Crossing The Line [Archive] - World Naval Ships Forums

Odin

16-03-2008, 14:37

Just dug out my father's - he was on the Landing Ship HMS Persimmon in the Far East, serving as a Royal Marine Signaller on LCAs. This is a printed colour certificate incorporating the date 8 Oct 1945 and the ship name, but his name and the signatures are now getting very faint.

Maritime Michael Ian

17-03-2008, 22:02

I have two certificates... but they are Merchant Navy, S.S. New Australia and M.V. Fairsea, so they don't qualify for this navy forum.

Ian

romft1945

18-03-2008, 08:48

I certainly would not obj:pect to them being posted,
ROM

herakles

18-03-2008, 10:31

Neither would I object! It's all water after all.

Odin

18-03-2008, 11:14

It's easy to dismiss Crossing the Line certificates as somewhat frivolous but my father's (posted above) actually proved to be a useful historical document.

When I started collecting medals in the 1970s, I knew my father had served in Indonesia after WWII. I started reading medal books and found out that servicemen could qualify for a General Service Medal for that time with a clasp SE Asia 1945-45 (as a RM it would be the Naval General Service Medal).

I spoke with my father but his service papers didn't show that he qualified in that theatre. So he dug out the certificate from his father's house and was able to apply for his medal, albeit 30 years late. The certificate was issued a few days before their landings in Sumatra and he used the info to support his medal application, proving he'd been there.

Stan.J

18-03-2008, 14:03

Never crossed the Equater but received a Certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle

Kevin Denlay

18-03-2008, 15:08

Never crossed the Equater but received a Certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle

Then I think thats worth to post, no?

Attached find my own, a rather poor quality copy of a nice coloured original. However they got the date wrong, it should be 2002, not 2007, and I just haven't got around to having it redone.

K

Stan.J

18-03-2008, 16:11

O.K. Kevin, It was a bit too big for my scanner so the outside got chopped a little. Have reduced it.

astraltrader

18-03-2008, 16:21

A truly excellent post - keep them coming!
Rom - The only reason your Grandfathers certificate does not open with your post is that it is above a certain size. I dont know what the exact size is when this happens - but it is always when toward the largest allowed...

Maritime Michael Ian

18-03-2008, 16:51

Hello All!

Herewith two Merchant Navy Certificates, the first was printed out on board the Q.S.S.S. " New Australia" ( managed then by Shaw Savill & Albion Line) in May 1953,issued to me; the other one pre-printed with the names added on board, was for a relation of mine on Sitmar Line's ( Societa trasporti Maritimi) M.V. "Fairsea" where the recipient was also given a 'sea name'.

Ian

Kevin Denlay

18-03-2008, 20:19

Two very nice ones Ian, and that 2nd one so lovely 'formatted' as it were.

And that Arctic Circle one would, I assume, be somewhat unique Stan?

K

herakles

18-03-2008, 20:26

I agree Kev. That second one is something again! Even Latin.

Thinking about the Arctic Circle one - these days there's a reasonable amount of sea tourism to the Antarctic. I presume these people are issued with some sort of certificate, not just for crossing the Circle but for going to the Continent. They'd be nice to see.

bd popeye

21-07-2008, 01:07

I crossed the line on board the now sunk USS America CV-66 in August 1981 on our way to Perth AUS.

I also crossed the Artic Circle on the USS John F Kennedy CVA-67 Dduring a NATO excersise called "Strong Express" . However I have no clue where that certificate is.

painter183

21-07-2008, 07:23

Here's two certificates of the three my grandfather had.

* TSS City of Exeter - SIXTH day of SEPTEMBER 1940
* HMS Hawkins - 21st day of Feb 1924 (bound from Batavia to Singapore)

The third one is from HMS Dragon - American & West Indes Station 1930-1932

The two copies I've posted are not brilliant but you can still get the idea! The one of HMS Dragon is not good enough to be posted although the wording (for all of them) is given on the website : http://www.freewebs.com/albertflegg/initiationcertificates.htm

Helen

Batstiger

21-07-2008, 09:49

Talking of the Dragon, I came across this yesterday, is it the same Dragon?

Bob.

astraltrader

21-07-2008, 10:50

It is Bob. HMS Dragon was launched in 1917...

CYLLA

03-08-2008, 17:07

This is my certificate ,from the time i was on the "CHICHESTER"...i have four photos too of when it took place ,but this is not the correct thread to post um on i think.

cylla

p.s it appeared too large for my scanner,but got the inportant bit on.

