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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Missed it by "this much". June '94, taking the CGC Resolute from Astoria, OR to Baltimore via Panama Canal. We had it set up to make a quick dash down to the equator in the Pacific, cross it, then make the dash to Panama. We got within 3 degrees latitude (180 nautical miles) of the equator and received a Search and Rescue call 200 nm. Game over, no time to return to original mission, no Shellback Ceremony, all ahead full to Baltimore.
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All aboard USS Paul DE/FF 1080
Order of the Ditch October 21, 1972
Order of the Golden Dragon November 11, 1972
Emerald Shellback March 21, 1974
Blue Nose November 16, 1975
Order of the Ditch October 21, 1972
Order of the Golden Dragon November 11, 1972
Emerald Shellback March 21, 1974
Blue Nose November 16, 1975
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Shellback (IO) and Domain of the Golden Dragon, 1979. Don't forget Emerald Shellback, the rarest of all, crossing the equator at the prime meridian, 0 degrees by 0 degrees...
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We got both Golden Dragon and Shellback, but we crossed in the area of both by the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa), the International dateline is all over the place in that area. We did in 1979. Why we didn't get Golden Shellback, I don't know. But I had never heard of it until about four months ago
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I am a blue nose and the order of the rock aboard the USS WASP in 1962 on a Mediterranean cruise.
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