11. Triton crossed the equator – the first of four crossings – on February 24
Crossing the equator is a rite of passage in many of the Navies of the world. Until one has crossed the equator and been initiated by the Court of King Neptune as a Shellback, one is a Pollywog. Pollywog’s are deemed unworthy of entering Neptune’s reign, and those that do are tried by the King and his court. Similar initiations exist for crossing the Arctic Circle (Bluenose) and the International Date Line (Golden Dragon). Shellbacks make the initiation ceremony as uncomfortable as possible for the Pollywogs, beginning many days before the actual ceremony, with exaggerated tales of what the newcomers should expect. For the purpose of the initiation, the niceties of naval rank were suspended. All Pollywogs received equally bad treatment.
The initiation was, to put it mildly, a messy one, which involved grease, various malodorous fluids concocted by the more twisted-minded of the crew, and the elaborately costumed court of King Neptune and his “queen”. The heaviest Shellback of the crew was garbed as the “Royal Baby”. Pollywogs emerged from the ordeal covered with the slime and were rinsed with salt water. Initiation was necessarily followed by extensive cleaning of the crew and the ship. Triton crossed the equator times more during the cruise, but no further initiations were necessary. All of the Pollywogs were elevated to the superior status of Shellbacks at the first, and their service records were annotated with the information.