About
Sailor tattoos are tattooing traditions among European and American seafarers, including naval service members and merchant mariners, and tattoo designs and styles influenced by those traditions. These practices date back to at least the 16th century among European sailors, and they spread to sailors in British colonies, including those that became the United States and Canada. People participating in these traditions have included military service members in national navies, civilian mariners on merchant ships, and fishermen. In particular, there are records of significant numbers of tattoos on U.S. Navy sailors in the American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Sailor tattoos have served as a form of identification, protective talismans in sailors’ superstitions, records of experiences, markers of identity, and means of self-expression.