How long is the anchor chain?

First of all, it should be noted that the length of the anchor chain should not be calculated in meters, but in the most commonly used nodes in navigation. The length of each section of the anchor chain is approximately 27.5 meters. It is necessary to explain here how this unit came about.

The knot length of the anchor chain is not the same as the knot length of the speed unit used in navigation. It is actually derived from the imperial unit, fathom. The length of a fathom is approximately 1.8288 meters. Because of the strong navigation of the British Empire, it later became an international standard. Later, the length of the anchor chain was uniformly stipulated to be 27.5 meters. In actual use, each section of the anchor chain is composed of a shackle, and the sections are connected by detachable links. Generally, the chain links will be spray-painted white so that the crew can know how many sections of anchor chain have been launched into the water.

The last section of the anchor chain is usually spray-painted red to warn the crew that they have reached the end of the anchor chain. Normally, the anchor chain is fixed on the chain plate. If the ship does not decelerate before it is released, the anchor chain is likely to break and fly out of the ship. In order to prevent this from happening, the penultimate section of the anchor chain is usually spray-painted yellow, similar to how it is used at traffic lights.

According to international practice, each anchor chain of a large commercial ship usually has only 12 to 13 knots, and the length is calculated to be between 330 meters and 357.5 meters. However, this is just a vague standard value. Specific to a ship, it needs to be determined based on the number of outfits on the ship. The calculation method of the outfitting number is very complicated, so I won’t go into details here. You only need to understand that if the outfitting number of a ship is larger, it means that the ship will be more affected by wind and waves at sea, so Need to be equipped with heavier anchors, thicker anchor chains and cables, etc. Generally speaking, the outfitting number of warships is higher than that of ordinary cargo ships, but it is not suitable to continue to lengthen the anchor chain after it reaches 13 knots, because it will prolong the anchor retracting time, so the anchor chain needs to be thickened, or even multiple anchor chains are needed. Guaranteed stability.