Which anchor shapes are there?

The concept of the anchor is of course known. But anchor is not the same anchor because there are different anchor shapes. A particularly well known anchor is the weight anchor, which – as its name suggests – holds because of its weight. This type of anchor also includes older anchor types like just a heavy stone or the classic pole anchor. Of course there is anchor , which had a lower weight. These include the light weight anchors or patent anchors. These work so that they burrow into the ground with their flunk and the anchor chain and thereby achieve their holding power. It is important to note that of course not everyone anchor suitable for every reason. The patent anchors include the plow anchor, the plate anchor, the bow anchor, the Bruce anchor, the Danforth anchor, the plow share anchor, the Heuss anchor, the HKG tipping anchor and many more anchors. If lightships or navigation signs are to be fastened for a longer period of time, the mushroom anchor will usually be used. For fishing in the Mediterranean, the four- or six-armed Draggen is often used. Sand anchors have a spiral-shaped tip and are either screwed into the sand on the banks or into the sand on the seabed. That’s the only way they can work.

The anchor harness

An anchor harness is basically composed of an anchor, the anchor chain and the anchor shackle. Many smaller ships use instead of the anchor chain a shorter chain advance and an anchor tail. In particular, for the holding power of the anchor harness, the weight of the anchor rope is very important. For this reason, there are also anchor lugs, which have incorporated lead weights. In this way, the low weight of the hawser in contrast to the chain can be well balanced. Of course, it is also possible to simply attach weights to the hawser directly.

The anchor on seagoing ships

The anchor most commonly used at sea today is the patent anchor. In labor ships, navy, light bins or lightships, it is not necessarily used because there are more suitable anchors for these ships. Normally, the anchor is connected by means of a shackle with the anchor chain. Nowadays, this connection is no longer forged or welded. The chain measures 25 meters in length and is held together by shackles. If the anchor is hoisted, the chain runs up through the anchor ridge to the ship’s deck. On the deck is a mechanical chain stopper through which the chain also passes. Then she continues to run into the chain case. Normally, each ship that is slightly larger has two windlasses on the back, each containing an anchor and a spare anchor. However, if the classification society has an authorization, this reserve anchor does not necessarily have to be on board. If a ship loses its anchor, the reserve anchor must be brought to the ship as quickly as possible. Since the anchor weighs about 20 tons, this is of course very problematic for large ships.

Why is an anchor used?

There are many reasons for anchoring. So this is used when waiting for a better sea or better weather. Also waiting ships thereby on their berth. In emergencies, the anchor plays an important role as it can be used to wait for help. This is called emergency anchorage. In small bays or harbors, anchoring often involves lying down at a berth. However, to ensure that the land can still be reached, the crew often uses a dinghy. Although it may seem easy at first, anchoring is more difficult than mooring. This is particularly because the anchorage is usually less protected. If the conditions are particularly unfavorable, it may even happen that the anchor breaks out. In contrast, mooring lines do not break so fast on the dock. If you want to save your wallet and experience an adventure, you should anchor in a lonely bay. Finally, high fees have to be paid for a mooring in the harbor. However, anchorages can almost always be used free of charge.