Tattoos inflicted by the military are endowed with deep meaning. They display the type of troops, rank and other distinctions of military personnel. Each type of troops has its own symbolism for underwear drawings. But Navy tattoos are very diverse.
A bit of history
Sailors became the founders of tattooing in the Old World. When Cook and his sailors arrived in Polynesia in the second half of the 18th century, he was intrigued by the painted leather of the natives. But the sailors from his team adopted the experience of local craftsmen and began to make tattoos themselves. Each sign applied to the body of a sailor had its own secret meaning and was a talisman away from native shores.
Military tattoos
The tradition of putting signs on the bodies of the military was introduced under Peter I, who suggested marking different branches of the military in this way and catching deserters. Also, tattoos were special signs by which it was possible to identify the dead fighter.
Navy tattoos came into fashion in the 70s of the XX century. The sailors in the wearable figure displayed their affiliation to a particular ship, fleet unit. The drawing depicted the blood type and other important information. This was done so that when injured, you canwas quick to provide first aid. And in the event of the death of a sailor, identify the corpse, even if the body was thrown onto a distant shore.
Sailors are generally considered superstitious people, and Navy tattoos are a talisman against hurricane winds, powerful storms, ship sinking and other misfortunes that lie in wait at sea.
Symbols of the Navy
An indispensable attribute of a sailor's tattoo is an anchor. Often in the figure there is a steering wheel and stars, a globe. The tradition of applying stars has taken root for a long time. At sea, sailors have only one guide - the stars that helped them find their way home. In the northern hemisphere, the main landmark is the North Star, and in the southern hemisphere - the Southern Cross. Their symbolic image was applied by the sailors.
Navy tattoos often use sharks and other marine predators. An additional element is the St. Andrew's flag - a symbol of the Russian navy.
More recently, when recruiting recruits to the navy, they selected guys who did not have a single mark on their bodies. And already during the service, symbolic signs were applied marking the passage of the first year of service, the crossing of the seas and oceans, the passage of the equator and other memorable milestones in the long service of a sailor.
Different units of the Navy have their own unique symbols. So, traditional for the tattoo of the Navy (Northern Fleet) is a polar bear applied to the right shoulder. In the drawings you can find the abbreviation of the fleet: DKBF - Twice Red Banner B altic Fleet, KSF - Red Banner Northern Fleet, Black Sea Fleet - Black Sea Fleet, or Pacific Fleet - Pacific Fleet.
It is not uncommon for a person who served in the Navy to have a tattoo on the edge of his palm with the inscription "For the Navy!" This tattoo will be visible when a sailor knocks a shot of vodka into his mouth.
In each country, the Navy has its own traditional tattoos. But they also have a lot in common.
More recently, Navy tattoos, photos of which can be seen in the article, were the hallmarks of sailors. Today, when tattoos have become fashionable, marine symbols have gained incredible popularity. And signs of an anchor, sailboats, a wind rose or the North Star can be found among people far from the fleet.
