Nautical star
Thenautical staris asymbolic starrepresenting theNorth Star,associated with the sea services of theUnited States armed forcesand withtattooculture. It is usually rendered as afive-pointed starin dark and light shadescounterchangedin a style similar to acompass rose.
InUnicode,this symbol is in thedingbats blockasU+272F✯PINWHEEL STAR,referencing apinwheel toy.
Nautical charts
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Modernnautical chartsuse the star to indicatetrue northon the outer of the two compass circles of a compass rose, symbolizing the North Star.[1][2]TheUnited States Coast and Geodetic Surveystarted using this symbol in its double-circle compass roses around 1900.[3]
Use as a symbol
[edit]Sea services
[edit]The nautical star is an informalsignifierindicating membership in theUnited States Coast Guard,United States Navy,orUnited States Marine Corps.The symbol recalls both the five-pointed star of theUS national flagand the color pattern of the compass rose found on many nautical charts.
Insignia including nautical stars:
Ships
[edit]TheEndurance,in whichErnest Shackletonand crew sailed on the 1914–1917Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition,was originally named after the pole star and retained a large badge in the shape of a five-pointed star on her stern.[4]
Other
[edit]The nautical star is common in insignia, flags, and logos. Examples:
- Sixpoint BreweryinRed Hook, Brooklyn,uses a six-pointed version of the star in its logo to reflect the neighborhood's maritime history.[5]
- Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps
TheCalifornia flagincludes a red five-pointed star, which is sometimes stylized like a nautical star:
- Called the NorCal Star, it is sometimes used to representNorthern Californiaon clothing and tattoos.[6]
- Sacramento Republic FC,aSacramento, Californiasoccer team, uses a red nautical star in its crest.[7]
Tattoo culture
[edit]
This symbol is part of the tradition ofsailor tattoos.A nautical star represented theNorth Star,with the idea that this symbol would help a sailor navigate or stay on course, including finding their way back to port or back home.[8][9]A nautical star tattoo can also indicate that a person has crossed theNorth Sea.[10]
Since the 1990s, nautical star tattoos have become popular in the United States in general.[11]A nautical star may symbolize protection, guidance, and good luck,[9]or metaphorically represent finding one's way home when lost in life or travel.[11]
In the 1950s, somelesbianswore a blue five-pointed star tattoo on the wrist, a location that could be covered by a watch.[12]People getting tattoos to reflect this history may choose a nautical-style star.[13]
References
[edit]
- ^"NOAA Chart User's Manual, Chapter 2: General Information"(PDF).p. 2-27. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 15, 2007.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^Greenhood, David (1964-02-15).Mapping.University of Chicago Press. pp. 64–65.ISBN978-0-226-30697-1.
- ^McConnel, Jonathon L. (June 2007).U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Nautical Charts: A Cartographic History(PDF)(MA). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 6, 2017.
- ^Fountain, Henry (2022-03-09)."At the Bottom of an Icy Sea, One of History's Great Wrecks Is Found".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2022.Retrieved2022-03-12.
- ^Doyle, Felicity (2016-05-12)."Downtown Dialogues: Beer Is Culture with Sixpoint Brewery".thirsty.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^Guzman, Brianna (2015-04-20)."Alum Pat Fish Talks Tattoos".The Daily Nexus.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^"New MLS Team From 2022 - Sacramento Republic FC - Colors, Logo, Kits & Stadium".Footy Headlines.October 24, 2019.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^"Sailors' Tattoos: A Basic Primer".Naval History and Heritage Command.March 29, 2019.Retrieved2022-05-24.
- ^ab"Every tattoo makes a statement but what do they mean?".Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.28 May 2020.Retrieved2022-05-28.
- ^Lozano, Tenley (2017-04-19)."Sailing the Atlantic Ocean – 2005".The War Horse.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^abMalnar, Gregory (2016-04-27)."Nautical Star: Everyone's Got One, What Does It Mean?".Tattoo.Retrieved2022-06-01.
- ^Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky; Davis, Madeline D. (1993).Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community.Psychology Press. p. 189.ISBN978-0-415-90293-9.
- ^Keena (2012-06-21)."I Saw The Sign: LGBT Symbols Then And Now".Autostraddle.no further sources cited.Retrieved2022-06-01.