Wetting-down
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Wetting-down is a raucous ceremony for newly promoted officers observed in the
Procedure
The wetting-down celebration is consistently paid for and hosted by the newly promoted officer, who invites their friends, which usually include several officers of the same rank at which they have most recently served. It is customary for the officer to spend the difference between their pay at their old rank and their pay at the new rank on the bar tab for their guests.
Normally the party occurs at a bar or pub frequented by officers. Being located in a bar, there is typically a great deal of drinking of
Improvisations
A wetting-down party is informal and improvisations on the ceremony are the rule, not the exception. The senior officer present may make the final speech, or if present, the commanding officer who made the promotion can make the final speech. Sometimes the final speech is presented by the new officer's father, especially if he has served in a navy. Although, for particularly exuberant wetting-down parties, parents and senior officers are not usually invited and the honor falls to one of the new officer's close friends.
History
The "wetting down" for such a party term comes from the historical practice of wetting new rank insignia to give it a more weathered appearance. In most navies, officers's rank insignia consists of gold braiding in the form of
In popular culture
In an episode of the American
This ceremony was also shown in Star Trek Generations when Lt Worf was promoted to Lt Cmdr and dropped into the holographic ocean in the holodeck.
In
See also
References
- Swartz, Oretha D. (1988). Service Etiquette (4th ed.). ISBN 0-87021-620-1.