CYLLA

17-09-2008, 14:56

On doing a spot of tiding up ,i came across this pic ,of when i was on the "CHICHESTER"...there are a good few faces there....can you spot any one .???

cylla

nigelweysom

18-09-2008, 21:03

I've never seen a certificate but i do have some photographs somewhere of my dad in a crossing the equator ceremony aboard HMS Whirlwind in WW11
Nigel

Poppysdad1

06-10-2009, 09:56

Hi

I have attached my Grandfathers crossing the line certificate from the Roberts in 1945.

Kind regards
Simon

Ednamay

06-10-2009, 14:21

According to Victor Marsden in 1920, in earlier times certificates were regularly issued for crossing the arctic circle as well as for passing through the Straits of Gibraltar - propitiation of Neptune because the Romans feared the sea and the god! And a minister of religion on board was an insult to the god (so he got an extra ducking!)
Keep it alive!!!
Ednamay

oldsalt

06-10-2009, 14:59

Blue nose certificates for entering the Arctic Circle. Crossing the line ceremonies were obviously more elaborate in larger ships able to have a canvas pool made & more participants (lots of bears). One of the best was in Ark Royal, sometime in 61-63, forgot the exact date. There was a competion for the design of a Crossing the Line certificate, my design did'nt win but my wording was selected. The sad part is I hav'nt got a copy, lost during lifes journey.

CYLLA

06-10-2009, 15:28

Old Salt ,

yep it,s only now that you appreciate what you saved years ago , and now share with other,s ...my "crossing the line " certificate could have been binned years ago , except it was stored away with a load of old post cards i had sent home .

cylla

jbryce1437

07-10-2009, 21:21

This is mine off the Ark Royal, December 1965 on passage to Freemantle. Not sure if it is the same design from the previous commission, but Oldsalt may be able to advise. The original is too big for my scanner so I had to paste two halves together, hence the different shades along the centrefold

AngusOg

11-10-2009, 03:24

I've posted this before .. my fathers certificate HMS Danae 1936 ... the colour isn't accurate ... photocopier made it yellow ..its actually a green base colour. (will try to get a more accurate pic>

oldsalt

11-10-2009, 16:42

Beer Bosun, a very good Crossing the Line certificate, not similar to the one I was involved with, actually I think yours is better.

emason

11-10-2009, 17:23

No certificate I'm afraid, but there is a photograph of the 'crossing the line' ceremony (circa 1942) aboard Hms Frobisher on the Frobisher thread (post #7).

John Brown

24-11-2009, 11:30

Here's a copy of my Father's crossing the line certificate. As his name does not appear in the scroll at the bottom, I assume a batch of certificates were handed out all in one go and the receipients were expected to fill them in themselves.

I have also attached a copy of a certificate given to him in his home town of Hebburn. This appears to be from an organisation that has set up a fund for local servicemen and women on their return to the town. I presume each person was given some form of financial assistance from 'the fund' to help them settle back into the community

Does anybody know if these funds were common place and so set up in other towns? Who actually set them up? Was it the local council or a voluntary organisation perhaps? Any info would be welcome.

Regards....John

Ednamay

24-11-2009, 11:48

I have found my father's certificate for crossing the line, but it is bound into a commemorative book celebrating the Renown and the Prince of Wales with his entourage in 1920.

Edna

oldsalt

24-11-2009, 17:56

Service in the Arctic Circle was indicated by a "Blue Nose" certificate, I had one but it has gone, as I remember there was no ceremony attached to it like crossing the line. On reflection any ceremony that required close contact with Arctic sea water would be Brrrrrrrr. ;);)

Dolaubran

31-05-2010, 10:08

Here's my old dad's one.79194

JackW1208

10-06-2010, 18:54

At last, found my Certificate (in a safe place!!!) from 1967 whilst on HMS Gurkha.

Jack.

Scurs

10-06-2010, 20:20

Jack............identical to mine from HMS CEYLON in 1958.

I've found my Blue Nose certificate, will post it once scanned..........HMS CHICHESTER 1968.

nari010

10-06-2010, 21:11

I have about four Equator crossing certificates, plus one for the Arctic circle and one for the Antarctic Circle.
Trouble is, finding them.....! will try. (All merchant navy)

nari

INVINCIBLE

11-06-2010, 16:25

At last, found my Certificate (in a safe place!!!) from 1967 whilst on HMS Gurkha.

Jack.

Jack,

We crossed a few months later in TARTAR on 21 November 1967 and like you used the same standard Gale & Polden certificates with ship's crest added at the top. Not sure how you managed to upload your certificate in one, but have had to do mine in two.

INVINCIBLE

11-06-2010, 16:41

Jack,

We crossed a few months later in TARTAR on 21 November 1967 and like you used the same standard Gale & Polden certificates with ship's crest added at the top. Not sure how you managed to upload your certificate in one, but have had to do mine in two.

Have even managed to find a few photographs of our crossing the line ceremony conducted at the Great Court of King Neptune on 21 November 1967.

