Ceremonies
This daily ceremony hoists the national ensign at 0800 with the National Anthem or "To the Colors."
What is Morning Colors?
Personnel in uniform render this when the National Anthem plays or during Colors.
What is a hand salute?
This nickname is given to a Sailor who was part of a ship's original commissioning crew.
What is a Plank Owner?
These are rendered when ships pass close aboard (within 600 yards), including "Attention" and hand salutes.
What are passing honors?
This is the bugle call that signals the end of the day when the ensign is lowered at sunset.
What is Evening Colors?
This solemn shipboard event marks the formal transfer of command authority from one CO to another.
What is Change of Command?
This even-numbered group of Sailors lines the brow or quarterdeck to honor boarding dignitaries.
What are sideboys?
This tradition awards this status to those who cross into the Arctic Circle.
What is the Order of the Blue Nose?
A four-star admiral typically rates this number of sideboys when boarding.
What is 8 sideboys?
Personnel call this out to clear a path when a senior officer approaches in a passageway.
What is "Gangway"?
This rite of passage ceremony turns "Pollywogs" into "Shellbacks" when crossing the equator.
What is the Crossing the Line ceremony? (or Shellback ceremony)
Navy custom allows saluting with this hand if the right hand is injured or occupied.
What is the left hand?
Sailors crossing the International Date Line earn this mythical domain certificate.
What is the Domain of the Golden Dragon?
When a foreign warship salutes a U.S. ship by dipping its ensign, the U.S. ship must respond with this.
What is dip for dip? (or returning the dip)
This solemn shipboard ceremony commits a deceased Sailor to the sea with full honors.
What is Burial at Sea?
This ceremony involves breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow to christen and launch a new ship.
What is the Christening (or Launching) ceremony?
This custom requires personnel to face aft and salute the ensign when boarding or leaving a ship flying the national ensign.
What is saluting the national ensign?
This long-standing social tradition features a formal dinner with toasts, skits, and Navy customs in the wardroom or chiefs' mess.
What is a Dining-In? (or Dining-Out)
This is the highest number of guns in a national salute, traditionally fired for the President or on national holidays.
What is 21?
This practice has the crew line the rails at attention when entering/leaving port on ceremonial occasions.
What is manning the rails?
This full formal event places a newly built ship into active naval service, often with a commissioning pennant hoisted.
What is Ship Commissioning?
This traditional mourning practice lowers the ensign to half-mast on days of national remembrance or upon death of high officials.
What is half-masting the ensign?
This special pennant is flown by a ship returning from a deployment of over 9 months, from departure until sunset on arrival home.
What is the Homeward Bound Pennant?
This full set of honors includes gun salutes, side boys, ruffles and flourishes, and music for visiting dignitaries.
What is a Table of Honors? (or official honors per US Navy Regulations)
This functional and ceremonial item is rung eight bells at the end of each watch and used in man-overboard or other alerts.
What is the ship's bell?