There's a long-standing tradition among sailors on U.S. Navy ships when they cross the equator: Those onboard who've already experienced the passage, called shellbacks, perform an elaborate initiation ...
Robert W. "Rocky" Rachau of Selinsgrove joined the Navy in 1971 as a 19-year-old who wanted to see the world. When he crossed the equator, he went from a pollygow to a shellback aboard the USS ...