What is the origin of the US Navy's Chief Petty Officer initiation?

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq46-1.htm

Not sure how much that might help you but it has assisted my husband.
(Chief Select this year :) )

Thanks!  I'll give it a shot.

Selected,

and for those who want to know:

http://www.pstripes.com/ed091500c.html

The initiation seems to have moved "up-market" now:

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=9594

This site of great length looks authoritative and includes the passage
following, which I did not trouble to view:

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/6693/customs.html

CUSTOMS OF THE NAVY -
"... and that of chief petty officer just over 100 years ago. ... a
practice which had its origin in the pagan initiation rites of the
Vikings."

Congratulations,
Myoarin

"You can tell that to the marines!"
My search technique allowed Google to neatly couple two phrases to
look like what we were seeking.  Sorry!
The pagan Viking rites are, of course, those relating to "crossing the line."
But it was a very interesting read.
Myoarin

Selected,
Trying to make up for my fluff above:

Here is what Master CPO of the Navy John Hagan says about tradition,
especially that of CPO initiation, but he does not give the origin of
the tradition.

http://www.usni.org/proceedings/Articles97/PROhagan.htm

Here is a nice site about the history of the grade:

http://www.navychief.com/cpohistory.html

Here is a site for scovel-ga, at least. :)  On page 14 it speaks about
about the significance of the "training period":

https://www.directline.navy.mil/DL/uploads/document_uploads/cpospouse.pdf

and a bit more information, apparently from the eyes of those in
charge of initiation:

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/9270/cpoa-success.htm

Apparently the origin of the initiation is lost in the fogs of the past.
On one blog, someone mentioned that it is 100 years old.  In the "Goat
Locker", blog for CPOs, someone asked the same question.

My purely personal opinion from reading about the history of the grade
is that it may have originated when the first CPOs were promoted,
since there was already a "crew" of such when the grade was made
official in 1893.  The old-timers would have wanted to test the
"youngsters"  - perhaps with reference to the "shellback" initiation,
a long-time maritime tradition.  The change in uniform gives the step
up more significance than in the army, as does the title: "chief" says
more than "sergeant first class".

"A Petty Officer First Class can only advance if the existing chiefs approve."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Petty_Officer

This also suggests the peer group's interest in testing the candidates.

But that is just one man's opinion.
Myoarin