King Neptune visits the USS Oregon in 1898...
Item # 726354
May 08, 1898
SECOND SECTION only of the San Francisco Call, May 8, 1898
* King Neptune makes a visit onboard the USS Oregon
* United States Navy martime "Line-Crossing Ceremony"
* "Race of the Oregon" from San Francisco to Florida
* Spanish-American War - "Pollywogs" to "Shellbacks"
The front page of this section has a terrific illustration of the "Line-Crossing Ceremony" with banner heading: "GLORIOUS VISIT OF NEPTUNE ON BOARD THE BATGTLE-SHIP OREGON" and more. (see images)
Other illustrations throughout. Complete 2nd section only with 16 pages, light toning and a little wear at the margins, small piece away near the top of the blank spine, small archival mend, generally in good condition.
Background: The 1898 visit of King Neptune to the USS Oregon serves as a fascinating intersection of ancient maritime superstition and the birth of modern American naval power. Occuring during the ship's grueling 14,000-mile "Race of the Oregon" from San Francisco to Florida at the onset of the Spanish-American War, the ritual provided a vital psychological reprieve for a crew enduring suffocating 120°F engine rooms and the constant threat of Spanish interception. While the ceremony transformed "Pollywogs" into "Shellbacks" through traditional hazing and theatrical trials, its deeper historical significance lies in the fact that it maintained morale during a voyage that proved the strategic necessity of the Panama Canal. By successfully navigating the Strait of Magellan and arriving in Cuba just in time to help destroy the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, the Oregon—and the rituals that kept its crew disciplined—validated the United States' transition into a global "two-ocean" naval power and fundamentally reshaped 20th-century geopolitical infrastructure.
* King Neptune makes a visit onboard the USS Oregon
* United States Navy martime "Line-Crossing Ceremony"
* "Race of the Oregon" from San Francisco to Florida
* Spanish-American War - "Pollywogs" to "Shellbacks"
The front page of this section has a terrific illustration of the "Line-Crossing Ceremony" with banner heading: "GLORIOUS VISIT OF NEPTUNE ON BOARD THE BATGTLE-SHIP OREGON" and more. (see images)
Other illustrations throughout. Complete 2nd section only with 16 pages, light toning and a little wear at the margins, small piece away near the top of the blank spine, small archival mend, generally in good condition.
Background: The 1898 visit of King Neptune to the USS Oregon serves as a fascinating intersection of ancient maritime superstition and the birth of modern American naval power. Occuring during the ship's grueling 14,000-mile "Race of the Oregon" from San Francisco to Florida at the onset of the Spanish-American War, the ritual provided a vital psychological reprieve for a crew enduring suffocating 120°F engine rooms and the constant threat of Spanish interception. While the ceremony transformed "Pollywogs" into "Shellbacks" through traditional hazing and theatrical trials, its deeper historical significance lies in the fact that it maintained morale during a voyage that proved the strategic necessity of the Panama Canal. By successfully navigating the Strait of Magellan and arriving in Cuba just in time to help destroy the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, the Oregon—and the rituals that kept its crew disciplined—validated the United States' transition into a global "two-ocean" naval power and fundamentally reshaped 20th-century geopolitical infrastructure.
Category: The 20th Century
