Official caption: “As a part of Royal Canadian Naval tradition, Master Seaman Shaun Duguay kisses the fish as part of the initiation to become a new “Shellback” (members who have crossed the Arctic Circle by Order of the Blue Nose – Domain of the Polar Bear), onboard Task Group flagship HMCS VILLE DE QUÉBEC during the Crossing the Line Ceremony, on August 17, 2020, during Operation NANOOK 20.”
Photo: MCpl Manuela Berger, Canadian Armed Forces Photo
HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332) (commonly referred to as VDQ) is a 5,000-ton Halifax-class frigate that has served in the Royal Canadian Navy since 1993 and in the past 27 years has seen service on the NATO blockade force against Yugoslavia, escorted food ships off the pirate-infested waters off Somalia, performed disaster assistance in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Katrina, and was one of the naval assets deployed to search for Swissair Flight 111 in 1998.
And of course, the Order of the Blue Nose is a time-honored U.S. tradition as well, reserved for the Crossing of the Arctic Circle (66-32 North latitude).
Reference that of the USS Spruance (DD 936) in 1988, which looks…cold.