2851 hydrographic manual Page 186 



of the cable must be payed out with caution to ensure that it does not kink during the 

 maneuver. Several men assist in this operation ; one man uncoils the wire rope, another 

 straightens it, and a third, at the rail, watches to see that it is not payed out too fast. 

 The chain, previously faked on deck, is payed out much more easily. In the meantime 

 the anchor, held by a trip hook, has been hoisted over the side and is released when 

 the end of the anchor cable is reached. 



Where a buoy must be anchored exactly at a certain preselected position, the 

 above method cannot be used because of the impossibility of releasing the anchor at 

 the desired position. The procedure must be reversed and the anchor lowered first. 

 The buoy and all of its gear are assembled on deck in readiness, the anchor with the 

 cable attached is hoisted over the side, secured at the rail by a trip rope around the 

 anchor cable, and the wire rope and chain are faked in loops on deck in a manner to 

 pay out freely. When the approximate position has been reached, the buoy with 

 anchor cable attached, is hoisted over the side and lowered to the surface of the water 

 by a trip Hne and held in readiness. Upon receipt from the bridge of the signal to let 

 go, the anchor is dropped by releasing the trip rope from the anchor cable. The ship 

 should be given sternway and the remaining anchor cable allowed to run out. When 

 it is all clear, the buoy is released by means of the trip line and allowed to float free. 

 This method is generally used for only moderate depths ; it is not recommended for use 

 in deep water because of the risk of kinks in the anchor cable and possible injury to 

 personnel as the anchor cable runs out at great speed. 



In deep water, buoys are anchored either by stretching the anchor cable in fleets 

 over the side of the ship from forward to aft or by carrying the cable out in a launch. 

 In the first method the cable is drawn taut and secured over the side by light marline 

 lashings at the ends of the loops and lashings of double sail twine at three intermediate 

 points between loop ends. The upper fleet should be placed over the side low enough 

 to be free from all obstructions on the ship's side. Each successive fleet should be 

 about 2 inches lower than the preceding one. The anchor is attached to the end of the 

 cable in the lowest fleet and is suspended over the side by a trip rope. 



The buoy and its relieving barrel are lowered into the water and the ship is backed 

 away while about a hundred fathoms of the upper part of the anchor cable, not included 

 in the fleets, are payed out. When all of this anchor cable is over the side, the anchor is 

 released by the removal of the rope stop and aUowed to drop. As it sinks, its weight 

 breaks the lashings on each successive fleet, but its descent is retarded so that the cable 

 is payed out gradually. It may be necessary to cut the last few lashings if the anchor 

 reaches bottom before all of the cable is payed out. 



In the second method the anchor cable is towed out by a launch in a direction 

 against the wind or current. A barrel or several spherical buoys are attached to that 

 end of the cable and when the cable has all been payed out, the barrel is set adrift from 

 the launch simultaneously with the release of the anchor from the ship. The barrel 

 supporting the end of the cable is later replaced by the desired buoy structure. 



Buoys are moored with two anchor cables by a combination of methods. The 

 anchor of the first mooring cable is released and allowed to reach the bottom. The ship 

 is aflowed to drift with the current while the cable is payed out, the buoy is lowered into 

 the water and the ship continues to drift while the second cable is payed out. When 



