10 Nautical Tattoos And Their Meanings

10. Nautical Star

Easily one of the most prominent on display in the modern age, the simple design is aesthetically pleasing. A five-pointed star with a black and white colour base, it has been used by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coastguard.

Worn by members of any of these organisations and many sea-farers in general, this is perhaps the greatest example of a nautical tattoo that has been adopted by wider society as a whole.

Historically, the idea was that in an age where navigation was done by the stars in the sky, a sailor would always be able to navigate back to his home port. While the use of the night sky as a method of plotting routes and planning journeys has taken on a far lesser role in a modern age, what the stars represented to mariners remains the same.

Tying in with the traditions of wishing on stars, there is much to be appreciated about a simple design that reminded a sailor that they would always have a way to make their way home. While the effectiveness of plotting a course via a tattoo on your skin remains to be seen, the sentiment remains.