Posted on Jun 4, 2014
How many Shellbacks, Golden Dragons, Golden Shellbacks, Blue Noses and Plank Owners do we have here?
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It's a Navy/Marine Corps thing. You cross the Equator on a ship you are a Shellback, You cross the Date Line on a ship you are a Golden Dragon. If you cross the Equator at the Date Line you are a Golden Shellback. If you cross the Arctic Circle you are a Blue Nose. If you are the first crew of a ship or unit you are a Plank Owner.
Posted in these groups: 
Tradition
Tradition
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 87
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My Bona Fides are as a Shellback/Golden Shellback/Golden Dragon Achieved as a very Senior First Class onboard USS Arkansas and don't think my guys didn't have fun victimizing CTO1. I am Plank Owner of CINCPACFLT SPINTCOM (FICPAC BLDG) Pearl Harbor, HI and the Navy Memorial, Washington, DC.
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Shellback was my only actual ceremony, but am also Golden Dragon, Order of the Ditch and Plank Owner, all on the USS Dubuque (LPD-8) in the late 60's.
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So, I crossed the line back in 1983 on the USS Carl Vinson during it's World Cruise. We crossed at 0° 0° off the coast of Africa. Wild shellback ceremony! Over 4000 of us were wogs. When we crossed back in the Pacific, there were maybe 300 wogs. Anyway, we gave us the name Royal Diamond Shellback for the crossing in the Atlantic.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 Troy Curliss Got My Certificate with the Carl Vinson Battle Group Onboard USS Arkansas 96 Operation Desert Strike.
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I am a golden shellback I was aboard the USS Lasalle heading to the Persian gulf in 1972, also a blue nose 1973/74 aboard the USS Newport News .
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PO3 Johnathan Mitchell
86-88 on the USS Leahy I'm a Shellback I was an EN3 in A-gang on the Leahy and got out of the Navy in 90 frocked as an EN2 at NAB Coronado.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
I remember handling messages for the Midway and I remember when she first entered the Ghost Fleet in Bremerton, WA. A Proud and Wonderful Ship!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel, I never had the honor (maybe), but my father served aboard the USS LST 78 during WWII. He was initiated into the SOLEMN MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DEEP aboard USS LST-78 on 17JUN45 at latitude 00 deg 00' 00" and longitude "SECRET". USS LST-78 was underway to Biak Island from Leyte, Philippine Islands, so the longitude was near 136 degrees.
Each of these photos have captions (and are from that day, but for his photo), so hopefully the narrative will descend as do the photos:
1. Ensign Jack Curlee, standing in front of the forward Welin davit on the starboard side of the ship.
2. King Neptune and his Court preside at the initiation of the Slimy Pollywogs into the SOLEMN MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DEEP aboard USS LST-78, 17JUN45.
3. Slimy pollywog gets truth serum, 17JUN45.
4. Emerging from the rotting garbage, 17JUN45.
An editorial note for those that don't know, but LSTs were flat bottomed ships, so my father traversed the Pacific Ocean twice in a flat bottomed ship. He said it didn't bother him, but that would be the end of me! MCPO Roger Collins
Each of these photos have captions (and are from that day, but for his photo), so hopefully the narrative will descend as do the photos:
1. Ensign Jack Curlee, standing in front of the forward Welin davit on the starboard side of the ship.
2. King Neptune and his Court preside at the initiation of the Slimy Pollywogs into the SOLEMN MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DEEP aboard USS LST-78, 17JUN45.
3. Slimy pollywog gets truth serum, 17JUN45.
4. Emerging from the rotting garbage, 17JUN45.
An editorial note for those that don't know, but LSTs were flat bottomed ships, so my father traversed the Pacific Ocean twice in a flat bottomed ship. He said it didn't bother him, but that would be the end of me! MCPO Roger Collins
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LTC Stephen C.
By the way, PO1 William "Chip" Nagel, I forgot to mention he's also a member of the Domain of the Golden Dragon, as USS LST 78 crossed the International Date Line on 19DEC44, as the ship was underway from Pearl Harbor to Enewetak (Eniwetok) Atoll. MCPO Roger Collins
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PO2 Richard C.
Finally took a look at the three pictures. The props and characters are identical to what I i went through in 1968. Gator Navy holds to tradition (or at least did until PC got in the way).
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Shellback "86" west PAC order of the ditch, order of the rock ! My Navy times !
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Blue nose 1992, Shellback & Golden Dragon 1993, Golden Shellback and Red nose 1995. Also sailed the Straits of Magellan 1995. USCGC Polar Star.
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