The Snapshots in Time Collection
'Davy Jones Court' — Equator-Crossing Ceremony Aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42)
Aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42), sailors stage a 'Davy Jones Court,' part of the Navy's traditional Equator-crossing ceremony. First-time crossers, known as 'Pollywogs,' were brought before a costumed mock tribunal and playfully found 'guilty' before being initiated as 'Shellbacks.' Such ceremonies, steeped in centuries of maritime tradition, provided crews with a welcome morale boost during long deployments at sea. Project: 218371