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On ships, the anchor cable is stowed in what is known as the cable locker. The inboard end of the cable is fastened to a deck-plate at the bottom of the cable locker. The outboard end of the cable is fed up through a hause pipe and over a windless or capstan. The capstan is used to maneuver the cable from the cable locker and out through the hause pipe which is situated in the eyes of the ship. On the outboard end of the cable is fastened the ship's anchor. Each ship is fitted with two anchors; a port anchor and a starboard anchor.

Most landsmen think that it is the anchor that holds the ship in place while a ship is at anchor. This is incorrect; it is actually the weight of the anchor cable ranged over the anchorage (sea bottom) which holds the ship to the bottom. The anchor flukes dig into the sea bottom to maintain a fixed point so that as the ship passes over it and continues on her track, the cable is ranged along the ship's track to a predetermined point (depending on the depth of the anchorage). When a sufficient amount of cable has been paid out, the brake on the capstan is engaged and the ship swings to her anchor and settles down.

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12y ago

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That hole is called a "hawsehole." It allows the anchor rope, also known as the rode, to run smoothly from the anchor through the hull of the ship to the windlass or capstan for raising and lowering the anchor.

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10mo ago
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Q: The hole that an anchor rope goes through?
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