It's been speculated the sheepfoot shaped blade originated with mariners who found the rounded tip especially beneficial when the knife was accidentally dropped (think working on a ship in pitching seas) as it couldn't stab the foot when hitting the deck. It's also been hypothesized that commanding officers on these ships preferred rambunctious hardworking sailors carry knives without pointed tips, especially while in port blowing off steam after months at sea.

Spyderco's Rescue knives are long favored by seafarers and the design has since been embraced by rescue workers, EMT's and ranchers-anyone cutting around flesh in an emergency. The Atlantic Salt is a modified Rescue made with state-of-the-art, ultra-corrosion-resistant H-1 steel. The hollow-ground blade is available in SpyderEdge offering remarkable cutting performance in and around fresh and saltwater. The molded FRN handle includes a shackle key and is available in black or bright yellow and features a reversible black-coated titanium pocket clip for tip-up carry on either the left or right side. We recommend threading a thong or lanyard cord through the lanyard hole for back-up retention around water, where once dropped, a knife is often irretrievable or lost.

Spyderco has recently upgraded this knife to ultra-corrosion-resistant H-2 steel from the previous H-1 steel  (image may vary)