I was crossing the Pacific Ocean aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61). The sky was as dark blue as the ocean and it was hard to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began. The captain announced during the 1MC that we would be crossing the equator and the International Date Line in 3 days and that we would have a crossing of the line ceremony which is a very old maritime tradition dating back to the 19th century. It is very rare for a ship to cross the equator and the International Date Line, a ship can normally only cross the equator. It was explained to me that all new sailors could only participate in this ceremony if they wished. You see, a new sailor is called a wog and after crossing the equator, he is called a Shellback. When a sailor crosses the equator and the International Date Line, he or she is called a Golden Shellback. The ceremony would involve being hit on the butt with a piece of fire hose dipped in seawater while you crawled on your hands and knees during the flight. bridge that has been covered with anti-slip, being verbally degraded...