Hold Fast and Other Sailor Tattoos:
Their Meanings
1️⃣👊 Hold Fast… the knuckle tattoo
Often tattooed across sailors’ fingers or knuckles.
A command used aboard sailing ships meaning grip the rope tightly.
Today, “hold fast” is still used as a phrase meaning stay strong, persevere and endure tough conditions.
2️⃣🐦 Swallow… the resume tattoo
One swallow…
meant 5,000 nautical miles sailed.
Two swallows…
meant 10,000 nautical miles sailed.
3️⃣🐢 Sea Turtle… Equator crossing tattoo
Earned when you’d crossed the equator line.
A rite of passage. From Pollywog to Shellback.
4️⃣🐷🐔 Pig and Rooster… feet tattoos
Animals in wooden crates often floated after shipwrecks.
Tattoos believed to protect sailors from drowning.
5️⃣🐉 Golden Dragon… Time-traveller tattoo
Earned when crossing the International Date Line.
6️⃣🚢 Full-Rigged Ship… sea-legs tattoo
Earned after sailing Cape Horn or completing serious ocean passages.
7️⃣⚓️ Anchor… Atlantic crossing tattoo
Earned after Atlantic crossings or long sea service.
8️⃣⭐️🧭 North Star & Compass… navigator tattoo
Favoured by experienced deck officers.
The Maritime Origins Series
Maritime Origins is a storytelling series created by Jason Nangle, Founder of Angle Recruitment, a global maritime recruitment and executive search firm.
The series explores the fascinating history behind everyday phrases that originated at sea, as well as the remarkable stories, traditions and characters that have shaped maritime culture.
Many sayings still used today were first spoken by sailors navigating the challenges of life on board ships. Alongside these phrase origins, the series also highlights lesser-known maritime stories, legends and historical moments from the world of shipping.
Through short stories and visual posts, Maritime Origins connects the language, heritage and traditions of seafarers with the modern maritime industry.
New posts in the series launch every Tuesday on LinkedIn and are then shared across other platforms including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X. Follow
Jason Nangle on LinkedIn and Angle Recruitment across your preferred social platforms.
'Blowing smoke up your arse' was once life-saving medicine. 18th century doctors used tobacco smoke enemas to revive drowning victims. Now it just means flattery.
The maritime origins of "in the doldrums," a sailor's phrase from the age of sail used for the windless belt near the equator where ships could sit becalmed for weeks.
In a hammock in a wooden sailing ship. A woman’s leg sticks up from a nearby hammock, “From ‘Show a leg’… ‘Shake a leg’ stuck!”
