Kevin and I had a lovely visit with my stepmother this holiday weekend. After seeing some sights,we came back to the house and sat and chatted for a long time. To my great delight, she had brought along some mementos of my dad as gifts for us. These included a wonderful old bamboo mailing tube that my dad had sent to himself through Navy mail in 1945.
Rolled inside were some of his degrees and certificates, including a beautifully detailed and colorful thing called a Domain of Neptunus Rex.
I'd never heard of this before, but it's a certificate that is awarded when a sailor first crosses the equator. According to his certificate, my dad crossed the equator on the U.S.S. West Point bound for the South West Pacific on February 28, 1944. And according to images of others on the internet, the artwork varied and his particular certificate is extraordinarily colorful and unusual.
The wording is wonderful, too, as if written by Neptune himself, and signed by Davey Jones and Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Raging Main. Here it is:
I just love this thing! Will have it framed as soon as possible. Very fitting for Memorial Day, too.
And in keeping with the nautical theme, I spent all day Sunday with friends up on the beach at North Shore observing seal R5AY and her pup P02. On the way home, a friend and I decided to stop in and hear another friend's band at a local club. When we got out of the car, we noticed the mural on the side of the building. It showed monk seals on a beach, including a mama and a pup right smack in the middle. We'd never noticed that before. Funny how that works.
It's been a lovely holiday weekend. We are very blessed indeed. For that I offer my sincerest gratitude to all those sailors who crossed the equator, and especially those who never came back.
Aloha pumehana...
4 comments:
My father (Lt. Richard W. Heard, Jr.) joined the "ancient order" on Feb. 28, 1944, while aboard the USS West Point. I wonder if your dad and mine were shipmates. Shelley
Hi Shelley,
Sadly, my dad (Lt. James G. Ranck) passed away in 1979, so I can't ask him if he knew your father. But my dad was a Navy chaplain, so he was a chaplain on board the USS West Point, and he was very charismatic, 6'4" and charming as he could be. Since everyone on board would probably know a chaplain, and seeing they were the same rank on board the same ship on the same day, I'd say there's an excellent chance they knew each other. :)
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the note. I feel sure that our dads would have been acquainted. My returned from the War as an atheist, but I believe that transformation came about during his five months on Peleliu. I'm archiving the family war correspondence now and I learn something new with each one I open.
I've not read the letters from that voyage yet, but I will keep an eye out for any references to your father's name when I do.
Best regards, Shelley
Third sentence above should begin "My dad returned ...". Sorry for the typo.
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