Traditions are the bedrock of any military service, and naval traditions often go further back in history than the two sister services, the Army and the Air Force. That is mostly due to the Royal Navy’s influence on the Indian Navy, as well as the shared naval traditions that cut across countries, flags, and oceans.It is in this context of tradition that this week’s column touches upon some interesting aspects of naval traditions.The National Archives of India has an interesting letter written by a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Defence to the office of the Military Secretary to the President of India in January 1968. The letter informed that a court martial was being held in INS India later that month and it was the naval practice to fire a saluting gun daily at 8 am on the days of the court martial.“As INS India is in the proximity of Rashtrapati Bhavan, this is brought to your notice for necessary action on your side. I have discussed this matter with you and you have stated that this paper will be submitted to the President for his information and you will be letting us know that this has been done. I shall be grateful if this is treated as ‘most immediate’…..,” the letter states.It is not known whether this practice of firing a gun on the days a court martial is conducted is still in effect, but there are certainly regulations governing it in ‘The Regulations for the Navy’.Royal New Zealand Navy continues traditionWhile scant information is available on the internet about this tradition, discussions on some portals include comments by the Royal New Zealand Navy, which mention that the gun was fired during a court martial in 2021.The internet discussions say that a court martial gun (known unofficially as the ‘Rogue’s Salute’ or a ‘One-gun salute’) is the signal gun fired at ‘Colours’ on the morning of the day on which a naval court martial has been ordered to assemble.Story continues below this ad“A Union flag is flown from the peak halliards (at the yard arm in a single-masted ship) while the Court is sitting.’ This is listed by Wilfred Granville in his Sea Slang of the 20th Century (Winchester 1949),” says a participant on the website of The Society for Nautical Research.The Royal New Zealand Navy’s comments on a Facebook page also throw more light on the tradition following an announcement in 2021 that a gun will be fired every morning at 8 am to mark the sitting of a court martial at Devonport.“There was a lot of discussion about why we do this, so we’d like to report with the following: Traditionally, when a Navy Court Martial was being held, a signal gun fired to alert ships of the fleet in harbour. This tradition continues at Devonport Naval Base when a shore-based saluting cannon fires a single shot at 8 am for each day a trial is held,” the New Zealand Navy’s statement said.“Also, the New Zealand flag is raised at the time of Colours (8 am) on each day in which the court sits and lowered when the court adjourns for the day or disperses. This is not to be confused with the daily Navy ceremonies when the White Ensign is raised at Colours and lowered at sunset,” it added.Story continues below this adThe Indian Navy’s website is silent on this tradition, even though there are several others listed on its website, including some on the various types of punishment.A detailed piece written by Carl H Gomes titled ‘Naval Customs, traditions and punishments in the IN and the RN’ says the most severe form of punishment given in the Royal Navy was death, ordered only at a court martial.“Rank determined the style of execution, with officers being brought before a firing squad. Death for seamen meant hanging from the yardarm. All formal punishments — ordered by the Captain or court martial — were given ceremoniously on deck, the crew being summoned to ‘witness punishment‘ and drama enhanced by drum roll and a whole routine, including pauses, untangling of the tails, a drink of water and so on which is believed were more intended for the observing crew than for the actual participants,” he writes.He further mentions that John Byrn Jr, in his book Crime and Punishment in the Royal Navy points out that “while the naval punishments developed in Elizabethan times may indeed seem harsh to twentieth century sensibilities, they were fitting for the times”.Story continues below this adByrn also notes that “much of the navy (sailors) population was thought to be drawn from the prisons, necessitating the need to provide those who observed them with a grim lesson about the fatal consequences that would accompany serious violations of the Articles of War”.‘Crossing the line’ ceremonyThe most well-known naval tradition to uninitiated civilians is that associated with ‘crossing the line’. Gomes refers to “a lively and rough ceremony, led by the Lord of the High Seas (Varuna or Neptune, as the case may be). A naval tradition since the 18th century, this ceremony continues to be practised by most navies in the new millennium, as it is an important feature of naval culture and heritage”.Connected with appeasing the Lord of the High Seas, the ‘crossing the line’ ceremony is performed onboard when a ship crosses the equator and results in the initiation of every ‘novice’ (i.e. those who have not crossed the equator before) on board, says Gomes.“The ritual takes place in the Royal Court with the express purpose of appeasing the Lord of the Seas and introducing the uninitiated to the ‘solemn mysteries of the ancient order of the deep’. Those who have previously crossed the equator undertake a variety of roles in the ceremony, dressing up as Lord Varuna himself and his consort and courtiers,” he writes.Story continues below this adA well-known figure from the Second World War, Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Cunningham, made a telling comment once which sums up the role of traditions. “It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition,” he says.