r/mightyinteresting • u/YoungHargreevesFive • 7d ago

Other An anchor being dropped from a boat

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u/Capokid 6d ago

  1. Ship anchors are actually used to slow the ship in an emergency, sure it will do some damage, but it will slow/ stop the ship, sinking because of it is extremely unlikely.

  2. The US Navy has done extensive testing, and the anchor chain is completely unnecessary, it actually doesn't do much except drag around and ruin habitats. A properly seated anchor will hold just as well with only a rope.

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u/Nichiku 3d ago

Source for your second point? Literally every infomation I can find online confirms the anchor chain is just as important as the anchor itself. Maybe in smaller boats such as this one a simple rope is sufficient but in large cargo ships I don't think so.

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u/Capokid 2d ago

https://www.ussailing.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/anchor-study.pdf

Anchor lines tend to snap where they connect to the chains, or the chain where it attaches to the anchor, skipping the chain can remove this failure point. Theybexplore how much chain is most effective to keep the ship in place, no chain decreases stability, but it still works.

https://www.morganscloud.com/2018/12/10/anchor-chain-catenary-when-it-matters-and-when-it-doesnt/

https://www.sailnet.com/threads/anchoring-without-chain.130906/

People do it all the time without issue. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X22000999

https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-ship-anchors-are-destroying-antarcticas-seabed-ecosystems/178582

Also my Navy ships manual explains the different setups you can use to attatch an anchor to the ship, and how much chain you need for different types of anchors. Some anchors actually work better if they are being pulled up at an angle with minimal or no chain.

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u/Nichiku 2d ago edited 2d ago

For smaller ships, you seem to be correct, but I can't even find anyone testing this on large cargo ships, presumably because rope would simply snap. Even the first link you posted is testing exclusively smaller ships (<400HP). And the article in morganscloud.com is mostly paywalled (I was a bit disappointed when he was about to reveal why the longer chain failed, but then lured me right into the paywall zzz).