A Visual Guide to Sailor Tattoos: A Scuttlefish and Bowsprite Creation
by Owen James Burke
As compromised as they may seem, sailor’s tattoos once held significance, and occasionally they still do. In collaboration with Christina Sun at Bowsprite, we’ve put together a compendium of sailor tattoos and their respective meanings.
Hold written on one set of knuckles and Fast written on the other is meant to give a sailor good grip in the rigging.
A Rope tattooed around the wrist suggests a sailor is or was a deckhand.
A tattoo of an Anchor tells that a sailor has been a part of the Merchant Marines or crossed the Atlantic.
Crossed Anchors on the webbing between the thumb and index fingers are for a bos’n’s (or boatswain’s) mate.
A Nautical Star or Compass Rose was traditionally given so that a sailor could always find his or her way home.
A Harpoon marks a member of the fishing fleet.
A Full-Rigged Ship displays that a sailor has been around Cape Horn.
A Dragon conveys that a sailor has served in China, and a Golden Dragon is given when a sailor crosses the International Date Line.
A Shellback Turtle or King Neptune is earned when a sailor makes it across the Equator.
Guns or Crossed Cannons signify naval military service.
A Sparrow or a Swallow tattoo goes to a sailor for every 5,000 nautical miles they travel–a swallow because it can always find its way home.
Royal Navy sailors during WWII who took part in Mediterranean cruises were tattooed with a Palm Tree, as were U.S. sailors who spent time serving the U.S. Military in Hawaii.
A Dagger Through A Rose proves a sailor’s loyal and willingness to fight anything, even something as sweet as a rose.
You might find it interesting to learn that the primary reason behind “hold fast” was that before the advent of engine-power, ships could not reasonably turn back for a man overboard. Sailors also purposely did not learn to swim for this reason. It served as a reminder to hang on for life, because the alternative was pretty grim. Fun facts about sailing life.
Love your site!
If you could swim you would be made volunteer to rescue the overboard shipmate?
I think not. If you went overboard it was likely in rough seas. No additional swimmer or swimming experience would help and the sea would be too rough for a launch. I believe the rationale was you’d drown faster and get the ordeal over with more quickly.