The Art of the Sailor

The Art of the Sailor
When Captain Cook returned from his expedition to Tahiti in 1771, many of his crew, including the renowned naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, returned with tattoos having seen the body art of the indigenous people.
By the 19th century tattooing had spread to British society but was still mainly associated with sailors. Sailors, in fact, used the art of tattooing as a form of communication and not just decoration, assigning meaning to numerous designs.
The different tattoos and what they traditionally symbolised are summarised below so that next time you bump into an ancient mariner you may not need to ask where he has been – although for some of these they would need very old indeed!
Fully Rigged Ship
A sailor has been around Cape Horn
Nautical Star
So a sailor could always find their way home
Shellback Turtle
Earned when initiated into King Neptune’s Court after crossing the Equator
Crossed Cannons
Signified military naval service
Hold Fast
HOLD and FAST were written across the knuckles on each of the sailor’s hands in the hopes of giving a sailor a good grip on the rigging
Rope
A knot of rope around the wrist indicated a sailor’s rank as a deckhand
Anchor
A single anchor told that a sailor had crossed the Atlantic or was part of the Merchant Mariners
Swallow
Tattooed for every 5000 nautical miles they travelled
Compass Rose
So a sailor could always their way home
Crosses
Crosses on the soles of one’s feet warded off hungry sharks
Dagger Through a Rose
A sailor was loyal and willing to fight off anything, even something as sweet as a rose
Dragon
A sailor had served in China
Golden Dragon
Tattooed when a sailor had crossed the International Date Line
Harpoon
A marker of a whaler or a member of a fishing fleet
King Neptune
As with the Shellback Turtle, this was earned when a sailor crossed the Equator
Palm Tree
Royal Navy sailors during World War II who took part in Mediterranean cruises were tattooed with a palm tree, as were U.S. sailors who spent time in Hawaii
With tattoos so common place today amongst all ages, I wonder if Captain Cook could possibly have imagined how far reaching this art form would become following his initial observations on those far flung sandy beaches so many years ago!