Tattoos have been closely associated with sailors for many years. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that many of the sailing tattoos designs and images that were inked onto the skins of nautical adventurers in days gone by, possessed a wider significance. Here we look at five more tattoo designs which have often appeared on the flesh of sailors.

Anchors

The anchor is a symbol that is readily associated with the sea and mariners and was also popular as a tattoo design with many sailors. In the United States, an anchor tattooed onto an arm was usually a sign that the mariner had served in the Merchant Marine. The anchor had another message to transmit at times, though, especially if a British sailor was sporting the design. It was a symbol that the sailor had voyaged successfully across the Atlantic.

Harpoons

Another tool that has been often depicted in sailing tattoos is the harpoon, which many people probably associated with whaling. Rather than being a sign that a sailor has serviced in the whaling fleet, though, the harpoon tattoo actually shows that the mariner has served in a fishing fleet. Many sailor’s tattoos related to their past experience in this way.

Crossed Cannons

The crossed cannons or guns symbol is another tattoo that defined the sailor in question as a person who had served in a military capacity at sea. You were, therefore, more likely to see this design inked on someone who had been in the Royal Navy or the US Navy. Sometimes crossed cannons were depicted, but other kinds of guns were also used in some designs.

Momento Mori

Sailing tattoos were known for being symbols of more spiritual things than just where or in what capacity the sailor had served, though. Many sailors would choose to remember a comrade who had been lost at sea with a ‘momento mori’, or reminder of death, design. In many cases, this symbol would take the form of a swallow with a dagger through it. The swallow, of course, is used in the designs of several sailing tattoos.

Hold Fast

A design that was sometimes seen tattooed across the knuckles of sailors was the words ‘Hold Fast’, with one word on the knuckles of one hand, and the second on the other. Thought originally to have marked out an oarsman, the design later spread amongst all sailors. It served as a reminder to cling tightly to ropes and rigging and acted as a talisman to keep the seaman safe.

Image Courtesy of Sailor Jerry

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