The Shellback Initiation

The Shellback Initiation is a ceremony to celebrate a young sailor's first time passing the equator. It is a 'secret' in the Navy, and many of the rites of passage are supposed to be kept among sailors. One such rite of passage involves the 'wogs', or those who have not yet been initiated, plucking a maraschino cherry from the belly button of a high-ranking enlisted man known as a Chief Petty Officer. There are many other rites or contests, and the Shellback Initiation can vary from ship to ship. Sailors who complete the Shellback rites are given a certificate proclaiming them to be fit to understand the 'mysteries'.