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Domestic Stories: Maritime traditions and Prairie sailors
By LCdr Colin Matthews
Executive Officer, HMCS St. John’s
Photo: Cpl Malcolm Byers
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jenesta Ingram paints the bull ring green.
Every society has rituals to commemorate experiences or milestone achievements such as weddings or graduation ceremonies. These rituals play an important role in our lives. They remind us of what is important, or celebrate triumph. As a society in itself, the navy is no exception.
Seafaring rituals have been around as long as sailors have braved the open sea. For example, the Phoenicians offered sacrifices to their sea god upon passing the Pillars of Hercules (now known as the Straits of Gibraltar). Still today, a myriad of ceremonies commemorate other passages. These include the “Order of Magellan” for circumnavigating the earth, and the “Order of the Ditch” for transiting the Panama Canal. Other ceremonies still practiced by today’s Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) include the “Orders of the Blue Nose and Red Nose” for traversing the Arctic and Antarctic Circles respectively, and more famously, the “Crossing the Line” ceremony for crossing certain parallels such as the equator. No matter the event, each ceremony was originally designed to test the novices of the crew to see if they could endure their first lengthy voyage at sea.
The RCN’s modern “Crossing the Line” ceremony is believed to have evolved from the Viking’s ancient tradition carried out upon crossing the 30th parallel. While navy rituals in the 17th century inflicted cruelty upon sailors, today’s rituals no longer harbour serious undertones. The RCN’s modern ceremonies help build a strong and lasting team spirit as well as a sense of belonging, both of which are vital components of serving in a warship. When conducting naval traditions, the RCN not only recognizes the significance of triumph in a sailor’s life, but also mandates the respect and dignity of all participants throughout the ceremony.
On the occasion of an HMC Ship “Crossing the Line” at the equator, the two youngest sailors paint the bull ring red. The bull ring is the vessel’s most forward fairlead and used to place a berthing line through when the ship is secured alongside a jetty. The same ceremony happens upon crossing the Antarctic and Arctic circles, except the bull ring is painted blue. In either case, the ceremony continues with terming those who have previously crossed the line in former years as shellbacks, while the novices are referred to as tadpoles. The tadpoles, at the hands of the shellbacks, trustingly eat an unpleasant mixture of condiments and food created by the onboard cooks. They are then “washed” with foul smelling concoctions before finally being accepted into the realm of King Neptune.
This year, the crew of HMCS St. John’s had the opportunity to mark two major events while deployed for Operation Nanook 2012. Op Nanook is the Canadian Forces’ annual joint operation exercise in Canada’s Arctic. During the operation, the crew first had the honour of celebrating with the momentous “Crossing the Line” ceremony. Upon completion, the ship proudly displayed her blue bull ring to mark the occasion.
The second major event for St. John’s during the this year’s exercise was a port visit to Churchill, Man. It marked the first time a major warship had sailed to the Prairie province since 1974. Here, a new variation of seafaring traditions presented itself to commanding officer, Commander Douglas Campbell – painting the bull ring green. What better way to combine the majesty of the Prairies with the traditions of sailors throughout history.
To celebrate the occasion, all prairie members of the ship’s company, a total of 12, were invited to the f’o’c’sle to join the commanding officer in the inaugural painting of the bull ring this new colour. To honour the milestone, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay and Chief of the Defence Staff General Walter Natyncyzk (also from Manitoba) joined the ship, making this visit for the crew even more memorable.
The colour green was chosen to commemorate the beauty of the Prairie provinces. It brought back memories for all the sailors, soldiers and airmen and airwomen onboard who at one time in their lives called the lush land “home”. Although many had exchanged views of vast open farm land for visions of the sea, it became evident that their ties with home still remained strong.
To mark the two major events simultaneously, the bull ring of HMCS St. John’s is currently striped blue and green. As with any “Crossing the Line” ceremony, the bull ring remains with the new colour for one year before being painted back to its original black.
As the RCN firmly establishes itself in the North, it is hoped this new tradition flourishes into something that may one day be as enjoyed and practiced as any “Crossing the Line” ceremony by other HMC Ships.
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