Though they never appear on official paperwork and not all of them have ceremonies, they’re a fun bragging-rights challenge that sailors can use to flex on the uninitiated (aka ‘pollywogs’).
This amounted to over 70% of the world's total number of military ships measuring 1,000 tons or greater. It concludes the series of ominous pipes that have been playing through the night – Pollywogs, we are coming to get you! A Shellback certificate with the name of the ship, date, and latitude and longitude is placed in the sailors Master Personnel Record. The Navy has plenty of interesting and unique milestones for its sailors to strive for. Those are some wild antics. Navy “Pollywog” Three Nautical Mile Run August 27, 2016 (Saturday) - 08:00 Running 3 miles Weather Aug 27 2016 : Partly cloudy in the morning. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness.No one is really sure when or how the Line Crossing Ceremony, "Order of Neptune" came about. Whether you’re a Pollywog or a Centurion, join us this week for part two of our six-part series focusing on the military branches. Puddle Pirate--Member of the Coast Guard. Puzzle with the navy. This is a Navy tradition and an event no sailor ever forgets. Abaft — farther aft . Navy tattoos are a tradition that goes back to the time of Captain Cook's first voyage to Polynesia. SHELLBACKS – A PROUD HISTORY 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. We … 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. Sometimes it was called “The Crossing The Line Ceremony”. Recommended by user Terry Thomason. This and our weekly Mail Call, Phrase of the Week, headlines from around the military, and a Scuttlebutt you won’t want to miss. Up next, you guessed it, the Navy! Astern — behind a ship. Pollywog – A sailor who has not crossed the equator on a US Navy ship. For a while, said Hersh, some boats tried … [ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do they still do the Pollywog / Shellback ritual in the Navy? Naval method of indicating the time of day aboard ship, usually over the 1MC. Richard Plunkett, USS Lamons DE 743, fire controller 3/c, provides an account and of his Pollywog to Shellback experience: The tradition is that any person crossing for the first time is considered a Pollywog. SHELLBACKS – A PROUD HISTORY 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. For records prior to 1994, they are at NPRC in St Louis, after 1994, the records are electronic and maintained by the Navy. Pollywog To Shellback by John Muldowney USS J. R. Y. Blakely DE 140 "Ninety percent of our crew were Pollywogs, (that is a person who has not crossed the equator). It is made clear to the team they can expect no help, and the team is expendable in the navy's eyes.
The eve of the equatorial crossing is called Wog Day and, as with many other night-before rituals, is a mild type of reversal of the day to come. This ceremony was conducted when any naval vessel crossed the equator. After going through the ceremony they are a Shellback. Becoming a shellback involves a ceremony called "crossing the line" to celebrate your transitioning from a slimy pollywog (someone who has not crossed the Equator) to a noble shellback, a member of King Neptune's Royal Court. As of October 2020, he has released six albums as a solo artist. Anyone who had not crossed the equator on a ship before was called a “Pollywog” or “Wog”. There is a tradition aboard navy ships that cross the equator that anyone aboard who has never been across is a "pollywog" and has to be initiated into the "Mysteries of the Deep." Below — beneath (“lay below” means to go downstairs, for example) . A specialist team of navy divers are sent behind enemy lines to conduct demolition operations. I was on a 6 Month tour of South American when I crossed the equator in 1994. But once the initiation was complete those slimy Wogs became trusty Shellbacks. 0 2. molly. ARCHIVED; Posted: 5/23/2008 9:50:14 AM EDT I had a grade school teacher who was retired Navy and one day he treated us to his pictures and stories of the day he became a Shellback. A collection of artifacts and documents related to US Navy Gunners Mate 2nd Class Robert Edwin Kline, who was killed on the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor, HI on December 7th, 1941. n. Variant of polliwog. With Jimmy Murphy, Alan Hale Jr., Patrick Waltz, Britt Lomond. The Navy has spent decades trying to rein in on hazing; the line-crossing ceremony represents a great deal of this. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the British Merchant Navy, Dutch merchant navy, Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, Russian Navy, and other navies that commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator. Directed by Jean Yarbrough. Aft — toward the stern . His first two albums, High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, were independently released in 2013 and 2014, respectively. by David Moore Published: March 25, 2013 52 Comments. I figured with all the news breaking, I would chime in about it. People Tank – A US Navy term for the inner hull of a submarine. 