The sailors seen in this colorized photograph from 1945 may look like they had their hair cut by a 4-year-old, but their unusual haircuts are all part of a sailing ritual that dates back as far as 400 years. These sailors are slimy pollywogs on the verge of becoming shellbacks. Wait, what?
Crazy hair and zany costumes are part of the Neptune Party tradition. (flickr.com Colorizer: Ahmet Asar)
The sailors in this photograph are participating in a time-honored sailing tradition called a Neptune Party, or a Line Crossing Ceremony. This fascinating ritual takes place when a ship crosses the Equator.
King Neptune and the Equator
The statue of Neptune at Virginia Beach. (virginiabeach.com)
Even sailors four centuries ago recognized the importance of the Equator. The imaginary line marks the midway point between the North Pole and the South Pole and divides the Earth into a northern portion and southern portion. King Neptune, in mythology, is the god of the seas. According to legends, when a ship approached the Equator, King Neptune would come aboard and take temporary command of the ship. As the god of the seas, he used this time to judge each sailor’s worthiness – at least the sailors who had never before crossed the Equator. Neptune declared the sailors to be seaworthy if they had paid proper homage to the seas.
From Slimy Pollywog to Trusted Shellback
A sailor bows down to King Neptune and his court. (navycrow.com)
Novice sailors who have never crossed the Equator are known as pollywogs, another name for tadpoles. More experienced sailors are called shellbacks. It is said that Neptune can sense the difference between a true sailor whose heart belongs to the sea and a pretender or poser. The Neptune Party, or the Line Crossing Ceremony, marks the transformation of a sailor from pollywog to shellback.
A Neptune Party: A Wild Affair
The Neptune Party is a time for sailors to cut loose. (collectorsweekly.com)
Each country’s navy has its own traditions surrounding the Line Crossing Ceremony. For many of them, the ship’s captain and higher-ranking members of the crew, along with the oldest shellbacks, dress up in crazy costumes. They will dress up like King Neptune, Davy Jones, and other characters from ocean myths. The pollywogs are invited to participate in the festivities as well. Depending on the ship, the captain, and the situation, there may be a talent show, costume contests, singing and dancing, and feasting. At some point during the Neptune Party, the pollywogs may be gathered together, asked to kneel before King Neptune, or sent on zany errands around the ship. At the end, the sailors are declared shellbacks.
Team Building
Like the two sailors in the colorized photo at the beginning of this article, this sailor is getting a special haircut as part of the Neptune Party. (ww2online.org)
The modern navy has little need for myths and legends, yet the Line Crossing Ceremony remains as much a tradition today as it was in 1945, when these sailors aboard the USS Saratoga passed from pollywog to shellback. The celebration is viewed as a time for team building and camaraderie, as well as a way to break up the monotony of the sea. Sailors have plenty of superstitions and folklore surrounding their profession. The Neptune Party offers a good way to remember the roots of sailing as much as it is to mark the significance of crossing the Equator.
The image at the top of this post was colorized by Ahmet Asar, a Kurdish-American photographer and artist. You can see more of his colorizations on his Flickr page, and his professional portfolio at AsarStudios.com.
