if an anchor is heavy enough to hold a ship in place, how does the ship not sink when hauling it?

Question

if an anchor is heavy enough to hold a ship in place, how does the ship not sink when hauling it?

In: 12

Answer 1

The anchor does not hold the ship. The anchor holds the anchor cable in place while the ship pays it out.

The heavy anchor cable lying on the sea floor holds the ship. More accurately, it dampens the ship’s movements to the point that below certain limits of wind and sea current, the ship stays within a defined geographic area centred on the anchor.

To securely hold a ship in most conditions, the length of anchor payed out is usually at least 4 to 5 times the water depth.