out to appease King Neptune, the
mythological god of the seas. "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 seamen) officiate at the ceremony, during which the
Pollywogs undergo a number of increasingly disgusting ordeals
(wearing clothing inside out and backwards; crawling on hands and
knees on nonskid-coated decks; being swatted with short lengths of
fire hose; being locked in stocks and pillories and pelted with
mushy fruit; crawling through chutes and large tubs of rotting
garbage; kissing the Royal Baby's belly coated with axle grease,
hair chopping, etc), largely for the entertainment of the
Shellbacks.
Once the ceremony is
complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate declaring his new status
as a Shellback. Another common status is the Golden shellback, a
person who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian
(International Date Line). On New Year's Eve, 1999, USS TOPEKA (SSN
754), an American fast attack submarine, crossed the equator at
the International Date Line exactly at midnight, making the crew of
120 men "Golden Millennium Shellbacks" - a feat that cannot be
repeated until the year 3000.
Thanks to Robert E.
"Bob" Ellis, BM1, USN, Ret., a member of the ship's crew, for providing the following documents on
the USS Stokes "crossing-the-line" on 14 March 1945: |
