Question for the sailors

[Alpo]

Guy has this question on another board.

 

Now a ribbon rack is where you put your actual medals, right? Anything from a "I was there" medal up to a DSM.

 

But the guy wants to know where on the ribbon rack you're supposed to put your shellback medal.

 

I don't believe crossing the equator qualifies you for an actual medal, so in my opinion it does not belong on the ribbon rack.

 

Am I correct in this assumption? It would be more like a qualification badge, so like pilot's wings or parachutest's wings or the CIB, it wouldn't go on the rack?

[Pat Riot]

No medal. A certificate signed by the Captain, an entry in your jacket and bragging rights. 
And if you’re so inclined, a tattoo you buy yourself. 
 

Edit: No ribbon either. 

Edited December 14, 2024 by Pat Riot

[Sedalia Dave]

3 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

No medal. A certificate signed by the Captain, an entry in your jacket and bragging rights. 
And if you’re so inclined, a tattoo you buy yourself. 
 

Edit: No ribbon either. 

 

THIS ^^^^

[Pat Riot]

Here’s a poor photo of my Shellback certificate. 
 

[Alpo]

I did wonder about that. Daddy had a polar bear certificate. No medal. No badge. Nice big certificate, maybe 2x3 feet.

[Pat Riot]

4 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I did wonder about that. Daddy had a polar bear certificate. No medal. No badge. Nice big certificate, maybe 2x3 feet.

I think mine is maybe 14”x18”

 

It’s still packed from our move. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

2 hours ago, Alpo said:

Guy has this question on another board.

 

Now a ribbon rack is where you put your actual medals, right? Anything from a "I was there" medal up to a DSM.

 

But the guy wants to know where on the ribbon rack you're supposed to put your shellback medal.

 

I don't believe crossing the equator qualifies you for an actual medal, so in my opinion it does not belong on the ribbon rack.

 

Am I correct in this assumption? It would be more like a qualification badge, so like pilot's wings or parachutest's wings or the CIB, it wouldn't go on the rack?

Frame the certificate and hang it on the wall with your Discharge certificates (NOT your DD-214), photes,  and other stuff.

[Caprock Kid]

Never understood the fascination Navy guys had with crossing the equator. Conducted ground ops back and forth across across 0 degree lat on two continents on multiple occasions- no certificate but I did get a bunch of new entries in my little yellow vaccination card!

[watab kid]

i have a lot of my FILs stuff to go through - hope to get there this winter , he crossed that a number of times and went under the pooler cap in the nautilus original crew  - ive seen a little of the awards and there is a box full of framed items as well as mementos from all over the world - mostly pacific , three tours in VN and stationed in japan for a good number of years , ive a lot of sorting to do - i need to put together a record for the grandkids that never met him , 

 

i did this for my father - WWII B29 gunner on saipan , im just starting to feel like there is a lot less interest on the part of the younguns to think on their elders it makes me think our youth today dont appreciate the sacrifices made to give them the life they have today , but we shall see ,

 

corrected spelling 

 

also adding that of five siblings , i - on behave of his only daughter wanted to keep and preserve all of this , his sons were fine with throwing it in the dumpster - i dont understand that but them they are all younger than me , i guess the second world war was a long time ago , but i grew up knowing it , and i guess the cold war was a long time ago but this family lived in it , i just dont get it 

Edited December 14, 2024 by watab kid

[Pat Riot]

6 hours ago, Caprock Kid said:

Never understood the fascination Navy guys had with crossing the equator. Conducted ground ops back and forth across across 0 degree lat on two continents on multiple occasions- no certificate but I did get a bunch of new entries in my little yellow vaccination card!

Naval traditions. It wasn’t a “fascination”.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

4 hours ago, watab kid said:

and i guess the cold war was a long time ago but this family lived in it , i just dont get it 

I was having dinner with three colleagues last month. Three of us were veterans plus one 31 year old.

 

I talked about being stationed in West Germany and being there when The Wall game down. The 31 year old asked, “What’s The Wall?”

 

After the shock wore off we had a history lesson.

 

I don’t get it either.

Edited December 14, 2024 by Charlie Harley, #14153

[Blackwater 53393]

I get it!!  My wife was a teacher for thirty-three years! When she first started teaching, even teaching 2nd grade, she had bits and pieces of WWII and such in the curriculum because they explained Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day to those little kids.

 

They also taught Columbus Day and July 4th!!

 

By the time she retired, teaching 5th grade, there was nearly NO mention of any conflict after the beginning of the 20th century and most of what we, (us old farts) learned about the Civil War, (also known as “The War of the Northern Aggression”) had been rewritten and even the history of Revolutionary War was severely diminished!!

 

These things and the advent of “teaching to the test” were the major reasons for her decision to retire!  Teaching was/is her calling. She won many awards and was even nominated by the school system for National Teacher of the Year, but when she was asked to fill in as a substitute a year after her retirement, I heard her reply, “Not just NO!! HELL NO!” and then she slammed down the phone.

 

Kids today don’t know these things because they’re no longer taught or history in schools and parents don’t pass the knowledge along either!!

