From the Archives - Crossing the Line in Napoleonic Times

Ancient maritime tradition requires that sailors who have never before crossed the equator, known as "Polliwogs," must, upon their first crossing, be initiated into the Loyal Order of Shellbacks, by King Neptune himself.

Over the ages, different navies have observed this custom in different ways, though, in recent decades, tradition-be-damned, as several sea services have actually abandoned it altogether.

Captain Edward Hall (c. 1780-1862), who served in the Royal Navy during the French Wars, once wrote about a line crossing ceremony he witnessed during the 1790s, while a lieutenant in a ship-of-the-line bound for the West Indies.

On crossing the line, a voice, as if at a distance, and at the surface of the water, cried: "Ho, ship ahoy! I shall come on board!" This was from a person slung over the bows, near the water, speaking through his hands. Presently two men of large stature came over the bows. They had hideous masks on.  One represented Neptune.

He was naked to the waist, crowned with the head of a large wet swab, the end of which reached to his loins, to represent flowing locks; a piece of tarpaulin, vandyked, encircled the head of the swab and his brows as a diadem; his right hand wielded a boarding-pike, manufactured into a trident; and his body was smeared with red ochre, to represent fish-scales. The other sailor represented Amphitrite, having locks formed of swabs, a petticoat of the same material, with a girdle of red bunting; and in her hand a comb and looking-glass. They were followed by about twenty fellows, naked to the waist, with red ochre scales, as Tritons.

They were received on the forecastle with much respect by the old sailors, who had provided the carriage of an eighteen-pounder gun as a car, which their majesties ascended: and were drawn aft along the gangway to the quarter-deck by the sailors. Neptune, addressing the captain, said he was happy to see him again that way; adding that he believed there were some "Johnny Raws" on board who had not paid their dues, and whom he intended to initiate into the salt-water mysteries. The captain answered, that he was happy to see him, but requested he would make no more confusion than was necessary. They then descended to the main-deck, and were joined by all the old hands, and about twenty " barbers," who submitted the shaving-tackle to inspection. This shaving tackle consisted of pieces of rusty hoop for razors, and very unsavoury compounds as shaving-soap and shaving-water, with which the luckless victim was bedaubed and soused. If he bore it well, he was sometimes permitted to join in per-forming the ceremony upon other 'Johnny Raws.'