There are many different types of anchors that were used on ships and boats. These anchors are classified according to their shape and size. There are three different types of anchors on display in Superior. You will see each of these on this tour and learn a bit about anchor nomenclature.
The coordinates for the first anchor are:
46 44.002
092 06.243
Here you will find is Navy stockless anchor. Navy stockless anchors were more common on steel-hulled ships and were rarely used on wooden ships. Because they do not have a stock, they do not have to be hauled onto the deck of a ship to be stowed. Instead, they were simply pulled into a ship’s hawse pipe (the pipe where the anchor chain enters the ship’s hull). There is also a length of anchor chain still attached to this anchor. Anchor chains used a special type of chain link, or studded links. The stud is the cross piece within each link and makes the chain stronger.
Count the links of chain associated with this anchor x 4 = AB
Also at this location you will find a kedge anchor on display. Kedge anchors are similar to the folding stock anchors but are much smaller and weighed less. Kedge anchors were used to help maneuver a ship in a harbor where a large anchor was too difficult to handle. During the nineteenth century, Great Lakes sailing ships typically carried three anchors – two large anchors that were used to anchor a ship offshore, and a kedge anchor for maneuvering in harbors.
Not including the ring or the connecting link, count the links of chain associated with this anchor = CD
Use the number of chain links associated with both anchors to decipher the coordinates to the third anchor:
46 AC.CB9
D2 0C.8C7
This Navy anchor is still connected to the ship and you can clearly see how it was hauled up into the hawse pipe. Look closely at the anchor with the missing fluke lying on the grass, you will see information stamped into the anchor’s shank and remaining fluke. These numbers indicate information about the anchor’s weight, year and company that forged the anchor, and patent.
69PA17288
RP98 69
81970
AB
_ _ _ _
E F G H
Use this information to decipher the coordinates to the next anchor.
46 E3.GH7
092 H3.79H
The final anchor is an Admiralty anchor. This anchor type has an iron folding stock, meaning that the stock (the long arm that is bent on one end) can slide through the shank and collapsed, making it easier to stow the anchor aboard a ship. A small pin keeps the stock from sliding through the shank when the anchor is in use. Anchors like these were common on Great Lakes ships from around 1850 to 1900.
**The cache can be located without trampling the garden. Please be careful not to step on or disturb the landscaping at this final location.**
This cache was placed with the permission of Superior Public Museums and as a partnership between Wisconsin Historical Society, Superior Public Museums, University of Wisconsin-Superior Jim Dan Hill Library- Lake Superior Maritime Collection, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. We hope you enjoyed learning about the anchors of Superior. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in the Superior area and across the state, or visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org and maritimetrails.org!