[Pat Riot]

I have been wondering lately if the Shellback initiation is now a watered down PC pantie-waste hugging session. Anyone know?

 

I know I heard a Navy Admiral on some news show state that hazing ceremonies have been banned in the Navy and Marine Corps. 

[Barry Sloe]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I have been wondering lately if the Shellback initiation is now a watered down PC pantie-waste hugging session. Anyone know?

I've also wondered about the Chief's initiation. 

Somehow I don't think it is anything like what I went through in 1983. Boy, I'm getting old. 

 

BS

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, Barry Sloe said:

I've also wondered about the Chief's initiation. 

Somehow I don't think it is anything like what I went through in 1983. Boy, I'm getting old. 

 

BS

A hazard of living. Or is it a blessing? 

[MizPete]

6 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

heard a Navy Admiral on some news show state that hazing ceremonies have been banned in the Navy

Yeah.  Dad said when you crossed the equator for the first time they dumped you headfirst into a barrel of oil.

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, MizPete said:

Yeah.  Dad said when you crossed the equator for the first time they dumped you headfirst into a barrel of oil.

 That’s only part of it. There is much much more. 

[watab kid]

13 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

I was having dinner with three colleagues last month. Three of us were veterans plus one 31 year old.

 

I talked about being stationed in West Germany and being there when The Wall game down. The 31 year old asked, “What’s The Wall?”

 

After the shock wore off we had a history lesson.

 

I don’t get it either.

isnt that the truth - no history taught in school anymore , particularly related to marxism /maoism/ lenninism , i get the distink impression they dont want the youth to know the evils of communism in our times , 

 

but then they dont touch much on VN either , 

 

in college 69/70 my roomate before i got married in 71 was a younger student whos father was stationed in Stuttgart [a colonel ] he and i hit it off very well , after i was married he got engaged and i was invited to his wedding , at the reception dinner i was seated at the table with his two brothers , they were green berets that had been in VN and were home on leave for the event , we had a great discussion and enjoyed each others company a lot , later in life i became aware that one was the GENERAL OF THE ARMY  the other was THE SUGEON GENERAL OF THE ARMY , funny how life plays out , 

anyway , i was talking with my grandkids a year ago and mentioned VN , they all had blank looks on their faces , knew nothing of it at all , funny how life plays out , 

 

when i was a kid in the 50s i knew a lot of korea , WWII , WWI , span am war , mexican incursion , and the civil &revolution , as well as war of 1812 , but i dont thik kids today get that info , not sure how future generations will avoid repeating these mistakes if they are not taught of them , 

[MizPete]

17 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

That’s only part of it. There is much much more. 

I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.

[Alpo]

Well at least they don't keel haul them anymore.

[Pat Riot]

8 hours ago, MizPete said:

I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.

It’s nothing bad. Just lots of humiliation and getting your butt beat with chunks of fire hose. Well, it’s not bad…unless your the Pollywog hoping to become a Shellback. 
 

Edited to change “house” to “hose”. 

Edited December 16, 2024 by Pat Riot

[Chief Rick]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:

It’s nothing bad. Just lots of humiliation and getting your butt beat with chunks of fire house. Well, it’s not bad…unless your the Pollywog hoping to become a Shellback. 

My daughter just came across pictures of the beauty contest from when I crossed the line in 1990.😁🤣

[Barry Sloe]

I lived next to a Navy Lt (03) that had attended a Chiefs initiation. She didn't understand all that went on. I went in, got my Chief's Creed off the wall, and let her read it. That's all it took. 

The bad thing is that ANY initiation can get out of hand. We got to where we would assign people to stand back, watch, and monitor. Kept things safe. 

Lots of good memories associated with initiations of one kind or another. 

 

BS

 

[Dapper Dave]

On 12/13/2024 at 7:13 PM, Pat Riot said:

No medal. A certificate signed by the Captain, an entry in your jacket and bragging rights. 
And if you’re so inclined, a tattoo you buy yourself. 
 

Edit: No ribbon either. 

I lost the certificate and the wallet card decades ago, but the tattoo is still there, Trusty Shellback, '88. 

[Dapper Dave]

On 12/14/2024 at 6:32 PM, Pat Riot said:

 That’s only part of it. There is much much more. 

I had pictures at one time...

[Dr. Zook]

How many of these are legitimate certifications:

 

List of Unofficial U.S. Navy Certificates

 

Through the years, the wish to mark other seagoing milestones has given birth to certificates for all kinds of distinctions. Most of them are variations on the shellback theme; they document, typically in salty language, passing certain places for the first time. Some of these time-honored traditions that have come to light include:

Antarctic Circle
Crossing of the Antarctic Circle (66-32 South latitude). Also known as the "Royal Domain of the Penguin" "Frozen Stiff" or "Red Nose."

Arctic Circle
Crossing of the Arctic Circle (66-32 North latitude). Also known as the "Northern Domain of the Polar Bear" or "Blue Nose."