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. Navy Terms. When first hatched from the egg they have a more or less globular body, a laterally compressed tail and internal or external gills. BAH — basic allowance for housing. The Pollywog of Yosu (1955) Plot. the Navy, John H. Dalton, issued SECNAV instruction 1610.2 (enclosed), which re-emphasized the Navy’s zero-tolerance policy for hazing and explained that “‘crossing-the-line’ ceremonies…are only meant to celebrate and recognize the achievements of individual Sailors or Marines or those of entire units.”29 The instruction also defined Washington Irving’s Adventures of the Black Fisherman published in 1824, Edgar Allan Poe’s 1835 novel King Pest are prominent examples of such works. On the Pollywog Bells repeat themselves every 4 hours. They haul us from our beds at five in the morning. A shellback is a sailor (or Marine, or other embarked personnel) who has sailed across the Equator. Pollywog to Shellback – A Tradition . The image associated with shellbacks is that of a turtle, while the meaning of pollywog is that of an infant frog, before metamorphosis. The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. Pollywog-- A sailor who has not crossed the equator on a U.S. Navy ship. A hazing ritual that originated in the British Navy when sailors crossed the equator for the first time, North to South probably, makes sense going from England around the Cape. Those who had been through the initiation were called “Shellbacks”. (Requires narrow experience in navigation, and either a subscription on subscription oceans or a pirate badge on doubloon oceans.) A tadpole (also called a pollywog) is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad. In the U.S. Navy, when a ship crosses the equator, a time honored ceremony takes place. In the spirit of Halloween, we have explored the fascinating tradition of the naval Line Ceremony. The information about this race is based on information provided by the organisers or found on the official website of the event. ASN — Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Battle brigands with the navy. (Allows pirates to bilge, sail, rig, carpent, patch, or gun.) What is a Pollywog in the Navy? 2. “pollywog” or “polliwog,” or shortened to “wog.” All three names are used in-terchangeably in the ceremony and in this text. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some species have tadpoles that are terrestrial. It is made clear to the team they can expect no help, and the team is expendable in the navy's eyes. The Pollywog simply hasn't been around — and a worse stigma for a Sailor is hard to imagine. Bells will only be rung as a single strike, or a closely spaced double strike, with a maximum of eight bells (4 sets of 2). Through the years, the wish to mark other seagoing milestones has given birth to certificates for all kinds of distinctions. pollywog synonyms, pollywog pronunciation, pollywog translation, English dictionary definition of pollywog. The following personal account is a reprint from DESANews, Vol 26/Num 5: Pollywog To Shellback by John Muldowney USS J. R. Y. Blakely DE 140 "Ninety percent of our crew were Pollywogs, (that is a person who has not crossed the equator). Pill Pusher – A US Navy term for a hospital corpsman. In the Navy, the primary Navigator is usually the XO, with subordinates doing the mundane daily tasks. However, the reference of Davy Jones’ locker was first found in an 1803 Naval Chronicle. Define pollywog. Given its long history, the ritual has changed over the years, but it remains a well-known—albeit sometimes controversial of Naval culture. It was outlawed in the 1980's in US Navy because of injuries done to the pollywog's (virgin sailors). A specialist team of navy divers are sent behind enemy lines to conduct demolition operations. What is a Pollywog in the Navy? From slimy Pollywog to trusty Shellback – I get down and dirty in an equator crossing ceremony with the Republic of Singapore Navy. During the19th century, Davy Jones and his locker appeared in a number of naval and adventure fictions. The tradition began with the Navy over 400 years ago. BAS — basic allowance for subsistence. John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. All hands — the entire ship’s company . It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. If the Navy wants only shellbacks and people who embody the characteristics of the shellbacks, anyone with the traits of a pollywog will be terribly misplaced. 24.1°C - 32.5°C (75.4°F - 90.5°F) Powered by Dark Sky. Ahoy — call for attention. Line-crossing has expanded to other corners of seafaring culture, including… Officer's Candy – Navy term used by sailors to describe the scented cake placed in urinals.
(Photo: US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) Oh, and in case you are wondering, crossing the Antarctic Circle … One bell corresponds to 30 minutes past the hour. Pollywog or Shellback: The Navy’s Line Crossing Ceremony Revealed. In looking at the characterization of the pollywogs, three main identities emerge: feminine, animal, and homosexual. I was in the Navy and went through a Polly-wog and Shell-back Tour Initiation after crossing the equator AMA. ... To be a (slimy)Pollywog, or ‘Wog’, was to be a newbie, an unseasoned sailor, in the early 1800s they were also called griffins.
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