Tattoos among many sailors have always been very popular. Those in the U.S Navy and sailors who are not, all have specific tattoos they wear as badges. Those who do not have the credentials of being a sailor or in being in the Navy even get these different designs. Most the time however, these tattoos hold dear to the individual and actually have quite meaningful reasons behind them.

It was said to have started sometime in the early 1700’s when European sailors were exploring the oceans. The famous Captain James Cook, was an explorer, navigator, cartographer, and Captain in the Royal Navy. Captain James Cook was out with his crew and stopped in New Zealand. The New Zealand indigenous tribe, the Maori, greeted the Captain and his crew, these people called the Maori were covered in tribal tattoos and face paints. As the crew was getting ready to leave and head back to Europe, a few spontaneous and daring men decided to get tattoos as a souvenir to take back home with them. When the sailors sporting all these tattoos came back to the states, people instantly fell in love with them, some not as much as others, and from there it began a sort of fad of their time.

The concept and idea of the sailor getting tattoos lasted a short time. It was sometimes looked oddly upon because the times were not yet evolved into the notion of tattoos quite yet. Sailor Jerry came along eventually and put his spin on the classic sailor tattoo. From here, the fad began to rise, then it slowly died out. In today’s world however, the Sailor Jerry style tattoo is one of the most popular styles in the mass universe of tattoos. Those who are not in the navy, those who are just sailors who explore the oceans themselves are also into the great idea of the ‘sailor tattoo’.

Sailor Tattoo Designs

When thinking of sailor tattoos, many images may come to mind. If you are a sailor and want to dedicate a part of your body with ink to something that you love, the sailor tattoo is the one for you. You may or may not realize that the sailor tattoo can be a number of different graphics. Below are some examples of what sailors have been known to get sketched upon their skin. They hold them close as badges, accomplishments that they are proud of that took part on the mysterious and never-ending ocean and seas.