Practically all classic tattoo designs are tied to the sea, coming directly from our sailor forefathers. Pay homage to them and their badassery with a battleship tattoo.

Battleship tattoos began their popularity as a symbol of the challenges that sailors had faced; indeed, the ship was the single most important image for these sailors.

They used their tattoos to tell their story. For instance, a large, fully-rigged ship, with three or more masts and sails fully deployed, showed that the sailor had successfully completed a mission around the treacherous Cape Cod.

Today, battleship tattoos are still wildly popular. Like other classic designs, these marine tattoos have stuck around because they are an allegory for manhood, and with a great tattoo artist, they tell a story. Even for men who haven’t spent a single minute on the ocean, a battleship tattoo will still represent their ability to achieve greatness in the face of the vast and powerful unknown.

Square and center on the chest, on your bicep, or across your shoulder blade, the placement of a battleship tattoo is versatile. Because of their large design, battleships tend to be complex tattoos, allowing you to sneak in many smaller symbols that will work together to tell your whole story. The line work, color scheme, and size you choose are also incredibly important factors that you can adjust to make a well-polished statement.