Naval Institute Pre
ss
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Annapolis, Marylan
d 21402
© 2005 by James A
lden Barber.
All rights reserved.
N o pa rt o f this book
may be reproduced
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or utilized in any fo
ic o r mechanical, in
rm o rb:
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ud
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em, without permis
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sion in writing from
th e pub·
ISBN 978-1-55750435-7
Library o f Congres
s Cataloging-in-Pub
licati
on Data
Barber, James Alden
, 1934Naval shiphandler's
guide I James Alden
Barber.
p. cm .
Includes bibliograp
hical references an
d index.
ISBN 1-55750-4350 (alk. paper)
1. Ship handling.
2. W ar sh ip s- H an
dl in g. I. T it le .
VK543.B24 2004
62 3. 88 '1 -d c2 2
2004009700
16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7
NAVAL SHIPHAND LEI
106
In severe weather the strain on the ground tackle can be eased
ing in place. T he aim is to reduce the strain, not eliminate it. Slack
chain, followed by bringing it up taut, places a shock load on the a.
makes it more likely that the anchor will drag or break out entir
weather is sever e enough to consider steaming in place, then a ·
should be set, capable of getting the ship under way should the ant
Anchor as a Shiphandling Aid
Whenever under way in restricted waters, the anchor should be kep
letting go. Not only can the anchor serve as a valuable aid in mane
also has saved many a mariner from embarrassment. The notion oft
as the ship's "emergenc y brake" can be misleading, however. Mas:
ground tackle may seem, it is not up to the task of bringing the the
tons of a ship making good way to a sudden stop. If it becomes neces
the anchor to slow or stop a ship making five knots or more, the:
alternatives. One is to drop the anchor only to short stay, so that t
drags over the bottom but does not dig in. The other is to continue
chain until the ship is sufficiently slowed to make it safe to snub her
On ships without bow thrusters or auxiliary propulsion units the
the only way the shiphandl er can exert force directly on the bo·
using a tug. For example, naval vessels typically have more sail an
than aft, making it difficult to twist the bow up into the wind. It is n
on a windy day to find yourself being blown sideways across a ha:
unable to bring the bow into the wind. In these circumstances drc
anchor at short stay will bring the bow up smartly into the wind, s~
seamanlike fashion what could have turned into an uncomfortable
The anchor can also be used to control the bow when being
pier by wind or current and has often been called the "poor man'~
To do this, the anchor on the side away from the berth should ben
for letting go. The technique is to make your approach somewhat '
normal, dropping the anchor about one hundred yards from tht
final position of the bow, veering chain as necessary to keep the 1
control. The retarding effect of the chain permits the use of m
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