Crossing the Line: What Happens When A Ship Crosses the Equator

In this episode we're taking a closer look at the ceremony for crossing the equator.

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[PaulSteinmayer]

I crossed on November 17th 1987 aboard USS Ranger CV-61. At the time, one of the scariest days... but after it was over, one of the FUNNEST days had during deployment! My Shellback certificate hangs proudly in my office to this day!!!

[jin]

Crossed the Line on WesPac 84/85 on the USS Carl Vinson CVN-70. The first time crossing sucked, 8 to 10 hours getting beat and crawling through a carrier garbage on both the hanger deck and flight deck . The second time was a hell of a lot of fun. My Cheif was my wog! Trusty Rusty Shellback!

[johnbeauvais]

My grandfather told us about the day he became a Shellback, on the Attack Cargo ship Trousdale in WWII. Pretty much everything described here and he also said that they had an “Operating table” where the “Royal Doctor” (or maybe it was carpenter) would examine Wogs. He said that they had a like wooden paddle with a battery attached so that they would pass it across your stomach and according to him it felt like you’d been cut open.

[michaeldolny]

Great video. It brought back a lot of fun memories. The best part was that we all went trough it together and everyone was treated the same regardless of whether you were enlisted or an officer, Navy or Marine. At least that was the way that it was handled on my ship. It's a shame how they down play the ceremony now.

[dknight]

Another great video from the battleship. Thanks

[davideasterling]

I remember when I became a Shellback over 20 years ago. I was a little disappointed that it had been toned down, but it was still tough. No knee pads or anything like that. Unfortunately, I only got to cross once, and never got to participate from the other side of the ceremony. Proud to be a Trusty Shellback! Pollywog no more!

[Marktol]

Don't need to watch this one. I have half a dozen Shellback cards. My memories of it are all I want to remember because, when we did, it was generally very fun, but a little disgusting. Plucking a cherry out of the royal babies crisco smeared belly button...
My favorite was the time the Wogs found our garbage stash and I was the night baker. They came to me and asked me to produce enough garbage for the Wogs to swim through. Technically at Midrats it was the day of, so Wogs ate after Shellbacks, oops we ran out just after all the shellbacks ate( I let them have some of my awesome soup).
The garbage they crawled through the next day was way worse than what they threw out.

[JoshuaTootell]

Went through a more toned down version in the early 2000's. Wasn't miserable, but still had some of the disgusting aspects (whales belly was definitely still a thing). I definitely recall rolling around in other people's vomit. Axle grease was replaced by chunky peanut butter, which as a snipe didn't feel like an improvement.

Did Golden Dragon in Alaska, that was cold. Eating green eggs and ham on the forecastle while being sprayed by a fire hose with near freezing water between Alaska and Russia was fun. It was spread out and we had to stop half way through for ops, but then continued on a week later.

Shellback was about a year later. But it was very short since we were involved in counter narcotics ops at the time. Whales belly was worse in the heat, but otherwise it was more relaxed because of the op tempo.

So yeah, I did the process twice. Would have been there times but the Navy wouldn't let us divert a couple hours south to get Golden Shellback on our way to the middle east.

[davidmg]

I know from friends that went through the hazing it’s nowhere near as bad as it is to be, mainly because of women in the navy there’s a lot of rules of what the shellbacks can’t do.

[davidensign]

My transition from Lowly Pollywog to Trusty Shellback happened on June 26, 1980 aboard USS Flint (AE-32) at O degrees Latitude and 062 degrees 45 minutes East Longitude in the Indian Ocean. My fondest memory is kissing the Royal Baby's Belly Button. A delicious mixture of chocolate pudding and Tabasco Sauce. Naturally he rubbed my face firmly against his ample girth working the stinging concoction into my eyes. A lengthy salt-water shower eased the pain. Great fun! Happy to enjoy a grand nautical tradition!

[kyledelisle]

When I became a Shellback in 1991 as a Marine aboard LHA-5 USS Peleliu, the syringe that one of the sailors described wasn't filled with oil, but hot sauce. They also put hot sauce down the back of our pants, as well as eggs, which was then quickly followed by smack of a the shillelagh. We also had a toilet bowl on the deck filled with rotten food and vomit that you had to stick your face in and blow bubbles. Also, clothes were worn backwards and inside out, boots on the opposite foot. Instead of axle grease, the Royal Baby rubbed lard over his stomach. Good times. My squad leader, who was a Shellback already and helped initiate us, gave me his shillelagh (which I still have) so I could use it the Wogs the next time I went on float. The next float I did, in 1994 on once again the USS Peleliu, Marines were not allowed to do the Crossing the Line Ceremony as we had now become the gentler and kinder Marine Corps by then...

[TheEvertw]

My uncle, who was an NCO in the Dutch navy, showed us pictures of the ceremony once. The decent part, Neptune's Court. Made quite an impression, as I still remember it well 40 years (at least) later.

[wkrg]

Best time I had on the cruise. Nov 3rd, 1974 on the USS Constellation just south of Singapore... Took me a week to get all the grease out of my hair.

[bikestuffjimmy]

Dude, I'm an airman that's living with my sailor uncle. Your videos help a lot lol.

[timothy]

Imagining my grandpa going through this, is absolutely hilarious. I am dying. 😂😂

[anaetachandler]

As a Marine in 1988 when I crossed the line it was not on a ship but a airplane. That being said I remember 0530 it began but instead of on ship it was outside in the courtyard and just like on ship there was a roped off course you had to either low or high crawl (depending on the senior shellback for the portion) and to disobey got you extra whacks and other special treatment. Afterwards everyone cleaned up and off to the dispensary for our welcome to Okinawa shot. (after which you limped around for a day or two. (effect of vaccine). We were originally supposed to be on ship but due to North Korea we got deployed early. (Cramming a M60E3 into a overhead is 😊😊😊😊 fun. )

[dakotaman]

April 91 for me on FRANCIS HAMMOND. I had A LOT of attention for many reasons and it was also my birthday so party time for the Shellbacks. Next day we anchored on Thailand 🇹🇭

[timbowmar]

Ah the good ole days.I was initiated on a carrier.We had to crawl on the mess decks up to the hanger bay, there was 3 of them to a elevator up to the flight deck.All the while they are throwing slop on us and degrading us.They had pieces of fire hoses they would slap the deck with.We would growl and snap at them.The spray down on the elevator felt good to me.Up on the flight deck we had to go thru a obstacle course which included kissing the royal baby(a fat chief with peanut butter in his naval).Last part we had to swim underwater and answer the question correctly.If not you start over.I got it right.

[adamdejesus]

I shellbacked in 2011. It started at 5am, no more puke or rotten food but lots of PT and we were soaking wet all morning. Fill some aircraft engine cans with sea dye marker and saltwater, we swam through those to get to Neptune and repent our sins.

[emreus]

I have no words...
This is at least not as bad as the Australian Navy.
Their hazing rituals that surfaced during the early 90s had seasoned brown guys in klan suits showing literal boots(!) in the rear ends of fresh sailors on the deck of a surfaced submarine. I cannot unsee that shot since I was small during those days and that was one of the most obscene things I ever saw until that stage of my life.