Scurs

11-06-2010, 16:58

A few from Crossing the Line - AJAX 1966.

Lowvolts

30-08-2010, 17:29

Hello everyone,

As my Avatar might suggest I don't have a clue about RN Traditions etc. I'm hoping that someone on here can answer a question that has been bugging me for years.

Why are the "Bears" so called in the Crossing the the line ceremonies ??

Dave.

astraltrader

31-08-2010, 13:46

I have added this post to our main thread fror Crossing the Line. :)

Forester

31-08-2010, 14:51

Only crossed the line by sea the once - northbound - at the age of three. They didn't give me a certificate and anyway it was on a trooper so it probably wouldn't count, but I did win the fancy dress contest as Cupid.

Hugh Williams

02-09-2010, 20:10

Hi,

And here is the Certificate belonging to my Late Uncle, John Rice, then Cook on HMS Suffolk.

Regards,

Hugh Williams

alexrad

04-09-2010, 09:29

Here's a fairly plain black and white certificate I received on our way up-top, in 1972 on HMAS Vampire. Could'nt fit the whole lot on the scanner.

astraltrader

07-09-2010, 18:54

Here are two interesting "Crossing the Line" pictures I have meant to post for a while.

They were taken aboard Dunedin during 1941.

Rob Hoole

08-09-2010, 07:20

A recent example from the RN website involving HMS OCEAN: Crossing the Line (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-events/rn-live/all-news/crossing-the-line/*/changeNav/6568)

Scurs

08-09-2010, 08:36

Ok to echo an earlier question............why are the Bears, called "Bears"? Personally I havn't the faintest idea, but interesting question............the answer to which is probably lost in the depths of tradition!

Lowvolts

12-09-2010, 08:17

Hi. Scurs,

Thanks for bringing up the question about the "Bears" again. I've been keeping an eye open for something coming up here, but so far "No luck".

Getting back to Images of "Certificates" I've put one on here from a Steward on HMS Devonshire from 1940 called Joseph Micalleff. I'll also put up a photo of him.

If any one recognizes him or maybe even ( unlikely now ) worked with him and would like to pass a message on to his daughters, please drop me a line and I will forward it to them.

http://www.navyphotos.co.uk/Joe%20Micalleff%2001b.jpg

http://www.navyphotos.co.uk/Joe%20Micalleff%2003b.jpg

astraltrader

04-10-2010, 22:31

I have great pleasure in being able to show a really fine example of a crossing the line certificate which was most kindly forwarded on to me by Chris Westwood to be specially shown in this thread.

The certificate was issued to his Dad when he served on HMNZS Achilles on 10th December 1944.

As the certificate was too large to scan Chris sent it on to me in four different parts and I would like to thank Clive [Dreadnought] for a truly amazing job of reassembling them back into one using his great abilities with Photoshop!

Many thanks to both Chris and Clive. :):)

chris westwood

05-10-2010, 07:55

jainso31

21-11-2010, 10:36

I am GREEN with envy -my father crossed the Arctic Circle in 1939 and 41
and crossed the Equator in 1944 and 45-and nothing to show for the occasions-I have all his papers, but no line certificates; but as I knew my father- I am not surprised-vexed though.

jainso31

Always on the Lookout!

ekd

21-11-2010, 18:08

Here's a few from my Days.

One Bluenose, although I should have had loads of these in my FP days.

Two equitorials, From DIANA and EAGLE.

astraltrader

22-11-2010, 02:00

Thanks Ed for three excellent additions to the thread. :)

Scurs

22-11-2010, 09:11

Funny (peculiar) thing about these certificates is that we didn't always get them!

Reasonable that I didn't get one when AJAX crossed the line in 1966, as I already had one from when CEYLON did in 1958...........however:-

KEPPEL was operating 300 miles inside Arctic Circle in 1961 and we didn't get a Bluenose, but when CHICHESTER crossed the Arctic Circle in 1967 we did get one.:confused:

jbryce1437

22-11-2010, 18:55

I don't believe the certificates were official issue, but more of a fund raiser for the ships welfare fund. I believe I had to buy my certificate and fill in my details myself. Coming up to 45 years since I crossed the line, so brain is filled with grey matter, amongst other things.
Although I got one on the way South, I don't recall any celebrations on the way North again;)
Being on a big ship, Ark Royal, we were able to buy a range of printed matter, such as the one warning family members of the return of a sailor from foreign parts, and explaining to them such Naval terms as "Fast Black", etc. - still got that one somewhere.

Jim

iantownsend

30-11-2010, 21:51

Just found this thread - its amazing how many different certificates there are for the same thing - but better than uniform dullness!
Here is my dad's certificate from Feb 1943 on the Belfast. Even in the midst of one of the most dangerous periods they found time for this, presumably to keep moral up.
by contrast, his equator certificate is rubbish. The LST 331 was a tank transporter, borrowed from the USA. He was on his way to Singapore after leaving HMS Belfast.

oldsalt

01-12-2010, 18:09

I think it was 61 or 62 when in Ark Royal we crossed the equator. A competition was held for the design . Although my design was not accepted the wording was. I think I was awarded £2, unfortunately my certificate went missing, probably when I was divorced in 72. It would be nice if a certificate for that time and ship were to turn up.

em3 hugh

02-12-2010, 21:21

i crossed the equator in november of 1966 aboard uss talbot county lst 1153
left rodman naval base panama bound for lima peru.
the charges against me , as an electrican`s mate, was "reversing the polarity of an electric eel" for which i received i don`t remember how many"lashes"
basically whacked on the butt with a cut up piece of firehose, known as a shelailigh. a very memorable event in a sailor`s life.

em3 hugh

02-12-2010, 23:14

a good website to look over certificates is www.tiffanypublishing.com
they have crossing the line, as well as other certificates for sale

RichyB

30-01-2011, 19:37

Recently found these, taken onboard HMS Bulwark in 1967 whilst covering the withdrawal from Aden.
RichyB

Jan Steer

30-01-2011, 23:33

Don't remember that one Richy B but I did get my certificate in the summer of 66 when Bulwark crossed the line on her way to the far east. I picked up a bluenose many years later. Do modern ship's companies still do this one wonders?

best wishes
Jan

RichyB

31-01-2011, 20:44

Hi Jan,
I had a crossing the line certificate and 2 bluenose certificates all gained on Bulwark, I joined her in Singapore in 67, left her in Pompey in 69. Unfortunately house moves since then and they are with me no more.
RichyB

johnny07

13-09-2011, 19:17

I have just put five of my certificates into my photos on the computer but they failed when I tried to put them on to the thread. I get this all the time, photos go on fine but I have never been able to get any sort of certificate on. Anyone any tips. John.:(

jbryce1437

13-09-2011, 21:25

Hello John,
Make sure the files are saved as, ideally, jpegs and that the file sizes are no bigger than 1.9Mb. Certificates tend to be larger documents than photos and their file sizes can be very big. If you still have the problem, send me a PM and I will give you my email address, and I will try to attach the certificates on the thread for you.

Jim

johnny07

14-09-2011, 15:46

Here are the ones that I aquired. The last one is unusual, it was issued when I flew out to Brisbane to join the Hydra.

johnny07

14-09-2011, 15:55

Here is an old one from the war. It was issued to my father.

I've gone off at a tangent but I've took the liberty of including his medals.

oldsalt

14-09-2011, 16:56

Johnny, you are a lucky chap, most of us had to make do with one certificate, regardless of the number of equator crossings. I note we both served in Survey Ships, mine was Hecla.

johnny07

14-09-2011, 17:08

Here is an old one from the war. It was issued to my father.

I've gone off at a tangent but I've took the liberty of including his medals.

Sorry to hog this page and stay on the same tangent but I wonder how many more men had a bar on their Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Don Boyer

15-09-2011, 03:11

Worn about the edges, and faded, but I've managed to keep these two in my wallet since I got them! I'm amazed the lamination has lasted so long.

Back in the day, apparently they didn't do up fancy parchment and such for us lowly enlisted types, instead using "blanks" you could get from the Our Navy magazine. They even managed to get my initial wrong on one of them. My initials are actually DGF, of which someone once translated the first two as "Don't Give -- with the rest being obvious. :D

spooksxintel

04-02-2012, 01:21

I Crossed The Line in early March 1971 on the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), in it's first crossing, as it was bound for Rio de Janeiro in the first leg of it's maiden voyage to San Diego, via the Strait of Magellan. I have some links to my videos on my YouTube channel for two of the three crossings the ship made when I was aboard. There are two versions of each crossing (1971, 1972) involving less or more editing and they are the good ole crack of the whip style with the "dancing" "girls" that existed before the women came aboard. An associate of mine (BRP) has an FB page with many still pics from all three crossings (1971, 1972, 1973) and still pics he captured from my videos.

1971: https://www.youtube.com/user/spooksxintel?feature=mhee#p/u/56/NlvwQEvM318
https://www.youtube.com/user/spooksxintel?feature=mhee#p/u/5/MX6cpIq0dDM

1972: https://www.youtube.com/user/spooksxintel?feature=mhee#p/u/55/HmOnyDIojcY
https://www.youtube.com/user/spooksxintel?feature=mhee#p/u/6/ug6_nsEgVYE

1971-1972-1973 still pics: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=160525600655946&l=6df640e163

Hopefully, a copy of my certificate, summons and charges will appear on this post: