Shellback or Wog?

[RobertJ.]

When Navy guys are swapping sea stories, there's one trump card that when played, usually wins, (not always, but a lot) especially if you're swapping these stories with guys who didn't spend a lot of time on the ocean. This is regardless of rate or pay grade. And that's, "Yeah, but are you a shellback, or a wog?" (short for pollywog)

A friend of mine who was already a shellback took these photos of me. He took an entire roll of film, these just show the equator crossing initiation the best. We were in the Indian Ocean, part of the carrier Constellation's battle group.

They got us out on the deck at 0600, and hosed us all down with ocean water. Then they made us do various things, like pretend we were rowing a boat, while singing "Row, row, row your boat" loudly. They also slapped us all with lengths of fire hose, aka the sheleighly. In the group shot of us on the deck, I'm just to the right of center. After an hour or so of this, we had to crawl from the bow to the fantail, where we went through the worst of it. In one shot, I'm "Kissing the Royal Baby". Al Cantu was the royal baby, and he had crisco smeared all over his belly, and a cherry stuck in his belly button. We had to eat the cherry. I spit the first one out, so I had to eat two. When you went to eat it, he'd grab your head and smear it all over his belly. (Yeah, yeah, save your jokes!) Then we had to lay in "the coffin" where they poured garbage on us that they'd been saving for a week. Then they fed us breakfast. It wasn't as nasty as it looked, it was scrambled eggs and pasta with green food color.

I survived, and it was worth it. This, along with actually getting to "pull the trigger" on a 5"/54 was one of the high points of my active duty.

My thanks to Master Chief for inspiring me to dig these photos out!

 

[Fishslayer]

No slime infestation here, no sir!

 

[dubtap21]

Good stuff! This brings back some memories!

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 

[FifthWheel]

Yeah, I kissed the Royal baby in the Indian Ocean. Aboard the USS Guadalcanal.

 

[ditrina]

Shellback November 1968

Red Nose January 1969 ( OPERATION DEEP FREEZE '69 )

 

[Jebus35745]

I went through the initiation on the way home from Vietnam on the USS America. Actually crossed the equator twice and have been completely around the globe once. Can't believe how long ago it was, Larry

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Became a Shellback on 24 April 1970 on board the USS America. Lat 0 and Long 40. On later dates became Golden Shellback and also crossed both Arctic and Anarctic circles on other ships. I was so wild during initiation that I had bruises from the back of my knees to the small of my back. Had grease in my hair that I thought would never come out. I figured that I was only going thru it once so might as well make the most of it.

I think that the ceremony is pretty mild in today's Navy, must not offend anyone's sensitivities.

 

[StakeOut]

Plank Owner and Shellback USS Enterprise CVA(N)65 Marine Detachment.

 

[rags]

Shellback USS America x 2 (1981 & 1983)

 

[Mark S.]

Shellback USS Parsons DDG-33. Indian Ocean 1978 or 1979 if I recall, I'll have to dig out my certificate.

 

[RobertJ.]

Shellback November 1968

Red Nose January 1969 ( OPERATION DEEP FREEZE '69 )

Very nice!

I lost my certificate years ago, I think about when my first wife and I split the sheets.

 

[RobertJ.]

Shellback USS Parsons DDG-33. Indian Ocean 1978 or 1979 if I recall, I'll have to dig out my certificate.

This was on my first boat, USS Somers, DDG-34, 1982.

 

[walkin jack]

When Navy guys are swapping sea stories, there's one trump card that when played, usually wins, (not always, but a lot) especially if you're swapping these stories with guys who didn't spend a lot of time on the ocean. This is regardless of rate or pay grade. And that's, "Yeah, but are you a shellback, or a wog?" (short for pollywog)

A friend of mine who was already a shellback took these photos of me. He took an entire roll of film, these just show the equator crossing initiation the best. We were in the Indian Ocean, part of the carrier Constellation's battle group.

