Behind the strange and controversial ritual when you cross the. Crossing the equator the script of the ceremony in hmcs stettler 1957 february 26, 1957 at 106 east longitude note to reader. The crossing of the line is a ceremony undergone by sailors who are crossing the equator. Photograph of a crossing the line ceremony, uss william p. His books on naval history include, destined for glory, all the factors of. After watching right or wrong, this series comes the way but i didnt expect something from this series.
Final opportunity to harass the retiree only the crossing the line ceremony is exempt from secretary of. The art of crossing the line cfb esquimalt naval and. For a while, said hersh, some boats tried to stop the ceremonies from even happening. Naval culture, and seafaring culture in general, are rife with tradition and ritual, and the crossing the line ceremony. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a folly sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have. The royal court of the heavy cruiser augusta was typical of those on board the other ships of admiral joseph bull reeves command when the u. The crossing the line ceremony was common place on british merchant ships and many of the worlds premier naval forces uk, usa, canada, etc. The details of the ceremony below are from hms ajax on its cruise of 1935 1937, on the occasion of crossing the equator off the west coast of south america, 1st. Line crossing ceremony aboard uss coral sea, 15 nov 1943 equator crossing ceremonies on west virginia, 1944 captain thomas l sprague of the uss intrepid offering remarks of welcome to he ruler of the raging main, neptunus rex, and his escort just before for the line crossing ceremonies, 22 jan 1944. Watch rapunzels tangled adventures on disney channel. King neptune is in the center of the photograph holding a trident, and amphitrite, the goddess queen of the sea, stands to his left. In the boisterous ceremonies that accompany a ships crossing, the pollywogs, those on. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a folly. The ritual dates back at least 400 years in western seafaring.
Navy, royal navy, and other britishdescended navies for a ship to hoist the old pirate flag, the jolly roger, while king neptune is aboard. No one is really sure when or how the line crossing ceremony. Behind the strange and controversial ritual when you cross. No one is really sure when or how the line crossing ceremony, order of neptune, came about.
One naval theatrical tradition i wanted to learn more about was crossing the line. Day 76 crossing the line ceremony august 5th,2015 andy. Charles bradwell collection, veterans history project. The crossing of the line ceremony was already well established by 1938 when these series of photos were taken, and continued though wwii on some surface ships, though submarines could not risk being on surface for long enough to do this. The crossing the line ceremony still holds to many of the same mythological archetypes as its historical parentage. No two ceremonies were the same but most followed a typical pattern. Equatorial frolics crossing the line ceremony onboard submarine hms oswald in 1937. Vintage sailor vintage men antique photos vintage photos submarine museum royal navy submarine human oddities pix art calisthenics workout.
The line crossing ceremony is a ritual practiced by sailors while crossing the equator. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a folly sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure the. Crossing the line is book two in the cross creek series by kimberly kincaid. This is a timehonored tradition to mark crossing the equator in initiation with a series of tests and trials until sailors are accepted by king neptune as one of his trusty shellbacks. Christopher, service number jx324358, whose details are listed below for participation in the naval tradition of crossing.
This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a folly sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. In the first book of this series, crossing hearts, we met the middle brother, hunter cross. A shellback, or a son of neptune, is a mariner who has sailed across the equator and taken part in the crossing the line ceremony. Rapunzel makes one last attempt to make amends with cassandra, but theres no turning back for cass. Marine corps, russian navy, and other navies that commemorates a sailors first crossing of the equator. The navy is chock full of myth and tradition, and what happens at sea even affects our language. The line crossing ceremony might just be the most interesting of todays naval traditions. In the boisterous ceremonies that accompany a ships crossing, the pollywogs, those on board who have never crossed the line.
Included is a large selection of eyewitness accounts of the ceremony including captain james cook, charles darwin, a number of us navy personnel, and american merchant seamen. Linecrossing ceremony wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Our modern practice is believed to have evolved from viking rituals, executed upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition. Lincoln is a gorgeous character, with some major family issues of his own, and his and lilas history. While doing some research for a page i intend to add to seaflags on the ceremony of crossing the line i. Carnival in the naval tradition abstract the line crossing ceremony. Dec 29, 2011 join the crew of the uss francis hammond ff1067 as they partake in the seafaring ritual known as the solemn mysteries of the ancient order of shellback. Crossing the line the baltimore banners book 1 one shot and love conquers all 4. Equatorcrossing ceremonies, typically featuring king neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. Given its long history, the ritual has changed over the years, but it. The rich tradition of the crossing the line ceremonies often involved varied events throughout. By sarah penny, phd researcher, university of warwick.
