I find anchors

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Uncle Pug

Swims with Orca
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Several months or so ago OE2X and I (along with a two other friends) took his RIB out to Hat Island for a couple of dives and I found another anchor.

It isn’t unusual for me to find anchors. I’ve found everything from tiny mushroom anchors right on up to a ~5 ton navy type. I keep some for my collection and give others away.

This particular anchor was crusted with small barnacles and it looked like the galvanizing had failed. The shank and both flukes were bent and I almost didn’t bother with it… but the only anchor I’ve resisted taking home so far has been the 5 ton one.

So I swam it over to our anchor chain where I tied it off and we finished our dive. Back on the boat the job of pulling in the anchor fell to me since it was my fault that it now weighed twice as much. Half way through the job I was wondering why I had bothered taking the old anchor and after I got it to the surface and into the boat I almost tossed it back!

Still, I didn’t have one shaped like this in my collection so I took it home, let it soak in fresh water for couple of weeks and then left it laying on the concrete beside the rinse tank.

A couple of days ago I decided to see if I could straighten out the bent shank and flukes so I took the anchor apart. It had a removable stock and once disassemble I was able to straighten it on my hydraulic press. Funny thing about the stock… it appeared to be a bronze rod!

I thought about taking the flukes and shank in to have them re-galvanized but realized that it would cost more than the old anchor was really worth. As I was mulling this over I notice a gleam near the head of the stock where I had scuffed it. I took a wire brush to the area and knocked off the scale and barnacles to see what was underneath.

Here are a couple of pictures:
Old_Found_Anchor.jpg



Bronze_Anchor.jpg
 
Okay Paul Harvey.. er ... I mean Uncle Pug, sir, what's the rest of the story?
 
Well... perhaps it isn't readily apparent from the second picture... but the anchor wasn't galvanized steel... it is bronze and is now the star of my anchor collection. I will leave it untouched on one side but cleaned and polished on the other.

It was a wonderful object lesson: Some things look worthless even though there is real beauty hidden within. It is even more meaningful when applied to people. Some seem crusty and worn... even bent and useless... but underneath, if you take the time and trouble, you find a treasure.
 
It is even more meaningful when applied to people. Some seem crusty and worn... even bent and useless... but underneath, if you take the time and trouble, you find a treasure.
words of wisdom

Jason
 
Cool story Pug, congrats on the find...

We were diving offshore of the keys (our own boat) one time and happened upon a huge old anchor; similar to a galleon type. When we were close in to the edge of the reef, we never really noticed it. But once we started to ascend up and away, it took shape - like one of those "I See" games.

Unfortunately we were just doing some fun diving and never took a bearing or even got a waypoint for where we were anchored. So we'll never find it again if we tried.
 
I guess because I live inland I wouldn't have had the same appretiaion for a bronze anchor. Good point, though about rust and crust sometimes hiding a person or things value. I plead guilty to having passed up junk on the bottom and having done the same with people.

What I really want to know though is why do you have a hydraulic press?
 
Uncle Pug:
Some things look worthless even though there is real beauty hidden within. It is even more meaningful when applied to people. Some seem crusty and worn... even bent and useless... but underneath, if you take the time and trouble, you find a treasure.

So I try this one after the "do you come here often" doesn't get any nibbles?
So that anchor must be pretty old or some eccentric, rich yaht owner had it specially made?
 
MikeFerrara:
Good point, though about rust and crust sometimes hiding a person or things value. I plead guilty to having passed up junk on the bottom and having done the same with people.
On the other hand some "crusty" folks don't take kindly to the wire brushing and acid dipping....

MikeFerrara:
What I really want to know though is why do you have a hydraulic press?
Doesn't everybody? :D



Jokes aside, what a cool find! Something about the heft and color of bronze that makes almost anything made of it appealing.


Tobin
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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