colour of anchor chains and anchors

[msloan]

Can anyone advise as to the proper colour (if there is one)  for the anchor and chain for a trawler circa 1930?

[jud]

Probably black with some white bands painted on the chain at 100 foot or 10 fathom intervals. Connecting links might be painted red, don't remember the details, but anchor chains were marked so the length out was known.

My 1964 printing of the American Merchant Seaman's Manual states that the merchant service and navy use two different standards of markings but go's on to say that those actually handling the ground tackle may have their own marking system. Wire wraps as well as paint were used to mark the anchor cable,"chain".

jud.

Edited July 1, 2014 by jud

[rybakov]

Usually the anchor chain was divided in eight 15 fathom lenghts conected by patent links or shackles. Normally eight such lenghts.

To keep track of how much chain was out a number of links on both sides of the shackle were painted white.

Also  a lenght of wire was twisted around the stay of the corresponding link, i.e. the third shackle would have three white links on either side

of the shackle and a twist of wire on the third link on either side.

As for red connecting links I don't really recall seeing it

Sometimes a dozen or so links nearer to the anchor were also painted white to make it easier to see when nearing the surface an start

reducing winch speed.

I wasn't sailing in the 30s but I sailed on some trawlers not much younger and I'm pretty sure the way they were run by the bosuns wasn't

that much different.

[AndrewNaylor]

Rust was the color of choice once a trawler left the ship yard The original black paint on the cast iron would not have lasted long in the open ocean and as paint was expensive seldom used also the anchors would have been used very very infrequently almost in case of emergency only so no chance of the rust getting worn of 

Andy

[msloan]

Thanks for the responses.  Matt black and rust it is.  Since there is not a lot of chain showing, that should do the trick