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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Deck Work & Seamanship

Anchor

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/ˈæŋkər/nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, anchor means: A heavy metal device on a chain that is dropped to the seabed to hold a ship in place. As a verb, it means to stop a ship in this way.

In Turkish: demir, çapa

How it is used

Ships 'drop' or 'let go' the anchor, 'heave up' or 'weigh' it, and lie 'at anchor'. Chain length is counted in shackles, and the anchor is 'aweigh' when it leaves the seabed.

Example sentences

  1. Let go the starboard anchor, four shackles in the water.

  2. We anchored outside the port and waited two days for a berth.

Common collocations

  • let go the anchor
  • heave up the anchor
  • at anchor
  • drag anchor
  • anchor chain
  • anchorageAn area of water, usually marked on charts, where ships are allowed to anchor while they wait for a berth, a pilot, orders or better weather.
  • windlassA powerful machine on the forecastle deck that lowers and raises the anchor chain, often with drums for mooring lines as well.
  • bowThe front end of a ship. Positions and directions on board are often described in relation to it, for example 'on the port bow'.
  • bosunThe senior deck rating, who leads the deck crew in maintenance, mooring and cargo work and takes daily orders from the chief officer.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Deck Work & Seamanship

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