How Did The Anchor Hold The Big Ship

The size of the boat anchor is so different from the body of the ship, how can a small boat anchor hold a ship 10,000 times larger? This is where basic physics comes in.

When a ship needs to anchor temporarily, it throws out the boat anchor, usually with an extra length of anchor chain, to get closer to the sea floor. As the anchor slowly sinks, the anchor's claws come into contact with the bottom due to inertia. At the same time, when the wave or current impacts the ship's body, the anchor claw under the seabed will be subjected to a horizontal pull, under the double action of pull and gravity, the marine anchor claw is slowly inserted into the soil under the seabed, becoming more and more solid, providing a reliable guarantee for the stable anchorage and water safety of the ship.

It should be noted here that the bottom of the sea is flat, the marine anchor is often unable to firmly grasp the ground, or when the wave is too large, the boat anchor will lose its role, then the phenomenon of "walking anchor" occurs, which is very dangerous. When the ship is anchored, the engine will generally be turned off, causing the ship to drift around, which is very dangerous.

Accordingly, there is the concept of "anchorage", which refers to the waters for ships to anchor on the water for safe anchorage, to shelter from wind and typhoon, to wait for inspection and pilotage, to engage in barge crossing on the water, to organize the fleet and other operations. Waters with suitable water depth, flat water bottom, good anchor holding power, sufficient area and small wind, wave and current, far away from reefs and shallow shoals for positioning should be selected as anchorage.

What are the ways to drop anchor?

1. There are two kinds of bow anchoring: single anchor and double anchor. Under normal circumstances, only a single anchor can be thrown to tie the ship, only when the wind and waves are particularly strong and the anchorage is too small to throw a double anchor. When the bow anchor, the hull is subjected to the least external forces such as wind, current and wave impact, so this way is the main way of anchoring, and also the main reason for the main anchor to be arranged in the bow.

2, Stern anchoring: Stern anchoring is mostly used for river boats and landing boats. When river boats are moored downstream, they are often anchored at the stern to ensure safety and avoid turning around.

3, Head and tail anchoring: If you want to make the ship at anchor always with the side of the ship, against the wind, the use of head and tail anchoring. The method of head and tail anchoring is generally to throw the main anchor from the head wind direction, from the stern of the ship to the outer side of the main chain has been thrown, and then release some main chain can be, another method is to throw the main anchor from the tail after the first main anchor is thrown.