Anchor Terminology used in Shipping

1. Anchor ‘a’ cock bill: When the anchor is hanging vertically from the hawse pipe with the flukes turned into the ship’s side, it has been just clear of the hawse pipe and its weight is taken by the brake in readiness for letting go. In this position, it is not stowed correctly in the hawse pipe.
2. Anchor coming home: When the anchor is being drawn towards the ship in the operation of heaving away, by means of the windlass, the anchor is said to be anchor coming home.
3. Anchor aweigh: The anchor is said to be aweigh immediately it is clear of the bottom.
4. Anchor dragging: The anchor is said to be dragging when it is not held seabed.
5. Brought up to three in water / four on deck: When the anchor is dropped and third joining shackle is in water and fourth joining shackle is on windlass (deck).
6. Bonnet cover: these are the covers of the spurling pipe.
7. Clear hawse: This term means that the cables are clear of one another when a ship is riding to two anchors.
8. Clear anchor: The anchor is reported clear or foul as soon as it is entirely sighted. To be clear the anchor must be hanging from its ring and clear of its own cable and of any obstruction such as a bight of the rope or chain picked up from the bottom.
9. Clearing anchors: Anchors and cables are cleared away when the securing gear on deck is removed. This may include chain bridles passed through cable and shackled to the deck, and devil’s claws, which are metal bars hooked through the cable and screwed up tight by means of a rigging screw chained and shackled to the deck.
10. Compressor: it is used as a brake.
11. Come to, Brought up. Got her cable: These are used when a vessel is riding to her anchor and cable, and the former is holding.
12. Devil’s claw: it is with bottle screw nut which is used to stop the cable from running out.
13. Foul hawse: This term is used to describe the crossing of the anchor cable when both cables are being used at the same time.
14. Foul anchor: Used to describe an anchor which is caught in an under­water cable, or which has brought old hawsers to the surface with it, or which is fouled by its own cable.
15. Gypsy: each anchor chain rides over gypsy and it is just a roller having a cut on it, where the link of the chain is held. The vertical wheel on the windlass on which the cable passes over .the cable is held on the segments of the wheel.
16. Guillotine bar: it is a lever used as a brake.
17. Growing: The way the cable is leading from the hawse pipe, e.g. a cable is growing aft when it leads aft.
18. Hawse pipe: it is the place where the anchor is stored.
19. Long stay: The cable is said to be long stay when it is taut, and reaches out well away from the hawse pipe and enters the water at the acute angle. A cable is at long stay when it is taut and leading down to the water close to the horizontal.
20. Lee tide: A tidal stream which is setting to leeward or downwind. The water surface has a minimum of chop on it, but the combined forces of wind and tide are acting upon the ship.
21. Nipped cable: The cable is nipped when an obstruction, such as the stem or hawse-pipe lip, causes it to change direction sharply.
22. Open hawse: When both anchors are out and the cables lead broad out on their own bows. A vessel lying moored to anchors ahead and astern is at open hawse when she lies across the line of her anchors.
23. Range cable: To lay out the cable on deck, or a wharf, or in a drydock, etc.
24. Nipped cable: The cable is nipped when an obstruction, such as the stem or hawse-pipe lip, causes it to change direction sharply.
25. Short stay: The cable is said to be short stay when the anchor is hove in close to the ship’s side and not overextended. The cable is not up & down in this position. A cable is a short stay when it is taut and leading down to the water close to the vertical.
26. Shortening in cable: To heave in position of a cable, so reducing the scope.
27. Surge cable: To allow the cable to run out freely, not using the brake or the windlass motor.
28. Snub the cable: To stop the cable running out by applying the brake on the windlass.
29. Spurling pipe: it is a pipe through which the cable leads to the cable locker.
30. To veer cable: To pay out cable under power, by walking back the gypsy of the windlass.
31. To grow: A cable is said to grow in the direction in which it leads outside the hawse pipe.
32. To hang cable: Means it is to hold temporarily with a stopper.
33. Tide rode: A vessel is so described when she is riding head to tide.
34. Up & down: The cable is said to be up & down when the angle the cable makes with the water surface is 90°, usually just before anchor a weigh.
35. Windlass: it is a combined machine for heaving the chain cable and for mooring hawsers. It consists of a horizontal athwartship shaft rotated by an electric motor or a steam engine.
36. Walking back the anchor: To lower the anchor under power.
37. Warping drum: warping drum is fitted on both the sides of the horizontal shaft. It can be used for heaving the mooring hawsers.
38. Weighing anchor: Weighing anchor is the operation of heaving in cable until the anchor is broken out of the bottom.
39. Windrode: A vessel is so described when she is riding head to wind.
40. Warping: to move the ship by means of hawsers without starting the engine.
41. Weather tide: A tidal stream which is setting to windward or upwind. The water surface is very choppy, but the forces of wind and tide are acting in opposition on the ship.
42. Yawing: A vessel is said to be ‘yawing’ when at anchor when she moves to port and starboard of the anchor position under the influence of the wind and/or tide.

For Detailed description on sytems : Anchoring Systems and its Components On-Board Ships