Blue Nose
Crossing of the Arctic Circle (66-32 North latitude). See also "Arctic Circle," and "Northern Domain of the Polar Bear."

Caterpillar Club
Anyone who had made an unscheduled parachute jump from a disabled plane. Caterpillar denotes use of a silkworm's product in parachute construction. Club members wear a gold caterpillar on civies only, the color of the caterpillar's jeweled eyes is determined by the circumstances, i.e. ruby eyes show that the wearer has survived a midair collision.

Century Club
Pilots who have completed their 100th carrier landing. Also applicable to hurricane hunters who have flown through winds of 100 miles per hour or more.

Deep Dive Diploma
Presented to crew members for first dives, last dives, etc.

Decommissioning
Decommissioning of a ship, land unit, or squadron.

Deep Dive Diploma
Issued to crew of USS Nautilus (SSN-571) during the boat's first dive.

Double Centurions
Pilots who have completed their 200th carrier landing.

Emerald Shellback
Crossing of the Equator at the Greenwich Meridian.

Frozen Stiff
Members who have crossed the Antarctic Circle and are entitled to all privileges of this frozen realm of blizzards, including freezing, shivering, starving and any other privileged miseries that can possibly be bestowed.

Golden Dragon
Crossing of the 180th Meridian (International Date Line).

Golden Shellback
Crossing of the Equator at the 180th Meridian.

Goldfish Club
Pilots who ditch and have to take to a life raft. If they spend more than 24 hours on the raft, they become "Sea Squatters."

Great Lakes
Cruising the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes. 

Icelandic Domain
Commemorating service in Iceland.

Mossback 
Traversing around Cape Horn.

Neutron Owners Certificate
Plank owner certificate issued to crew of USS Nautilus (SSN-571) on 17 Jan. 1955 at latitude 40 20' 46. 

Northern Domain of the Polar Bear
Crossing the Arctic Circle (66- 32 North latitude). See also "Arctic Circle" and "Blue Nose"

Order of Magellan
Going around the World.

Order of the Ditch
Transiting the Panama Canal. See also "Panama Canal."

Order of the Nuclear Navy
Designates the bearer of this wallet-sized card as an honorary member of the USS Nautilus' ships company. It was issued to personnel outside of the crew who had "performed feats underwater" while aboard the vessel for a visit. 

Order of the Rock
Transit through the Straits of Gibraltar.

Order of the Square Rigger
Service on any square rigger ship.

Panama Canal 
Transit through the Panama Canal. Also "Order of the Ditch."

Persian Excursion
Persian Gulf service

Plank Owner
Commissioning a Ship or Shore Command Special Honorary title for those certificates requiring it.

Pollywog
Member who has not previously "crossed the Line" (Equator).

Realm of the Czars
Cruising the Black Sea.

Red Nose
Member who has crossed the Antarctic Circle (66-32 South latitude). See also "Antarctic Circle," "Frozen Stiff" and "Royal Domain of the Emperor Penquin."

Roustabout
Service at the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, California. 

Royal Domain of the Emperor Penguin
Crossing the Antarctic Circle (66-32 South latitude). Also "Antarctic Circle" "Frozen Stiff" and "Red Nose."

Royal Experiment of Guinea Pigs at Bikini Atoll
Operation Crossroads, 1946

Royal Order of Whale Bangers
Crew members who accidentally fired at a whale, unfortunately mistaking it for a submarine. 

Safari to Suez
Transiting the Suez Canal.

Sea Squatters
Member who takes to the water and spend more than 24 hours on a life raft.

Shellback
Crossing the Equator. Special Gold Shellback title for crossing at the International Date Line, special Emerald Shellback title for crossing at the Greenwich Meridian.

Spanish Main
Cruising the Caribbean.

Suez Canal
Transit through the Suez Canal. Also "Safari to Suez."

[Pat Riot]

7 hours ago, Dr. Zook said:

How many of these are legitimate certifications:

Wow! That’s a lot of Glee Club awards…

 

The only ones I recall: 

Shellback 

Golden Shellback

Emerald Shellback

Plank Owner

Pollywog - Anyone that isn’t a Shellback is a ‘Wog

I know the Submariners and the Aviation types have certs or awards, but I am not savvy on those. 

Subs do have an Arctic Circle award, I just don’t recall the name. 
I am pretty sure Centurian is correct for 100 Carrier landings, just not positive. 
 

In reality my ship crossed the Equator a number of times during our Iran Hostage cruise in the IO and Persian Gulf, but our Captain decided we would have no ceremony until we were on our way home. 
We never got awards or even mentions of awards for passing the Rock of Gibraltar, sailing the Mediterranean, sailing the Caribbean or sailing the Persian Gulf.

 

The greatest awards we received came after every cruise. We came home. 

[bgavin]

My daughter is a double golden shellback.
I never thought to ask about this.

[Barry Sloe]

2 hours ago, bgavin said:

golden shellback.

Crossing the equator where it intersects the date line.

My certificate hangs in our "parlor".

 

BS

 

 

[One Eyed Sam]

Artic Circle is Blue Nose and the carrier I was on issued a certificate