Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nikita Custer | EQUATOR, Antimeridian (July 4, 2025) – Voyage Management System screen aboard the...... read more read more
EQUATOR, Antimeridian (July 4, 2025) – Forward-deployed U.S. Navy submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) completed an equator-Antimeridian (International Date Line) crossing on July 4, 2025, while underway in the Pacific Ocean. Frank Cable is on patrol supporting U.S. 7th Fleet, providing critical maintenance and logistics support to sustain undersea forces across the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today, it seems the USS Frank Cable became the first U.S. Navy vessel to simultaneously cross the equator and the International Date Line on the 4th of July,” said Capt. Mike Thompson, commanding officer of USS Frank Cable. “Frank Cable crew—both junior and senior—spent the last few evenings at sea discussing just what this crossing might mean from the standpoint of Navy tradition. The consensus is that we may now be the U.S. Navy’s first ‘Star-Spangled’ Golden Shellbacks.”
In U.S. Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard communities, the term “Shellback” refers to a Sailor who has crossed the equator while serving at sea. Ceremonies to observe line-crossings have been practiced by various navies for hundreds of years, and today, line-crossings still serve as a rite of passage and morale booster for sailors on long voyages.
The term “Golden Shellback” refers to Sailors who cross the equator and the International Date Line simultaneously, a rare title deeply rooted in Navy tradition. The term “Star-Spangled Shellback”—also rare—refers to crossing the equator on Independence Day. Before today’s crossing by the Frank Cable, only two crews had become Star-Spangled Shellbacks: the crew of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 4, 1966, followed recently by the crew of USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623) in 2023. Interestingly, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself, became a conventional Shellback in 1936, while serving aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35).
“When planning ship movement, the safe and efficient transit of the ship is always the primary mission of Military Sealift Command (MSC),” said Captain Aaron Caputo, MSC Ship Master of USS Frank Cable. “Even still, when charting the course to accomplish our mission, Captain Thompson and I were elated that this unique crossing opportunity presented with such auspicious timing and also happened to be on the way.”
Frank Cable, forward-deployed to the island of Guam, provides expeditionary intermediate-level maintenance, services, and logistics support to deployed submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.
Frank Cable is underway supporting 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward deployed numbered fleet, operating with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2025 20:52 |
| Story ID: | 542381 |
| Location: | U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
| Web Views: | 428 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Independence Day
