1972
the maiden voyage
of the USS Cook

From Boston Naval Shipyard
down the eastern coast of South America
and through the Straits of Magellan
to her homeport in Long Beach, California.

STILL WATER,
RESTLESS CREW

In the age of sail, the area near the equator was called the Horse Latitudes.
Here, the winds gave out. The canvas sagged and the ship crawled.
It could go on for weeks.
Without sufficient fresh water, the ship's horses would be jettisoned.
Madness lurked in these waters.
The sailors required more relief than a grog ration could offer.
They needed something to release everything pent up inside them.

SHELLBACKS & POLLYWOGS

The Brits figured it out first.
They invented a ritual.
Equal parts tradition and catharsis. Something to look forward to in the doldrums.
Whenever a vessel approached the Equator, the crew split into two groups.
Shellbacks are those who have "crossed the line" before and Pollywogs are those who have not.
The Shellbacks play the part of King Neptune and his court. All Pollywogs must sacrifice and suffer in a trial by ordeal.
Only once they have survived their gauntlet of the absurd can the Pollywogs rightfully call themselves Shellbacks.