Below are a few photos celebrating this achievment along with a description taken from the HMCS Fredericton Website. Looks like a good time was had by all.
Crossing the equator brought Fredericton to the attention of King Neptune, who sent his messenger Davey Jones to inspect the guard the night before. Finding the Tadpoles (those who hadn’t crossed the line previously) “unclean”, he prepared them for the following day’s arrival of King Neptune himself. This included a quick scrub down with a trout, and a follow on washing of salt water. The Shellbacks (those who had crossed the line previously) watched on with mild amusement, knowing what was in store for the Tadpoles.
On the morning of the 31st the crew was divided into two groups. Tadpoles, who ate a breakfast fit for King Neptune himself consisting of salmon guts (pink scrambled eggs), seaweed (green bacon) and entrails (green noodles) and Shellbacks, who ate a breakfast of steak and eggs. Following a short respite, the Tadpoles were mustered on the flight deck to attend Neptune’s court, where they were finally introduced to the legendary King himself. The King inspected each tadpole individually, cleansing them once again and ceremoniously dunking them in a pool of salt water before declaring them “Shell backs.”
The specifics of the crossing of the line ceremony may change slightly from navy to navy, from ship to ship, even from crossing to crossing, but the idea is the same. It exists to recognize a special occurrence in a sailor’s life in a fitting manner; by surrounding them with their shipmates and publically acknowledging their accomplishment.
Have a good weekend folks!
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