June 10, 1945. We were crossing the equator and our ship had been taken over with the Royal Navigator in charge. Initiation of all the Pollywogs on board, who were to be tried and punished for their crimes, with the first initiate being the captain.
My lasting impression is of being blasted with the full force of a fire hose. Next was having your crimes listed and being told your punishment, which included kissing the baby, being placed in stocks and shocked, given a dental treatment with a plumbing brush, almost drowned in a tank until you uttered shellback a few times. At the end of your ordeal you slid down a greased and slanted board while shellbacks beat you with clubs. As you reached the bottom of the board and with barely enough energy to rise, Davy Jones used a trident to give you another shock. All in all, a real fun experience.
After all I went through, I cannot prove I'm a Shellback; my locker was broken into months later and my wallet was stolen. It was assumed that the perpetrator was the same guy who broke into the ship's post office. The shipmate serving as postmaster was required to repay all the funds stolen or he would not be able to be bonded in the future.
(I posted some pictures showing initiation activities, but I was unable to attach them to this account of the initiation. Two pictures show the court of Neptune Rex. A picture made two days earlier depicts Davey Jones telling the captain that the ship will cross the equator June 10 and Pollywogs will be initiated into the mysteries of the sea. Please note the slide; thank goodness it was greased; the faster one slid the less time Shellbacks had to wield their clubs.
All pictures were taken by Mark White, pharmacist mate and ship photographer. He was a Shellback and his position in the court was as Royal Photographer. The late Mark White was the father of John White, who provided the photos and much other material about the Pickens.
My lasting impression is of being blasted with the full force of a fire hose. Next was having your crimes listed and being told your punishment, which included kissing the baby, being placed in stocks and shocked, given a dental treatment with a plumbing brush, almost drowned in a tank until you uttered shellback a few times. At the end of your ordeal you slid down a greased and slanted board while shellbacks beat you with clubs. As you reached the bottom of the board and with barely enough energy to rise, Davy Jones used a trident to give you another shock. All in all, a real fun experience.
After all I went through, I cannot prove I'm a Shellback; my locker was broken into months later and my wallet was stolen. It was assumed that the perpetrator was the same guy who broke into the ship's post office. The shipmate serving as postmaster was required to repay all the funds stolen or he would not be able to be bonded in the future.
(I posted some pictures showing initiation activities, but I was unable to attach them to this account of the initiation. Two pictures show the court of Neptune Rex. A picture made two days earlier depicts Davey Jones telling the captain that the ship will cross the equator June 10 and Pollywogs will be initiated into the mysteries of the sea. Please note the slide; thank goodness it was greased; the faster one slid the less time Shellbacks had to wield their clubs.
All pictures were taken by Mark White, pharmacist mate and ship photographer. He was a Shellback and his position in the court was as Royal Photographer. The late Mark White was the father of John White, who provided the photos and much other material about the Pickens.
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