The Genius Math Behind Ship Anchoring

Best know when to get your hands out the way if you’re roping one …

The basic rule is to let out anchor chain relative to the depth minimum of 1:3 and in stormy weather minimum of 1:5 The sea bed structure is often marked with letter s=sand m=mud gr=gravel r=rock etc.

You saying basically that the weight of the chain holds the ship that is 100 + tons

Where math here?

Physics or math ? Or you meant math as math and not as math like math

The chain keeps the ship steady not the anchor. Infos are correct but normally ships do not anchor as shown at the video. You have to lye tha chain as C letter or walking stick shape in order to make max friction with the ground.

I’ve seen other posts attempting to describe achoring and this is the first correct one. Well done.

What If the Ocean Became Transparent

Wow! It depicted not dragging even 1 inch. In reality, it will drag for some distance and in tbe process damaging corals and pipelines along that way.

Anchor setting - When in doubt pay it out (more chain/rope)

Most people probably think all that chain on board is just to make sure the anchor can reach the bottom!

What kind of fish are those?

Eh, I'm not buying it

One of the best explanations. My boat has long chain for this reason. Did not know about the shock absorber.

In heavy seas, the anchor chain can lever the first anchor out of the bottom. For that reason, a second anchor is deployed and marked with a float to make it easier to locate and recover later.

You are talking about physics.

How small anchor stops a massive ship.

Thanks for sharing such great info!

Who believes he movin keys in his louis vees

Always threes times the depth….

But the surface area of contact does not affect the intensity of the frictional force.

Maths

What a Engineering........ Amaging..

Mind blown 🤯 The anchor itself isn't holding the ship—the chain's catenary shape and sheer weight do most of the work by creating friction along the seabed and acting like a shock-absorbing spring. Brilliant physics in everyday engineering.

This only explains one aspect of anchoring. The most important thing in fact is to dig the anchor into the seabed. The chain just helps. If you don’t, the vessel will just be dangerously dragged around by changing winds, tides & currents - into rocks or other vessels!

Ask Bernhardt Langer. He’s an expert

@grok how does the ship then get unanchored if the anchor is so unmovable?

Generally the same physics, w/floating offshore structures, which are permanently moored & require much more resisting forces a larger components, we use similar, but designed for purpose anchors that a embedded in the sea botton & lay 200 fr or more on the seabed.

Wow

The calculation involved in this is crazy…especially when you use drilling ship on offshore operations. Keeping it balanced throughout drilling operation is mad 😠

Everyone loves a gentle tug now and again.

Yes in theory was in dahej india gulf of cambay 7 shackles in the water shallow depth no holding on the tidal currents +\- 7 knots at spring tide Even with a 2 tons concrete block we where drifting

Too nice

*damped*