When sailing at sea, what is the real "stabilizing force"?

When sailing at sea, what is the real "stabilizing force"?

Faced with the storms and huge waves at sea, it is impossible to expect Wukong to return the "Ruyi Jingu Bang". Fortunately, for ships, with anchors, they have the "magic weapon to stabilize the sea" .

Anchor is an important device that all ships must have. It is not only a tool for mooring ships, but also an important guarantee for survival.

The growth history of the “sea-stabilizing artifact”

In the earliest times, our ancestors used stones to anchor ships in the water. The stones used to anchor ships are called stone anchors, which are the appearance of anchors before they are formed.

With the advancement of production technology, people in ancient times used tools to make wooden anchors out of wood. Its shape was like the Chinese character "山". However, some wood could not sink. What should they do? The ancients inserted a stone bar at the anchor head to increase its weight.

With the continuous development and improvement of smelting technology, ironware was widely used in the Song and Yuan dynasties. During this period, wooden anchors and iron anchors began to be used together, and gradually transitioned to iron anchors. In the Yuan Dynasty, single-claw iron anchors began to appear.

"The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" records various ancient Chinese technologies before the middle of the Ming Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, four-claw iron anchors began to be widely used in navigation activities.

Zhonghai Boli's "Sea Stabilizing Artifact"

Four-claw iron "anchor"

In the China Maritime Museum, "sea-stabilizing artifacts" are almost everywhere. In the Maritime History Museum, a "four-claw iron anchor" is on display.

The four-claw anchor is a unique type of anchor in China. When in use, two claws must grip the ground at the same time, making it easier for the ship to stop and less likely to drift. This advantage has also made it spread to the West and used by foreign ships.

The anchor used by Zheng He on his voyages to the West was most likely a giant four-claw iron anchor.

The "anchor" on the Fu ship

The Fuchuan is a famous type of ancient Chinese seagoing vessel and one of the main types of vessels used by Zheng He during his voyages to the West. It is suitable for ocean voyages due to its solid structure, large capacity, deep draft and good maneuverability.

There are not only anchors on the Fu ship in the central hall of the China Maritime Museum, but also two different types of anchors: the bow of the Fu ship is equipped with both a wooden anchor and an iron anchor.

The "anchor" on the Liaoning

The "Liaoning" aircraft carrier is the first aircraft carrier of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, hull number 16. Its predecessor was the second ship of the Soviet Navy's Marshal Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, the Varyag.

Since its commissioning, the Liaoning has successfully completed a number of tests and exercises, including going to sea, continuous takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft, ship-based flight, and short ski-jump takeoff, reflecting the great strides made by the People's Navy over the past 70 years.

There is also a pair of anchors on the bow of this great national vessel to fix the huge hull and ensure it is safely anchored.

Anchors are vital to navigation. Only with such "sea-stabilizing artifacts" protecting the safety of ships can ships sail on the blue seas and travel far across the ocean.

*If you want to learn more about the “anchor”, please come to the China Maritime Museum to explore it!