Jim,

What your father described is a ceremony when a ship crosses the Equator. Persons who have never before crossed the Equator, who are known as "Pollywogs," go through a ceremony at the hands of King Neptune and his court, involving various indignities, to achieve the status of "Shellbacks." A description of such a ceremony, sometimes referred to as "crossing the line," aboard the battleship USS WEST VIRGINIA in 1944, appears at http://spclevents.com/ships/w_va/bb48_crossing.html.

As to your question, a Google search for "Domain of Neptunus Rex" turns up photographs of a number of certificates. Some are typed, some are carefully hand-lettered. And just last Saturday I personally saw such a certificate, with the
information written neatly in pen. So take your choice, I guess.

Interestingly there is a similar ceremony for crossing the Arctic Circle, to earn the status of "Blue Nose." Last summer my son, who attends a merchant marine college, crossed the Arctic Circle north of Iceland during a training cruise. The initiation ceremony for him and his buddies included being sprayed by fire hoses, while wearing bathing suits, with water pumped directly out of the Arctic Ocean. He said he has never been so cold in his entire life.

Ron Carlson, Webmaster