What is a Pollywog in the Navy?

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have well-established line-crossing rituals. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks, Honorable Shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs.

What is a Pollywog and Shellback?

A Time-Honored Tradition

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. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness.

Does the Navy still do shellback initiation?

Crewmen aboard the destroyer USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD-968) participate in the traditional shellback initiation ceremony during exercise Unitas XXI. The shellback initiation takes place anytime a U.S. Navy ship crosses the equator.

What happens when you cross the equator in the Navy?

The shellback is simple enough: A sailor on official duty “crosses the line” of the equator. A golden shellback is more impressive; it means they've crossed the International Date Line. Even rarer, crossing at the Prime Meridian grants you access into the Order of the Emerald Shellback.

What does it mean to be a Shellback?

1 : an old or veteran sailor. 2 : a person who has crossed the equator and been initiated in the traditional ceremony.

Pollywog To Shellback, WCP

Why do sailors have bell bottoms?

Although no one has been officially accredited with inventing the bell bottom trouser, the flared out look was introduced for sailors to wear in 1817. The new design was made to allow the young men who washed down the ship's deck to roll their pant legs up above their knees to protect the material.

What is a blue nose in the Navy?

The “Order of the Blue Nose” is a Navy tradition which dictates that when Sailors cross into the Arctic Circle, they enter the realm of Boreas Rex, King of the North. The only way to be accepted into the order is to successfully complete his list of challenges.

What is a water fountain called in the Navy?

Scuttlebutt: The Navy term for water fountain. The Navy History Museum describes the term as a combination of “scuttle,” to make a hole in the ship's side causing her to sink, and “butt,” a cask or hogshead used in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water.

Do submariners become Shellbacks?

Once they were initiated, they then become “shellbacks”, otherwise known as fit subjects of King Neptune. Pranks are often played on the new initiates during the ceremony. However, the Navy has outlined that any hazing or abuse is strictly forbidden.

What is a Emerald Shellback?

The Emerald Shellback or Royal Diamond Shellback for maritime personnel who cross at 0 degrees off West Africa (where the Equator crosses the prime meridian ) The Realm of the Czars for maritime personnel who crossed into the Black Sea . The Order of Magellan for maritime personnel who circumnavigated the Earth.

What is a US Navy Golden Dragon?

The Domain of the Golden Dragon is an unofficial but highly coveted award of the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard. It is given to crew members of ships which cross the International Date Line.

What is a shellback tattoo?

Shellback Turtle Tattoos

Like a ship at full mast, a shellback tattoo showed a sailor's experience at sea. Once a sailor crossed the equator, he earned the right to get a turtle inked on his body. The longer someone had spent at sea, the more tattoos they could show off.

Why is crossing the equator a big deal?

The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a sailor's first time crossing of the equator. It is a memory that is etched into each and every seafarer, for it is an event that ushers in a sense of belonging to one's profession.

What is Neptunus Rex?

The mythological god of the seas, Neptune or 'Neptunus Rex' (Ruler of the Deep) is the 'Majesty' to whom homage is paid. He is usually portrayed by a senior member of a ship's company, often a Chief Petty Officer.

What is Ancient Order of the Deep?

After the ceremony, the Sailors were inducted into the "Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep" meaning that King Neptune had accepted them as one of his trusty shellbacks. With the pollywog to shellback transition complete, a certificate was often awarded to the new shellback as a rite of passage.

How long is a destroyer ship?

Destroyer warships come in a range of sizes. Smaller destroyers, such as the Royal Navy's Type 45 Daring class and Russia's Project 956 Sovremenny class, measure in at around 150m in length, with a beam of around 17-18m. Then there is the US Navy's Zumwalt-class destroyer, a 190m long colossus with a beam of 24.6m.

What is crossing the equator called in the Navy?

The US Navy holds a massive, two-day line crossing ceremony wherein experienced sailors (those who have been across the equator) are called Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks and Honorable Shellbacks, the Sons of Neptune. Newbies are called Pollywogs, Slimy Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs.

What is an iron shellback Navy?

Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks, Trusty Shellbacks, Honorable Shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs, or Slimy Pollywogs, or sometimes simply Slimy Wogs.

What are the different types of Shellbacks?

There are the Pollywogs (sailors who have not crossed the equator), the trusty Shellbacks (sailors who have crossed the equator), King Neptune (highest ranking Shellback), and his royal court.

What is a squid in the Navy?

A term used in the old Navy (not the store), Squid is what other branches. (especially Marines) generally called sailors. The term refers to the aquatic animal and how it can swim fast in a straight line but similar to inexperienced motorcyclists, have trouble quickly changing directions.

What does salty mean in the Navy?

“Salty” is a term from the United States Navy used to describe an experienced sailor – someone for whom the romanticized idea of ship life is gone and replaced with sea salt.

What does whiskey mean in Navy terms?

Also, what does “whiskey” mean in naval terms or just what the stand for something in naval terms or just what they navy calls locations? According to the military alphabet, whiskey represents the letter W. It may have been used in this case, but Whiskey could have been an abbreviation for the letter W.

What is a Navy Crow?

A crow is an unofficial Navy term for the petty officer rank insignia, which includes an eagle above one to three chevrons, depending upon a Sailor's rank.

Why do Navy uniforms have a flap?

The collar, also known as a tar flap, was a holdover from an earlier era when men had long hair that was tied back with tar or grease. The collar protected the uniform from dirt and grime.

Why do Navy pilots wear brown shoes?

The term “brown shoe” dates to 1913, when Naval aviators adopted brown leather shoes to hide an airfield's dust, while sailors on ships with plenty of tar and coal wore black shoes.