# Help I.D. a BIG OLD anchor found



## aquatic argobull

Just got back from a dive trip in the Bahamas. On one of our dives, we stumbled across this anchor. This part of the island is not often dived, so it appears to have been undiscovered until now. Anybody knowledgeable about this and maybe can shed some light on it's age or what type of boat it was used on? It was found in about 30-40 feet of water about 50 yards from a drop off that extends down about 130 feet deep. The anchor itself is about 8 feet long. The end that is buried has a oblong shackle where it connected to chain or rope. 

Thanks in advance. We were really excited to find it, looking forward to hearing what you guys think. We marked it with a small buoy and hope to go back soon.


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## Kingfish514

Cool find, that would look good on my front lawn


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## LITECATCH

Capt. Jack Sparrow's? I have a 6 foot one out by my pool. Neat find.


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## Jason

That is a awesome find....I couldn't have left w/out it!!! Been kind expensive as a carry on in the airport though!!! I found a cannon at pickens in bout 10 feet of water before. Thought it was a clump of seaweed on a rock but once I cleaned off the area, it was the back part of the cannon! I didn't have anything to mark it so it may still be out there!


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## eym_sirius

*Anchors*

This may not help, but someone might find it interesting.


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## Billybob+

probably had a square (diamond shaped) hole in the other (line) end.
there would've been a wood spare across that which worms would've long ago eaten. the rope would've been hemp and the worms on the early sailing ships would go for the hemp rope first! so when a ship would throw the anchor, it'd often be too late to realize the rope was gone! the anchor could've been "set" as to catch fish for salting and food to be eaten on the long return voyage. Or, it could indeed be a wreck but you'd probably have seen an "odd" pile of rocks (balast if they were headed West, TREASURE if they were headed East!)



The flukes on yours look similar to one that I'm aware of and it was dated 1600's, quite possibly a settlement ship and even possibly a treasure ship though most of those made a route from Mexico/Central America, to FLorida Straights (NOrth Side of Cuba and actually between the Keys and Cay Sal Bank (Natural "atoll" North Of Cuba) From there, they'd make a run right along the FL East coast for Safety from Storms to St. Augustine for one last reprovisioning before heading East to the Motherland.

thats why the area around Port St Lucie, Jupiter, Stuart and the likes is call "Treasure Coast" for all the lost wrecks. Many of which are still undiscovered. To this day, metal detectors still work that beach, especially after a storm looking for goodies.

oh, back to your anchor, a cool find but without the proper handling, it would be a pile of rust dust within a dozen years or so should it ever hit the open air. it'd need to be desalinized through a lengthy electolysis process. I'd guess-timate it to be 1600's


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## Collard

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

Coll find... that's awdsome


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## aquatic argobull

Billybob+ said:


> probably had a square (diamond shaped) hole in the other (line) end.
> there would've been a wood spare across that which worms would've long ago eaten. the rope would've been hemp and the worms on the early sailing ships would go for the hemp rope first! so when a ship would throw the anchor, it'd often be too late to realize the rope was gone! the anchor could've been "set" as to catch fish for salting and food to be eaten on the long return voyage. Or, it could indeed be a wreck but you'd probably have seen an "odd" pile of rocks (balast if they were headed West, TREASURE if they were headed East!)
> 
> 
> 
> The flukes on yours look similar to one that I'm aware of and it was dated 1600's, quite possibly a settlement ship and even possibly a treasure ship though most of those made a route from Mexico/Central America, to FLorida Straights (NOrth Side of Cuba and actually between the Keys and Cay Sal Bank (Natural "atoll" North Of Cuba) From there, they'd make a run right along the FL East coast for Safety from Storms to St. Augustine for one last reprovisioning before heading East to the Motherland.
> 
> thats why the area around Port St Lucie, Jupiter, Stuart and the likes is call "Treasure Coast" for all the lost wrecks. Many of which are still undiscovered. To this day, metal detectors still work that beach, especially after a storm looking for goodies.
> 
> oh, back to your anchor, a cool find but without the proper handling, it would be a pile of rust dust within a dozen years or so should it ever hit the open air. it'd need to be desalinized through a lengthy electolysis process. I'd guess-timate it to be 1600's



Thanks Bill:thumbup:


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## spearfisher87

That is an awesome find. Always nice to find things like that while diving. Which island did you discover it off of??


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## no woryz

Congrats...its cool to find that stuff.... it has flukes like an old Herreshoff or W/C.....I have a "friend" that found one a few years ago and knows where another is but its kinda big to deal with....Did you notice a folding part "stock" on this anchor that may have connected on the buried end of the shank? Good luck getting it up if you try, slow & easy..If you get it off the bottom beware, there are scholars that feel you arent entitled to keep it that only they deserve to own such things.....


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## aquatic argobull

spearfisher87 said:


> That is an awesome find. Always nice to find things like that while diving. Which island did you discover it off of??


San Salvador. We all assumed it was off of Columbus' boat :whistling:




no woryz said:


> Congrats...its cool to find that stuff.... it has flukes like an old Herreshoff or W/C.....I have a "friend" that found one a few years ago and knows where another is but its kinda big to deal with....Did you notice a folding part "stock" on this anchor that may have connected on the buried end of the shank? Good luck getting it up if you try, slow & easy..If you get it off the bottom beware, there are scholars that feel you arent entitled to keep it that only they deserve to own such things.....


There was no stock. We figured it was wooden and had deteriorated. There was a large oblong ring attached to the head. The ring was thick enough that I could barely fit both hands around it. You can see it a little bit better in this picture.


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