Foul Anchor

An anchor that is entangled, obstructed or unable to work or recover normally.

The anchor may be fouled by its own cable, another line or chain, wreckage, rock, debris or seabed obstruction. Fouling can prevent it setting, reduce holding power or make recovery difficult, and the symptoms depend on how and where it is caught.

Recovery may involve changing the vessel’s direction of pull, using a tripping line or buoyed retrieval arrangement, or obtaining assistance, but no single method is safe for every obstruction and load. A fouled anchor is also a traditional emblem in naval heraldry, a separate symbolic use from the practical condition.