Although the crossing the line ceremonies changed somewhat over time, many of the. Why does this have to be so short i would have enjoyed reading a full book on lila. The rich tradition of the crossing the line ceremonies often involved varied events throughout which pollywogs, the term given to those who have not crossed the equator before. Uss blue ridges second crossing the line ceremony while crossing the. I have a collection of over 100 yards of nonfiction books on my shelves, i think this book, crossing the line may be the best. The young officer took part in a crossing the line ceremony to mark the first time he passed the equator as a seaman in 1982. Sailors who have not yet participated in the ceremony slimy pollywogs must do so in order to become trusty shellbacks. In the book the golden bough, sir james frazer discusses the. She wasnt a huge part of pushing the limits and having read the synopsis for crossing the line, i think a full book on her would be awesome. The purpose of a retirement ceremony includes all of the following except. Aug 06, 2015 the crossing the line ceremony was common place on british merchant ships and many of the worlds premier naval forces uk, usa, canada, etc.
So just how has the ceremony changed over the years. Oct 19, 2016 the crossing of the line ceremony on navy ships is a received tradition, believed to date back to the viking days although their parallel was almost certainly something north of the equator. Photos and details of the ceremony of crossing the line on naval ships. On passenger liners such as the canberra, the line crossing ceremony was not just novelty shipboard entertainment for the passengers, it was the continuation of a centuries old tradition, based upon sailors superstitions and riddled with myth and legend. Extremely useful source documenting the history of the tradition. The ceremony of crossing the line is an initiation rite in the british merchant navy, dutch merchant navy, royal navy, u. Nobody knows exactly when the crossing the line ceremony started, but the first documented instances can be found in the accounts of french sailors from the. This is a timehonored tradition to mark crossing the equator in initiation. The ceremony observes a mariners transformation from slimy pollywog, a seaman who hasnt crossed the equator, to trusty shellback, also called a son or daughter of neptune.
The ceremony of crossing the line is an initiation rite in the british merchant navy, dutch merchant navy, royal navy, united states navy, u. Linecrossing ceremony aboard meduse on the first of july 1816. The tradition of the line crossing ceremony lived on into the ww2 era, and for. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Oct 23, 2015 behind the strange and controversial ritual when you cross the equator at sea copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket u. Since the time of ships with sails guarded the sea lanes linecrossing ceremonies for the equator and others have been observed aboard both naval and commercial vessels. His first hand telling of the horrors and triumphs. Passed on by them the angles, thence to the anglosaxons, thence to the royal navy and then to us. Eli is the youngest of the three cross brothers and i cant wait to tell you about him. The details of the ceremony below are from hms ajax on its cruise of 1935 1937, on the occasion of crossing the equator off the west coast of south america, 1st september 1936. Neptunes band of brothers naval history magazine december. Naval culture, and seafaring culture in general, are rife with tradition and ritual, and the crossing the line ceremony is just one example of this.
This is a typical script for a crossing the line ceremony. The navy ceremony of crossing the line is a tradition which originated over four hundred years ago, and which continues in strong form today. Throughout history, linecrossing ceremonies have sometimes become dangerous hazing rituals. Crossing the line is as eternal as the sea proceedings. It generally entails a bunch of gross things done to the pollywogs by the shellbacks. Crossing the line is nearly as old as seafaring itself. Perhaps the most wellknown is the order of the shellback, given to those sailors who have crossed the equator. Equator crossing ceremonies, typically featuring king neptune, are common in the navy and are also sometimes carried out for passengers entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. The navy has spent decades trying to rein in on hazing. Captain robert fitzroy of hms beagle suggested the practice had developed from earlier ceremonies in spanish, portuguese, and italian vessels passing notable headlands. Royal navy submarine museum royal navy submarine, royal. Crossing the equator for the first time used to be a harrowing experience for those who endured the royal baby and the rest of the royal court. So ancient, in fact, that the origins of these early line crossing rites are hard to trace. Back in the days of wooden ships, crossing the line ceremonies were designed to test young sailors on their first cruise out in the open sea.
