anchor windlass handling

tomarack · 24-04-2007

Hi guys,
another friend of mine is building a modern tug with electric powered anchor windlass.
He wants to know ,how to handle such electric anchor windlass in general.
He has some drawings, but there are not visible windlass controls displayed.What does they look like usually?
Sorely I have no actual photo now ,maybe in several days.

Thanks for informations.

**Bunkerbarge** · 24-04-2007

Very basically you usually have a motor driving a gear wheel that in turn drives a dog clutch. The clutch can be moved to engage the dogs in either the anchor windlass drive or the warping end for rope handling.

When handling an anchor you pay in or out on the motor and then lock the cable in the desired position with a large friction brake, usually operated by hydraulics with a manual back up.

Have a look at these links:

http://www.jgwindlass.com/en-product12.htm

http://www.rolls-royce.com/marine/pr.../anchoring.jsp

http://www.rolls-royce.com/marine/do.../mer2_fact.pdf

http://www.rolls-royce.com/marine/do.../mer1_fact.pdf

tomarack · 24-04-2007

Hi Richard, many thanks . I can imagine, how the windlass operate, but...where are the electric switches usually located and in which way they are operated? (In case they are not control from the bridge)I saw several snaps of yacht winches with foot switches , nevertheless where are they placed on big windlasses? I gone through several pages you recommend me. The solitary hand remote control unit is everything, what can I see now??
Thanks once more . TK

**Bunkerbarge** · 26-04-2007

The ones I have seen on ships have all been controlled from a stand point where by you have a switch control box mounted on a pedestal. This enables the operator to have a good view of the ropes or anchors being handled from the control station. You will usually find at least one on the Port Side and one on the Stbd side, sometimes more.

If you can wait a few days I will get a photo of one of ours.

tomarack · 27-04-2007

Hi Richard, I did obtain several snaps of model of Gogor..a Spain tug , from my friend Vit Vymetal.
There you can see a some anchor windlass,which is in centre of view,sorely on model only..
I believe, it can be handled from bridge,my friend has another opinion, and he is searching next possibilities, where the remote control can be...He thought some switches must be somewhere directly on windlass.

http://www.spanishshipping.com/jpp/Gogor.htm

here you can see the ship,but nowhere you can see details.

Richard,but I am looking forward for your photos, anyway.

**Bunkerbarge** · 29-04-2007

Thomas, here are a couple of shots of our windlass control boxes. I really couldn't say whether tugs have a similar controller but if you can find evidence of some sort of pedestal mounted controller then they are likely to be similar to this.

I hope this is of some help

tomarack · 29-04-2007

Thanks Richard.
Here you can see (and next visitors of this page of course ) how the model of Gogor (Bilbao harbor tug) was built,if you are interesting in the matter.

http://www.mo-na-ko.net/php/portal/v...nku=2007040006

**Bunkerbarge** · 30-04-2007

If you haven't already done so check out these two forums as well, both full of usefull postings and pictures:

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/index.php?

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Forum_1.htm