What happens when you cross the equator on a ship?

It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. When a ship crosses the equator, King Neptune comes aboard to exercise authority over his domain and to judge charges brought against Pollywogs that they are only posing as sailors and haven’t paid proper homage to the god of the sea.

What is it called when a sailor crosses the equator?

Baptism on the line, also called equatorial baptism, is an alternative initiation ritual sometimes performed as a ship crosses the Equator, involving water baptism of passengers or crew who have never crossed the Equator before. The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune.

Why is the equator crossing ceremony?

Equator crossing or the line crossing ceremony is a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate seafarers who have never crossed the Equator, the imaginary line on the Earth’s surface. Began with the Navy over 400 years ago, the tradition is aimed to let Equator-crossing virgins to prove they are worthy to make the transition.

Does the Navy still do shellback initiation?

Crewmen aboard the destroyer USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD-968) participate in the traditional shellback initiation ceremony during exercise Unitas XXI. The shellback initiation takes place anytime a U.S. Navy ship crosses the equator.

Where do you cross the equator?

The Equator passes through 13 countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia and Kiribati. At least half of these countries rank among the poorest in the world.

What is a diamond shellback?

The Emerald Shellback or Royal Diamond Shellback for sailors who cross at 0 degrees off the coast of West Africa (where the Equator crosses the prime meridian) The Realm of the Czars for sailors who crossed into the Black Sea. The Order of Magellan for sailors who circumnavigated the Earth.

Where does the equator line run?

The Equator is the invisible line that runs around the center of the Earth at 0 degrees latitude. An equator is an imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial body. It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole, at 0 degrees latitude.

What is on the equator?

The Equator represents the great invisible circle around the Earth that is everywhere equidistant from the geographic poles and lies in a plane perpendicular to the Earth’s axis. The Equator divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In other words, it is the line with 0° latitude.

Which countries go through Equator?

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.

Which sailor was the first to cross the equator?

Lopes Gonçalves
Lopes Gonçalves or Lopo Gonçalves was a Portuguese explorer of the African coast. He was the first European sailor to cross the equator, the first to reach the point where the coast turns south and the first to reach Gabon….

Lopes Gonçalves
Known for	First European sailor crossing Earth’s equator

What is a blue nose sailor?

What happens when a ship hits the equator?

Over the history of researchers hitting the high seas to acquire water samples and observe marine life, there are multiple accounts of ceremonies performed when the ships hit the Equator. Perhaps the most famous scientist to be initiated was Charles Darwin, who wrote about it in his diary.

Who was the first person to cross the equator?

Shellback certificate awarded to Charles Cameron, aboard USS Utah (BB-31), commemorating his first crossing of the equator, December 1, 1928. This is typical of certificates awarded in the pre-WWII period. (Photo: Lou Sander/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0)

When did Charles Cameron cross the equator?

What is a line-crossing ceremony on a ship?

This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. Ship passengers who have never traversed the nautical line are forced to prove they are worthy to make the transition. Taste the World! An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. Order Now