ANCHOR WINDLASS Windlasses are basically horizontal winches.

Ships use the windlass for both anchor and mooring duties. It is located forward on the forecastle deck. The chain sprocket is called the gypsy. The warping drum is called the wildcat. Modern Windlasses Are Hydraulically Driven. The hydraulic system consists of : Tank strainer pump control valve hydraulic motor cooler return filter tank. The pump is driven by an electric motor. The tank, pump,cooler and return filter are housed in the forecastle store. The control valve and the hydraulic motor are on the forecastle deck. The speed control is by the control valve which controls the flow of oil to different chambers in the hydraulic motor. Safeties in the hydraulic system are relief valves for the pump and system , return line magnetic filter and electric protection consisting of overload and short circuit protections. The motors on tankers have to be of the approved type with special safety features.

The drive for the gypsy is through reduction gears. These are o f the open type , fitted with gaurds and grease lubricated.The gypsy or the warping drum can be coupled to the main Drive with the help of sliding jaw clutches. The brake of the windlass is to be capable of stopping and holding the weight of the anchor and chain. The minimum speed of hoisting is to be 9 m/min. Testing : When hoisting the chain from a depth of 82.5m to 27.5m, the mean speed of the cable should not be less than 9m/min. Safety features : 1. Chain stopper used when vessel is riding anchor. It prevents running away of the chain if the brake fails. Chain stopper and attachments should be capable of withstanding a pull of 80% of chain breaking strength. 2. