Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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Awaiting Royal judgment. The Jolly Roger was raised! For a moment we were carried back to the age ot wooden hulls bristling with stubby cannons and swaggering buccaneers. But the shout that went up was not that ot pirates who had sighted their plunder . . . it was that ot Pollywogs who were to be initiated into the Royal Society ot Shellbacks. Contrary to ancient seataring customs, no one ot the CRIS- KANY'S crew was thrown overboard as an ottering to King Nep- tune, whose Royal Domain we entered June I4, l952, at 0830. But later that atternoon there were plenty ot newly-initiated Shellbacks who will now tell you that they would have preterred a 4 The King and his Hcutthroats .xv Sacriticial offering: one Pollywog. r f,-f .gig E fi cooling dip in the ocean to the paces they were put through on the flight deck. The ship's Rollywogs got a taste ot what the initiation would be like when members ot the Royal Family were piped aboard on June I3. Bowing and chanting, on their hands and knees like Mo- hammedans, the Rollywogs were given stitt whacks on their atter ends to let them know that King Neptune meant business. Captain Lambrecht, already a member ot the Shellback So- ciety, welcomed his Royal brethren aboard and stated that he hoped the QRISKANYS current mass ot Pollywogs would be ini- tiated in much the sarne manner that he himselt was. I couldn't sit down tor a week, the Captain was heard to say. It is reason- ably sate to say that there are quite a tew men who know now exactly how the Captain telt. Division atter division the Pollywogs came. Atter they had crawled around two-thirds ot the tlight deck, the Pollywogs were paraded betore the Royal Family and were allowed to kiss the Royal Baby. Following the judgment by the Royal Family, the initiates were subjected to severe running ot the gauntlet and tinally a dunking in the canvas tub which was set up on the No. 3 elevator. Those Pollywogs who were classified as Special Cases! be- cause ot some insubordination to Shellbacks were given extra treatment which made it necessary tor most ot them to eat stand- ing up tor the rest ot the cruise to Rio. As the Jolly Roger was lowered and the ORISKANY pulled away trom the Equator, King Neptune and his Court plunged back into the sea to await the next unsuspecting ship to enter the Royal Domain.

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-,Www Pollywog pilots dressed tor the lrill. lsn't there any way wc can get out ot this? V I , , s.x.kY.-R' 1 il I. Just as you ordered, sir. f A I Just you wait till this thing's all over