With all the jokes about playing tricks on new guys I just had to tell you all about this one. I really did this.
I was an electronics technician aboard a US Coast Guard buoy tender in the early 1970's. Whenever we had new guys show up for duty the boatswains mates would always pull the stunts like telling the guys to go fetch a bucket of propwash or 6 feet of shoreline, or a gallon of relative bearing grease, the usual. Well I decided that ET's (as electronics techies were called) ought to be able to pull stunts too.
One day we had a new guy fresh from boot camp come aboard for his first duty assignment. I told the guy on his first night aboard that I needed him to help me with a chore. I told him that I had to do my monthly electron discharge and that I needed him to stand by in case I got shocked. I had previously plotted with one of the quartermasters to assist me in this prank. He was on the bridge standing at the standby/power switch on the surface search radar which was pointed towards the fantail (rear) of the ship.
I took this "boot" with me to the fantail and had him carry a 4 foot (1.21 meters) flourescent light tube with him. When we got to the fantail I took the flourescent tube from him and told him to stand back away from me but to be ready to render assistance as soon as I requested it. Meanwhile all the other crew members who were aboard the ship that night quietly crept up behind him to watch his reaction.
I took the flourescent tube in both hands and while holding it from either end I lofted it high over my head. The quartermaster on the bridge watched and as soon as I put the tube over my head he switched the transmitter from standby to power on. Of course the tube lit up nice and bright, to the horror and amazement of the "boot". He took off screaming like a banshee and all the guys who were watching from behind laughed their heads off.
It was the first time an ET had pulled any tricks on the new guys on this ship and it gave me, a relative newcomer, instant acceptance among the boatswains mates. The captain later heard about the flourescent tube incident and issued an edict that no more "pranks" will be pulled on his ship. He was a real jerk. But funny thing was he suffered from chronic seasickness. After the no pranks edict we all made sure to eat greasy fried foods in front of the captain anytime we could, but especially whenever we had choppy water under our hull. It was real fun watching him turn green and run for his stateroom. Served him right.