The line crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a persons first crossing of the equator. The custom of marking a sailors first passage across important geographical parallels with a special ceremony is ancient. Details of the ceremonies that take place on naval ships when they cross the equator, or cross the line. The certificate refers to a maritime ceremony called crossing the line. To commemorate the occasion, i wanted to explore an intriguing and historic navy tradition that is frequently discussed in veterans history project collections. New york, new york public library, 1957 ocolc5775453. Sailors and marines participate in a crossing the line ceremony. A new virginia county the formation of hampshire county was authorized by an act of the general assembly of virginia, passed on december, 1753, effective may 1, 1754. Officers rebelled and did it anyway, which ultimately led to court martials. All written from the perspective of an enlisted man. Way back in the enlightened days of the worlds history when the greek civilization was in its prime. Jun 18, 2017 hms alliance is britains only remaining world war ii submarine and stands as a memorial to the 5,300 british submariners who have lost their lives in.
Jan 08, 2011 crossing the line, 1972, uss blue ridge. The linecrossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a persons first crossing of the equator. Zi xuan meets yu hao, a pe trainee in his school whos seductive, who always gets what he wants but whos also 9 years younger than him. Hazing is often a part of military ceremonies, such as the crossing the line ceremony, and it contributes to the secrecy of the ceremony. Jun 26, 2016 the ceremony of crossing the line is an initiation rite in the british merchant navy, dutch merchant navy, royal navy, u. Crossing of the line ceremony which took place on h. Graduations, chiefs initiations, crossing the line ceremonies, and others are only meant to celebrate and recognize the achievements of individual sailors or marines or those of entire units.
Since judi and i have previously crossed the equator, aboard ships, we are deemed as shellbacks. We have several photos throughout the site taken from various crossing the line ceremonies on many ships. The crossing the line ceremony, one of the oldest customs at sea, is a rite of passage. These are weird navy traditions and their meanings. Crossing the line certificate, hms kent, 31 march 1939 pamphlet pba3730, caird library tales from the 20th century the following anecdotes and photographs of crossing the line have been generously shared by people who responded to my call in march. A timehonored tradition line crossing ceremonies have been a part of naval tradition for at least 400 years. The disagreeable practice alluded to has been permitted in most ships, because sanctioned by time.
Pictures of prince andrew being ritually humiliated in the. Line crossing ceremony photographs world war ii database. The rich tradition of the crossing the line ceremonies often involved varied events throughout which pollywogs, the term given to those who have. I loved the first book in this series so have been so looking forward to elis story.
As hms protector and her ships company crossed the equator earlier this month, it was time for everybody to be presented to neptunes court during the infamous crossing the line ceremony. Crossing the line group in their fancy dress 6508776185. History discover an ancient greek potter makes clay figurines in corinth. Fleet conducted the massive crossing the line ceremony on 20 may 1936. Marine corps,royal australian navy, russian navy, and other navies that commemorate a sailors first crossing of the equator. Crossing the equator the script of the ceremony in hmcs stettler 1957 february 26, 1957 at 106 east longitude name of original author not recorded 1957 note to reader. Today, shellbacks still initiate pollywogs with many of the old traditionsbut with a little less mess. Reading this book reminds me of taking a core engineering courses in collegethe spiritual equivalent of, say, computer science 225 data structures.
Many naval traditions, from the sirens and sea monsters of the odyssey to the boatswains call, date back hundreds and even thousands of years. Hazing incidents have led to few military court cases because serious injury rarely occurs during hazing, and because when injury does occur it is typically handled on an administrative level. Coast guard, united states marine corps, royal australian navy, russian navy, and other navies that commemorate a sailors first crossing of the equator. Service members must be able to work together, buildingup, encouraging, and supporting their shipmates. Since the time of ships with sails guarded the sea lanes line crossing ceremonies for the equator and others have been observed aboard both naval and commercial vessels. Crossing the line navy history and heritage command navy. Performed when a ship crosses the equator, this ceremony has a rich and varied history.
The rich tradition of the crossing the line ceremonies often involved varied events throughout which pollywogs, the term given to those who have not crossed. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a folly sanctioned as a boost to morale, 2 or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. The crossing the line ceremony, one of the oldest customs at sea, is a rite of passage for landlubbers and seamen alike who have never before crossed the equator, or line. The crossing the line ceremony has been portrayed both in the pbs documentary series carrier, as well as being the plot point. Shellbacks definition and history shellback club toronto. Media in category line crossing ceremonies the following 69 files are in this category, out of 69 total.
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