The Crossing the line certificate (SAFR 14028, HDC 0034) commemorates an equator crossing, a seafaring milestone. This certificate, dated February 10, 1910, was made out to E. Schwerin while a Mariner aboard the S.S. MARIPOSA (built 1883; steamer), and was issued by the Oceanic Steamship Company-Tahiti Line. The document is affixed with a red wax stamp containing the ship name. The collection is processed and open for use without restrictions.

Historical Note: Equator crossing rituals have been performed in the Western world for over 400 years. The ceremony is performed aboard the vessel where the landlubber (one learning to sail) is subjected to a ritual death and rebirth in order to gain a new status of Seafarer (seaman or mariner). Landlubbers must prove themselves capable of standing the terrors, stresses and strains of maritime life, and prove they have the courage and strength of character to gracefully accept the rowdy humor encountered in daily shipboard life.

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