There is a tradition with sailors that when you cross the line (Equator) for the first time, you have to go through this ceremony called Crossing the Line Ceremony. You go from being a Wog to a Shellback. So, Mike was able to partake in this while sailing to Australia, where he is now. This tradition goes back several years, even decades. This is a paraphrase of Mike's explanation:
He says: It's just a ceremony that means you crossed the equator on a navy vessel. We had to do a lot of stuff that made us look stupid, but it was fun. We had to wear our utilities (working) uniform backwards and inside out, with boots, or tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt on that said WOG on it, and whatever else you wanted to write on it. Mine said "QUEEN!!!" and "Shelbacks Suck" and "Special Case".
They started us out in our berthing and made us crawl around and look at the ground giving some people pointless jobs like bulkhead watcher, and swabber but they keep spraying the floor with water and than make you clean it. We had to sit really close together. Then we crawled all the way to the hangar bay and had to sit there and row and sing Row, Row, Row your boat. Then we had to eat the food in the pictures. It was regular food, just with food coloring.
Then we went up to the flight deck on the elevator sitting down and got sprayed with green salt water all the way up. Then we did random stuff on the flight deck like padeye dewatering (blowing in the padeyes with water going into them). The padeye is the thing that the planes are harnessed to. We had to exercise, and roll around in the green salt water. Then they had a tub that we had to go jump in full of green salt water after asking permission from King Neptune and his wife and his royal haircutter who would cut hair if it was too long to "get the wog stink out of your hair to become a Shellback", then in the tub they would ask, "What are you?" and you had to scream "SHELLBACK". Then you were done and waited in line to sign your name as proof that you did the ceremony.
Mike is in this picture if you look closely. He is right in the middle of the picture under the little caption box. He doesn't look any worse for wear.
Posts
