Pollywog to Shellback

I was wondering if we are considered Golden Shellbacks having traveled to the South Pacific and crossed both the Equator and the International Dateline or do you have to do them at the same time or same day, on the Star Princess last month. I also understand that since we crossed the International Dateline that we would be considered Golden Dragons, nothing was mentioned about this designation. Thanks for any responses.

Love the certificate that the Cruise Critic group Roll Call prepared for us all, the ones from the ship were very pale and it is not easy to scan them or copy them unfortunately, the CC ones are beautiful, thanks Scampi (Santa)

Dan and Phyllis

I was wondering if we are considered Golden Shellbacks having traveled to the South Pacific and crossed both the Equator and the International Dateline or do you have to do them at the same time or same day, on the Star Princess last month. I also understand that since we crossed the International Dateline that we would be considered Golden Dragons, nothing was mentioned about this designation. Thanks for any responses.

Love the certificate that the Cruise Critic group Roll Call prepared for us all, the ones from the ship were very pale and it is not easy to scan them or copy them unfortunately, the CC ones are beautiful, thanks Scampi (Santa)

 

Dan and Phyllis

You're welcome! Glad you liked the certificate! :) I'd like to know, too, how one earns Golden Dragon "status."

Scampi (Santa)

From wikipedia:

Line Crossing Ceremony Honors:

- The Order of the Blue Nose for sailors who have crossed the Arctic Circle

- The Order of the Red Nose for sailors who have crossed the Antarctic Circle

- The Order of the Golden Dragon for sailors who have crossed the International Date Line

- The Order of the Ditch for sailors who have passed through the Panama Canal

- The Order of the Rock for sailors who have transited the Strait of Gibraltar

- The Safari to Suez for sailors who have passed through the Suez Canal

- The Golden Shellback for sailors who have crossed the point where the Equator crosses the International Date Line

- 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

- The Order of the Lakes for sailors who have sailed on all five Great Lakes

Strange story of the SS Warimoo

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought the master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LON 179 30' W. The date was 31 December 1899.

"Know what this means?" First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line".

Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ships position.

He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.

At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line! The consequences of this bizarre position were many:

The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.

The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.

The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.

In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in:

two different days,

two different months,

two different years,

and two different seasons,

but it was also in two different centuries –

all at the same time.

http://www.mastermariners.org.au/stories-from-the-past/2304-strange-story-of-the-ss-warimoo

And in addition... If that had happened on Dec. 31, 1999, you could have added two different millenniums to the list.

Impressive

And then the Warimoo broke in half and sank...

That is so cool!

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Even though I didn't know there were all these titles, I've managed to rack up 7 of the 11.

The list of "Orders" is very interesting. I've only accomplished 3 of them, but feel very privileged to have done so.

Missing from the list is simply crossing the equator. EM

I've got two and I've yet to take my first cruise (US Navy).

Blue Nose and The Rock.

Only once... 08 NOV 70 at 105° 14'E.

My 16x20 Shellback certificate is my most treasured momento from 4 years in the Navy; 3 years aboard a destroyer. An entire day crawling around the decks on hands and knees to become a Shellback!

Only once... 08 NOV 70 at 105° 14'E.

My 16x20 Shellback certificate is my most treasured momento from 4 years in the Navy; 3 years aboard a destroyer. An entire day crawling around the decks on hands and knees to become a Shellback!

I was on a boomer; my Blue Nose certificate reads "classified longitude." I still carry my Bluenose card in my wallet; you never know when you may find yourself that far north again.

Aah, the ceremony; it would be considered hazing to day and outlawed. The worst part was after it was over, and I was covered with all sorts of unmentionable filth, I discovered that 18 hours before, the A gangers had removed the fuzes from the water heaters. Do you have any idea how cold the water is, north of the Arctic Circle, when the potable water tanks are up against the pressure hull and there are no water heaters?