American tattoo culture derives from the salty, rough-edged sailors who fearlessly fought the high seas before modern technology. Nautical-inspired ink is everywhere, but a sinking ship tattoo will draw stares.

Why sinking? The old saying goes that a true captain goes down with his ship.

Your sinking ship tattoo signifies leadership and stoicism in the face of adversity.

Sinking ships are the vessels of legends: sirens, pirates, krakens, sunken treasure. Shipwrecks feature prominently in many literary classics. A sinking ship tattoo indicates a historian, a storyteller. And the design options are breathtaking. Skeletal black silhouettes of ship masts will pop against orange sunsets. Tumultuous blue waves contrast with blood red skies. A sea beast’s tentacles curl around the ship’s bow.

Ink yourself with a sinking ship to pay your respects to nature, to demonstrate that the elements are more powerful than any creation of man. You’ll be subverting the endless parade of rope and anchor designs.

The tattoo can also serve as an homage to a lost loved one. Some people’s lives are best commemorated through portraits and poetry. Others lived uproarious, unconventional lives that can only be properly honored through the magnificent image of a sinking ship.

If you want to illustrate a fresh start-the demise of one saga of your life, the birth of a new one-choose a glorious sinking ship tattoo design.