They got us out on the deck at 0600, and hosed us all down with ocean water. Then they made us do various things, like pretend we were rowing a boat, while singing "Row, row, row your boat" loudly. They also slapped us all with lengths of fire hose, aka the sheleighly. In the group shot of us on the deck, I'm just to the right of center. After an hour or so of this, we had to crawl from the bow to the fantail, where we went through the worst of it. In one shot, I'm "Kissing the Royal Baby". Al Cantu was the royal baby, and he had crisco smeared all over his belly, and a cherry stuck in his belly button. We had to eat the cherry. I spit the first one out, so I had to eat two. When you went to eat it, he'd grab your head and smear it all over his belly. (Yeah, yeah, save your jokes!) Then we had to lay in "the coffin" where they poured garbage on us that they'd been saving for a week. Then they fed us breakfast. It wasn't as nasty as it looked, it was scrambled eggs and pasta with green food color.

I survived, and it was worth it. This, along with actually getting to "pull the trigger" on a 5"/54 was one of the high points of my active duty.

My thanks to Master Chief for inspiring me to dig these photos out!

As a Fleet Marine Force medic I have crossed the international date line 3 times on troop ships. I got a kick from the pics in the OP! Brought back some fun memories. Fun because the first time I crossed the skipper of the ship would not allow the ceremony for some reason. the other two time I had my shellback card tucked safely in my wallet. Good thing too because those two time the ceremony was observed with much flair.

 

[LLOYD17]

4+ hour fun fest on the Stennis in 2012. We got topside on the fantail right when we hit the line and turned left to go back north.

Got my Bluenose by spending a couple nights at N72deg last year (in the summer thankfully).

 

[41 fan]

I crossed twice, June of 1970 and November of 1971 aboard the USS Oklahoma City (CLG5), 7th Fleet Flagship homeported at Yokosuka Japan. I have the wallet cards and full size certificates for both crossings. Dean

 

[rwsmith]

I'm wog......

....but I know better than to make the 'baby' cry. I wouldn't mind any of it until all that. I wonder what kind of 'ordeal' they put civilians through?

 

[OMCHamlin]

Golden Shellback, Frank Cable, '96, homeport change from Charleston to Guam, where she med-moored next to my first ship, the Holland.

 

[tlawler]

I first crossed on 2Feb1981 aboard the USS Brewton (FF-1086).Crossed three more times that were a lot more fun than the first time. Not too long after the first crossing, a sailor on another ship somewhere almost died(according to rumors)from a reaction to the graphite bearing grease that was used widely throughout the fleet for the ceremony and all of our subsequent crossings were done with lard from the galley. I remember having to wash my hair about 10 times before I got all the grease out. We had to shower with seawater to get most of the grease off and the soap and shampoo wouldn't lather with seawater. There must have been 50 empty bottles of shampoo all over the deck of the head where we were trying to wash it all out and throwing the empties out of the stalls as we went.
One fond memory of my first crossing as a Shellback was feeding the Wogs breakfast. The MS's had put together this disgusting conglomeration of spaghetti, sardines, and lard dyed green with food coloring. When the Wogs wouldn't eat it, we provided them with a "doggie bag" which consisted of taking the plate full of the disgusting chow and shoveling as much as we could down the backsides of their dungarees then whacking them really hard on the backside with a Shillelage and try to get the "food" to squirt out as far as possible.
Below are pictures of my first crossing from the cruisebook. From left: My division officer Lt. John Popek, my division Chief MMC Lenny Sprout and "the stocks". It was actually kind of cool that my DO and Chief went through it with me.

 

[tlawler]

I think that the ceremony is pretty mild in today's Navy, must not offend anyone's sensitivities.

I can only imagine how a crossing in the earlier days would go over today. Ours got pretty wild and even dangerous at times. I've heard a lot of stories of crossings back in the 60's and 70's from some of the Chiefs and Lifers and some of them are almost unbelievable in how politically incorrect they got, for lack of a better term.

 

[Mr Pokeyman]

May 21, 1965. Had to go look at my certificate, it's framed and hanging in the basement. USS Independence CVA-62, on the way to join the 7th fleet and say hello to Ho Chi Minh. We had to swim thru a huge dumpster full of garbage and water. Then we crawled thru a gauntlet of men who whipped us with pieces of fire hoses and it hurt. Then we met King Neptune. He looked like a Buddah with a diaper on sitting on a chair. We kissed his belly which had some kind of grease all over it. Then, they hosed us down with fire hoses. It sounds gruesome but we loved it. Sort of like graduating from Boot Camp. We were proud of going thru it although I wouldn't want to do it again.