SHELLBACKS AND POLLYWOGS

[Cora-Brooklyns Mom]

I hear all our kids that join the Navy are Pollywogs and they can eventually become Honorable Shellbacks. How do they go from being a Pollywog to being an Honorable Shellback?

[Diana Liston]

To be a SHELLBACK you have to cross the equator for the first time. If you are a Golden Shellback - you cross the equator and the Dateline at the same time. If you are a Dragon - you cross the dateline before you cross the equator. The initiation is nothing like the days when my father was in the navy... but they are initiated. They get a certificate. Don't ask them about the ceremony - they won't tell you.

[Paula]

I do not know what any of this means??? HElP

[Tracy Graham]

Well my son is aboard the USS Roosevelt and was a pollywog up until a couple weeks ago when he became a shellback. He has been enlisted for a little over a year now. He is currently out on a long deployment and became a shellback while out at sea. I believe this is some kind of initiation once you go out to sea for the big deployment. He emailed me a picture of him and the other pollywogs all gathered in a elevator hangar on the ship wearing white tee shirts that said pollywog on the back and it looked like they were all being hosed down with water. I know it also had something to do with where they were out to sea at the time they graduated to a shellback. I guess he received a certificate also. Tracy Graham, MI

[Nancy Whisler]

If he is out on a long cruise then when they return they will be doing a Tiger Cruise. Ask him about it and if you get the chance to go on a Tiger Cruise you must do it. It was a great experience and really opened my eyes on what my son does for a living. They always do a Tiger Cruise after a long deployment.

I just got back from a Tiger Cruise. My son is stationed on the Abraham Lincoln.

[sailormom64501]

I have a son on the USS Roosevelt too. This is either his 2nd or 3rd time of crossing the equator. He has been in the Navy now for over 4 years. I know they have fun during the "Crossing the Line" ceremony. I have as yet to see his certificate, but I am sure I will eventually.

[Diana Liston]

When your ship crosses the equator - the ship holds a ceremony to initiate members of the crew who have never been across the equator before. (Been across while in the Navy.) Once they are initiated by "Posiden" they are give a certificate proclaiming them to be a "SHELLBACK". Yes the initiation includes getting wet. LOL. My son Robert, is a Golden Shellback. His ship - the USS Boxer crossed the equator and the international date line at the same time. Fewer sailors are Golden Shellbacks. Until you cross the equator or the dateline you are considered a pollywog.

[Achseh]

For a pollywog to become a Shellback one must cross the equator and participate in the initiation and ceremony. It's basically gross but all in good fun and a break in a normally grueling schedule.

[Diana Liston]

http://www.desausa.org/pollywog_to_shellback.htm Check out this website.

[K]

Thanks for that link!!!! I sent it to my husband to read later. And here I was worried that our son was missing out on the whole college experience! Looks like after Nuke School and this ceremony he will have the academics and the fraternity thing covered!!!! :) And here I thought USAF Fighter Pilots were whacky!

[Renee]

My husband is a shellback from many years ago. Our son Michael hopes to become one someday soon. They give you a neat certificate that makes a nice keepsake. I just came across my husband last night so it is interesting that you are talking about it today. They recieve this when they cross the equatorfor the first time. I will have to look at my husbands because I thought it said something about crossing the equator and dateline on it. So I guess that would make him a Golden shellback. Cool.

[Pam (Chris' mom)]

Once you cross the equator you go from being a pollywog to a shellback. Got an email from my son Chris stating that he didn't have "wog slime" on him anymore that he was a shellback, so I knew he had crossed the equator, somewhere off the coast of Africa since he was on his way to his first Port of Call in Cape Town then on to the Persian Gulf. I had seen and heard about the Pollywog/Shellback ceremony from the PBS series on TV called "CARRIER", good series if you get the chance to watch it when it repeats.

[Shelly Espy]

This series is now out on video. They are totally awesome! I watched the first one at my son's house in VA and then went to the base with him and bought it cheaper than I could get it online at Amazon! It was well worth the $20 I spent!
Shelly