In naval folklore there is a tale that every ship is built containing a single, commemorative "golden rivet"— an idea doubtless adapted from the golden spike that was temporarily driven at the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. The rivet's location is allegedly different for each ship and undisclosed, known only to the crew. Of course no such thing exists: gold is too malleable to use for a rivet. Like many urban legends, the "golden rivet" is perpetuated for the amusement of "old salts" at the expense of the gullible.
Most often the myth is used as a practical joke or snipe hunt played on junior sailors, exploiting their naivete and natural curiosity with their new surroundings. The prank consists of informing a new sailor of the existence of the "golden rivet" and encouraging him to look for it. After scouring the entire ship without success, it eventually dawns on the junior that he has been the butt of a joke.
In a crueller version of the gag, a senior sailor calls attention to the rivet somewhere in the deck plating, then as the junior bends over to look at it, he is given a finger in the backside. Sometimes the snipe hunt is dispensed with altogether, with the senior sailor merely pointing to a spot on the deck and inviting the junior examine it. When pointed out to female guests (especially attractive ones), the point is simply to get the target to bend over.
As navies around the world are increasingly the target of criticism regarding victimization, the "golden rivet" gag can be seen as a fairly harmless form of initiation.
Other steel structures said to contain a golden rivet include the Forth Rail Bridge and the Empire State Building.
Another version of "The Golden Rivet" tells of a highly dubious practice involving young recruits and the ship's cook. The recruit would be told of the existence of a golden rivet which, he would be told, was always the last rivet to be fitted into the ship. This rivet could be seen if the lad leaned out through the galley porthole. As soon as he did so, the ship's cook would lower the porthole cover, pull down the unfortunate boy's trousers and violate him.
There is no evidence that this practice was real but the story of "showing someone the Golden Rivet" remains a traditional naval myth among mariners.