Why a 20 Ton Anchor Can Hold a Massive Ship

Chapters: An anchor is one of the most important safety devices on any vessel. A ship anchor can weigh nearly 20 tons, but its weight alone is not enough to hold a massive vessel in place. So how can a relatively small anchor keep a ship weighing thousands of tons from drifting with the wind and current? In this video, we follow the complete anchoring process—from selecting the right seabed and calculating chain length, to setting the anchor, keeping the ship secure, and finally recovering the anchor before departure. 00:00 Introduction 01:49 Choosing the Right Place to Anchor 02:50 Why the Anchor Chain Matters More 05:28 How Much Chain Does a Ship Need? 06:29 Why Ships Cannot Anchor in the Deep Ocean 08:04 How Crews Measure and Set the Anchor 10:01 How a Ship Pulls the Anchor Back Up #ShipAnchors #MaritimeEngineering #HowShipsWork