Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Philadelphia ship fan gets Discovery tattoo
AN American woman has a permanent tribute to Dundee’s RRS Discovery etched in her knee — as a reminder to live life to the full.
Zoë Hayden, from Philadelphia, got a tattoo of the famous expedition ship having grown up fascinated with Antarctic explorers.
The 26-year-old told the Tele that the Discovery meant a lot to her as a reminder to face difficult moments in life head-on, adding that the tattoo was her first.
She said: “I had been thinking about the tattoo for a few years before I got it this past December.
“It’s kind of a personal reminder to myself to go out and do things even if they are complicated or scary or difficult, because you never know what might happen or what you might figure out.
“The Discovery expedition was very much about that philosophy I think. It means a lot to me.”
The IT systems administrator and sports writer said she was fascinated with polar expeditions.
She said: “I’ve been into Antarctica stuff since I was about nine or ten years old. I’m 26 now and I started reading more about Robert Scott when I was in college.
“I think the Discovery expedition is somewhat underrated for its time period considering how much they accomplished and how risky it was — how many unknowns they were dealing with.”
Zoë was inked by artist Johnny Murtaugh at Central Tattoo Studio in Philadelphia, who used old photos of the ship for reference.
He made the bottom of the ship uneven to reflect the vessel being frozen in the ice at McMurdo Sound.
Zoë added: “The story of Scott and the ship itself are a pretty big deal to me and it just all kind of clicked and I had the money. It took just over three hours to complete and was very painful.
“I have a big trip planned that I’d like to take sometime in the next few years where I visit different sites in the UK significant to Antarctic history, with the Discovery definitely being a key place I want to visit.
“I’d love to get a picture of me with my tattoo standing with the ship. It’s bucket list level stuff.”
Zoë’s tattoo was well received by the Discovery Centre, which tweeted: “Very impressive! Her designer and builders would have been proud!”