 |
Vostok
It
is hard to overstate
the affection that
a captain and crew
feel for their
ship. Many of the
early explorations
would last for
years, and their
ship was the only
home the crew knew.
This is not to
say that sailors
sometimes deserted
when they had a
chance, but many
did stick with,
it and great navies
were built as a
result. There is
a reason many ships
are named after
women!
In 1819 Emperor Alexander 1 of
Russia sent Baron Thaddeus Bellingshausen
(seen in illustration to the right)
in command of the Vostok, to carry
out the first Russian exploration
of the South Pacific and Antarctic.
Bellingshausen was a great admirer
of Captain James Cook, as many
sailors of the day were. Some say
that Bellingshausen’s discoveries
in the South Pacific and Antartic
were as important as those of Cook.
Bellingshausen and the Vostok,
(variously spelled Wostok, Vostok,
Vostock, Wostock, and Bostock),
found their way into tattoo history
with their 1820 sighting and charting
of Raratonga, (Cook Islands) and
Vostok Island, (Caroline Islands).
The bookplate below shows traditional
Caroline Island tattooing.
Starting around
the 1600s when
European and other explorers
sailed into the
South Pacific
and “discovered” an
island, they just renamed it
with little or no
regard to what the
original inhabitants might have
called it. As a result, many
islands were named
after Kings, Queens,
Earls, or even the captain’s
wife or daughter. Sometimes so
many islands were discovered
that they were named after members
of the crew! However, the Vostok
Island is one of the very few
islands named after the ship
that carried the explorer to
the island.
The Russians were very
proud of Bellingshausen
and his sturdy ship Vostok.
You may remember their
famed 1961 spacecraft named Vostok
which carried the first
man into space.
Tattoo Archive © 2004
|
