Its good to be a ShellBack, not so good to be a PolyWog!

[treasurefiend]

LOL figured I'd post this

Anybody else a ShellBack or even a GoldenShellBack?

[birdman]

Never did the shellback but heard the stories.

[treasurefiend]

LOL Yea it was a fun 24hrs for getting snatched up while walking past different work shops then hazing (good fun) then after we had a "Steel Side BBQ". I had no idea that a navy ship had so many BBQ grills on them!!!

We decided to snatch up the next navy guy that passed by our berthing area, he was a Senior Chief, we snatched him, wrestled him to the ground, duct tapped him up and took him prisoner for about an hour.

[g8r4evr]

I agree, being a WOG sucked. But after the initiation it was all worth it. Got my onboard the USS GONZALEZ (DDG-66), I was inspected by Neptune Rex and his royal staff at the Equator at Longitude 052 20.0 E. Great times though but would not want to go through it again, unless I was running it.

Funny side to this, there were 200 WOGs that day and only about 100 of us decided to present ourselves to the court. I really can't stand the cowardice of some people, it is all in the name of fun.

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Hi received both on my return from the canal campaign in 43

Don Jose de La Mancha

[birdman]

Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp, you have seen alot of action.

[Rooter]

I have my fathers framed and hanging on the wall from 1943.

[lamar]

I have my fathers framed and hanging on the wall from 1943.

Dear Rooter;
I have BOTH of my father's Shellback certs framed. The first one was in WWII with the USCG in '42 and his second one was when he got recalled to serve in the USN in '51. He also had certs from the Blue Noses (Arctic Circle, USCG WWII) and his Laker cert (sailed upon all of the Great Lakes, again USCG during or just after WWII) Also, he got a cert Gold Dragon cert for crossing the date line in Alaska, again USCG during WWII.

He had a funny story to tell about his second Shellback initiation. He presented himself at King Neptune's Court, which used to be a DIRECT ORDER back in those days and he explained to the King of the Court how he was a shellback from his Coastie days. Davey Jones, Cancer and the other members of the Court argued that since my dad's first crossing was performed on a USCG vessel, it didn't count and my dad would need to endure it again.

He'd tell me that the Coastie initiation was far worse than the Navy's version.
Your friend;
LAMAR

[elk311]

Golden Shellback (August 1990)

Depth: (classified)

[fever87]

I entered the royal relm of King Neptune while conducting counter-drug ops off the coast of Ecuador in 2000. Even though at the equator that water was COLD! Watch the festivities while deployed aboard USS Abraham Lincoln in 2006 and the whole thing was so tame I didn't even recognize it. The fun is gone from the Navy I'm afraid to say.

[Cheeserock]

Shellback and Bluenose here.

Bluenose was north of Vestafiord Norway in 1987

Shellback was 1983 WestPac. It was huge fun. Pretty exhausting, but it did work up a good thirst for a port visit in Mombasa.

I had to deepsix the clothes I wore and my "boondockers", the steel toes were worn through.

What's up with all the padding ducktaped to hands and knees in those pics? My hands and knees were raw. Every time I see a fire hose, or an onion floating in a toilet bowl, I think about that day. Painfully fun.


Sincerely,

Boats Cheeserock