These 12 historical photos vividly show where the Navy’s term “salty” came from

"Salty" is a term from the United States Navy used to describe an experienced sailor – someone for whom the romanticized idea of ship life is gone and replaced with s…
“Salty” is a term from the United States Navy used to describe an experienced sailor – someone for whom the romanticized idea of ship life is gone and replaced with sea salt.

Recently WATM published photos from the 1898 Spanish-American War that were found during a U.S. Navy archive office renovation. One of our readers asked if we could find historical photos of the  U.S. Navy’s saltiest sailors throughout history, so we did.


Check these sea dogs out:

An older sailor with a young one, circa 1917.
Exchanging seas stories, circa 1900
Sailors aboard the USS Oregon, circa 1900
These are U.S. Navy sailors from the Spanish-American War period. This photo was recently found in an archival building.
The crew of the Holland, the Navy’s first commissioned Submarine in 1899
Sailors from the USS Hartford, circa 1876
Sailors aboard the USS Ohio circa 1870.
Sailors of the Union Navy during the Civil War, 1865
Confederate officers aboard the CSS Alabama, 1863
Admiral DD Porter, 1860
A Mexican-American War Era Navy Commander, circa 1850
Blake Stilwell Avatar

Blake Stilwell

Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran

Blake Stilwell is a writer with degrees in Graphic Design, Television & Film, Journalism, Public Relations, International Relations, and Business Administration. He is a former combat photographer with experience in politics, entertainment, business, military, and government. His work has been featured on ABC News, HBO Sports, NBC, Military.com, Military Times, Recoil Magazine, Together We Served, and more. He is based in Ohio, but is often found elsewhere.


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