The Sailor’s Tattooist: Bert Grimm’s Historic Tattoo Parlour
Once a hub for sailors seeking tattoos, Bert Grimm’s Tattoo Studio in Long Beach, California, is now a shadow of its former self. It used to employ 10 full-time tattoo artists to cope with the constant demand from sailors looking to have symbols of love, belief in God and country, or their Navy affiliation tattooed onto their bodies. However, today the shop only employs two full-timers and the sailors are nowhere to be seen, leaving only a few dozen US Navy-issue caps near the ceiling as a reminder of their presence.
Grimm’s has been operating since 1927 and has witnessed the ebb and flow of sailors in Long Beach, which used to be a key port for hundreds of ships during World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. With the departure of the Navy and the closure of its shipyard in 1997, the traditional link between tattoos and sailors in Long Beach has diminished. While tattoo shops in San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia, two of the world’s largest naval bases, still see crowds of sailors coming in for tattoos, today’s young seamen, who have better technical training and high school educations, seem less inclined to get tattoos. In addition, image-conscious Navy officials frown on the designs.
Despite this, Grimm’s tattoo studio continues to operate on its reputation and myth, counting on repeat business and guarding the reputations of its craftsmen artists. The studio is full of art, walls are lined with sheets of tattoo designs. ranging from plain to elaborate, which customers can choose from for prices ranging from $30 to $125. These designs include an ark’s worth of animals, cartoon characters, and symbols of love and hate, including traditional Navy tattoos with prints of winding ropes and a sinking ship above the words “Sailor’s Grave.”
Grimm’s walls also feature framed black-and-white photographs of sailors with fresh tattoos, many drawn by Grimm himself in the 1950s, advertising the shop’s most visibly patriotic clients. In one photo, a sailor shows off his full-chest tattoo of a submarine propeller in front of a waving American flag, while in another, a young sailor displays an elaborate image scrawled across his entire back: a sailing vessel floating above the words Homeward Bound, flanked by two huge flying fish.
Looking back across the years, manager Rick Walters says the shop’s busiest days came with the regularity of military paychecks. During the shop’s heyday, servicemen would wait for up to three hours for Grimm’s artistry. Even when some grew impatient, wandered to the nearest pub and returned inebriated, the shop wouldn’t turn them away. Walters says he usually refuses to tattoo drunk customers because they won’t sit still and they’ve been known to cause a mess. With Navy clients, however, he made an exception: “There’s not much you can do when the place is full of sailors.”
However, it’s been years since the shop saw that kind of crowd. Across the country, the tattoo industry is increasingly linked to body piercing, and its no longer common that customers are young rebels or bikers, artists say. Despite this, some sailors still consider a tattoo to be a rite of passage and part of their identity. Nevertheless, the Navy disapproves of the idea, citing the risk of infection and its distaste for its old salty dog image.
In the 18th Century, when ships were primarily used for exploration rather than war and the seas were largely uncharted, the link between tattoos and the Navy began to take shape. Captain James Cook, a veteran of the English Navy, mapped the South Pacific, encountering curious islands and cultures along the way. The sailors, who accompanied him on his voyages, saw tattoos on the people they met and returned to their cities and homes with a desire to emulate this exotic art on themselves.
Other factors have also contributed to the decline in popularity of tattoos among sailors. One is the changing nature of military service. The Navy was primarily composed of enlisted men who signed up for long-term service in the past. Today, the Navy is more diverse, with many personnel serving for short periods of time. This means that many sailors may not have the same sense of camaraderie and tradition that once existed in the service.
Another factor is the rise of social media and the internet. In the past, sailors would often get tattoos as a way to remember their experiences at sea and to connect with other sailors who had similar tattoos. Today, sailors can connect with each other through online forums and social media platforms, making tattoos less necessary as a way of expressing their identity and experiences.
Despite these changes, some sailors still value the tradition of getting a tattoo. For them, tattoos are a way of expressing their loyalty to their unit and their pride in their service. Some sailors also see tattoos as a way of memorializing friends and loved ones who have passed away.
For tattoo shops like Grimm’s, the decline in popularity of sailor tattoos has been a mixed blessing. On one hand, it has meant a decrease in business. On the other hand, it has allowed the shop to focus on other types of tattoos and to build a loyal following among those who appreciate the shop’s history and craftsmanship.