What is a shellback certificate?
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.
What is a shellback in the military?
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 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’s a Golden Shellback?
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 at or near the International Date Line. Even rarer, crossing at the Prime Meridian grants you access into the Order of the Emerald Shellback.
What is a blue nose certificate?
An ‘Order of the Blue Nose’ certificate, awarded to sailors to mark their first crossing of the Arctic Circle. Such certificates were unofficial and the design was unique to individual ships.
What is equator crossing certificate?
The tradition According to old tradition, all those crossing the equator for the first time must be baptized and thus made an able-bodied seaman. After the ceremony, the «newly baptized» will receive a Crossing the Line Certificate stating his or her name, name of the ship and date.