[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do they still do the Pollywog / Shellback ritual in the Navy? Define pollywog.
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. Anyone who had not crossed the equator on a ship before was called a “Pollywog” or “Wog”. Pollywog – A sailor who has not crossed the equator on a US Navy ship. Pollywog to Shellback – A Tradition . Battle brigands with the navy. The Navy has plenty of interesting and unique milestones for its sailors to strive for. On the Pollywog Those are some wild antics. Arizona at Pearl Harbor, HI on December 7th, 1941. 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 The Navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. Directed by Jean Yarbrough. Line-crossing has expanded to other corners of seafaring culture, including… What is a Pollywog in the Navy? ... To be a (slimy)Pollywog, or ‘Wog’, was to be a newbie, an unseasoned sailor, in the early 1800s they were also called griffins. The information about this race is based on information provided by the organisers or found on the official website of the event. This is a Navy tradition and an event no sailor ever forgets. Navy “Pollywog” Three Nautical Mile Run August 27, 2016 (Saturday) - 08:00 Running 3 miles Weather Aug 27 2016 : Partly cloudy in the morning. Astern — behind a ship. n. Variant of polliwog. 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). We … 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. A specialist team of navy divers are sent behind enemy lines to conduct demolition operations.
(Photo: US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) Oh, and in case you are wondering, crossing the Antarctic Circle … People Tank – A US Navy term for the inner hull of a submarine. They haul us from our beds at five in the morning. The Pollywog of Yosu (1955) Plot. Up next, you guessed it, the Navy! Abaft — farther aft . 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. What is a Pollywog in the Navy? “pollywog” or “polliwog,” or shortened to “wog.” All three names are used in-terchangeably in the ceremony and in this text. Below — beneath (“lay below” means to go downstairs, for example) . BAH — basic allowance for housing. In the U.S. Navy, when a ship crosses the equator, a time honored ceremony takes place. Given its long history, the ritual has changed over the years, but it remains a well-known—albeit sometimes controversial of Naval culture. 2. This and our weekly Mail Call, Phrase of the Week, headlines from around the military, and a Scuttlebutt you won’t want to miss. 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. 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. 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). From slimy Pollywog to trusty Shellback – I get down and dirty in an equator crossing ceremony with the Republic of Singapore Navy. Puzzle with the navy. It is made clear to the team they can expect no help, and the team is expendable in the navy's eyes. But once the initiation was complete those slimy Wogs became trusty Shellbacks. Officer's Candy – Navy term used by sailors to describe the scented cake placed in urinals. With Jimmy Murphy, Alan Hale Jr., Patrick Waltz, Britt Lomond. 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." 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). However, the reference of Davy Jones’ locker was first found in an 1803 Naval Chronicle. ASN — Assistant Secretary of the Navy. John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. I figured with all the news breaking, I would chime in about it. A tadpole (also called a pollywog) is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad. by David Moore Published: March 25, 2013 52 Comments. One bell corresponds to 30 minutes past the hour. Recommended by user Terry Thomason. For a while, said Hersh, some boats tried … As of October 2020, he has released six albums as a solo artist. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some species have tadpoles that are terrestrial.
This amounted to over 70% of the world's total number of military ships measuring 1,000 tons or greater. 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 spent decades trying to rein in on hazing; the line-crossing ceremony represents a great deal of this. For records prior to 1994, they are at NPRC in St Louis, after 1994, the records are electronic and maintained by the Navy. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. A specialist team of navy divers are sent behind enemy lines to conduct demolition operations. Puddle Pirate--Member of the Coast Guard. It is made clear to the team they can expect no help, and the team is expendable in the navy's eyes. The image associated with shellbacks is that of a turtle, while the meaning of pollywog is that of an infant frog, before metamorphosis. Naval method of indicating the time of day aboard ship, usually over the 1MC. 24.1°C - 32.5°C (75.4°F - 90.5°F) Powered by Dark Sky. 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. 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. 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’). pollywog synonyms, pollywog pronunciation, pollywog translation, English dictionary definition of pollywog. 0 2. molly. In looking at the characterization of the pollywogs, three main identities emerge: feminine, animal, and homosexual. 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. 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. In the spirit of Halloween, we have explored the fascinating tradition of the naval Line Ceremony. I was on a 6 Month tour of South American when I crossed the equator in 1994. (Allows pirates to bilge, sail, rig, carpent, patch, or gun.) When first hatched from the egg they have a more or less globular body, a laterally compressed tail and internal or external gills. Pollywog or Shellback: The Navy’s Line Crossing Ceremony Revealed. Bells repeat themselves every 4 hours. Sometimes it was called “The Crossing The Line Ceremony”. Ahoy — call for attention. Pill Pusher – A US Navy term for a hospital corpsman. Navy Terms. It was outlawed in the 1980's in US Navy because of injuries done to the pollywog's (virgin sailors). BAS — basic allowance for subsistence. 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. All hands — the entire ship’s company . 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. 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. 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. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. Navy tattoos are a tradition that goes back to the time of Captain Cook's first voyage to Polynesia. I was in the Navy and went through a Polly-wog and Shell-back Tour Initiation after crossing the equator AMA. Pollywog-- A sailor who has not crossed the equator on a U.S. Navy ship. The Pollywog simply hasn't been around — and a worse stigma for a Sailor is hard to imagine. 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. In the Navy, the primary Navigator is usually the XO, with subordinates doing the mundane daily tasks. 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. 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.) It concludes the series of ominous pipes that have been playing through the night – Pollywogs, we are coming to get you! A shellback is a sailor (or Marine, or other embarked personnel) who has sailed across the Equator. This ceremony was conducted when any naval vessel crossed the equator. Aft — toward the stern . Through the years, the wish to mark other seagoing milestones has given birth to certificates for all kinds of distinctions. During the19th century, Davy Jones and his locker appeared in a number of naval and adventure fictions. His first two albums, High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, were independently released in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The tradition began with the Navy over 400 years ago. After going through the ceremony they are a Shellback.
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