10 Nautical Tattoos And Their Meanings

Still visible on coastlines and islands the world over, while the advent of radar has diminished the key role that lighthouses used to play, many are still functioning and being used in the modern era.

Used as markers to let marine traffic track where they were, their real function was to warn vessels away from shallow shores and underwater rocks that could sink a ship. When travelling at night, if the light was ever to go out then it could spell disaster for any passing vessels.

As such, these often remote lighthouses were tended by men whose main role was to ensure that the light never went out and that they kept shining their warnings over the sea, keeping the mariners safe. When the last lighthouse was automated in 1998, the long tradition of lighthouse-keeping may have changed from a full time occupation, but even the ones that are no longer in use stand as a reminder to a long tradition and many lives saved.

Embraced by people without a nautical background, the lighthouse can be seen depicted in many tattoo styles and is usually meant to represent some combination of hope, light and a solid foundation.