US Naval ship training Ghanaian sailors crosses Equator-Audio

Sammy Darko reporting from the Equater© Copyright myjyonline

For most sailors it a rare opportunity, possibly once in a life time, when the ship crosses the imaginary line called the Equator.

Luckily for sailors aboard the US Naval ship known as the USS Gunston Hall, which is responsible for training Ghanaian navy, they have been able to achieve that feat.

The Equator in simpler language is an imaginary line that divides the earth into a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere and members of the crew, regardless of age or rank, who have not crossed the Equator before must take part in the initiation ritual. It is called shellback.

“This is a very special day for me,” a Ghanaian naval officer aboard the ship said, adding, he had been longing for 15 years now to become a shellback.

Joy News' Sammy Darko, who embedded with the sailors, captured the mood and rituals on the ship that greeted the phenomenon.

Play attached audio to listen