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Nautical star The nautical star is a symbolic star representing the North Star, associated with the sea services of the United States armed forces and with tattoo culture. It is usually rendered as a five-pointed star in dark and light shades counterchanged in a style similar to a compass rose. In Unicode, this symbol is in the dingbats block as U+272F ✯ PINWHEEL STAR, referencing a pinwheel toy. Nautical charts Modern nautical charts use the star to indicate true north on the outer of the two compass circles of a compass rose, symbolizing the North Star.[1][2] The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey started using this symbol in its double-circle compass roses around 1900.[3] Use as a symbolSea servicesThe nautical star is an informal signifier indicating membership in the United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, or United States Marine Corps. The symbol recalls both the five-pointed star of the US national flag and the color pattern of the compass rose found on many nautical charts. Insignia including nautical stars: ShipsThe Endurance, in which Ernest Shackleton and crew sailed on the 1914–1917 Imperial 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] OtherThe nautical star is common in insignia, flags, and logos. Examples:
The California flag includes a red five-pointed star, which is sometimes stylized like a nautical star:
Tattoo culture This symbol is part of the tradition of sailor tattoos. A nautical star represented the North 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 the North 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, some lesbians in Buffalo, New York wore 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 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nautical stars.
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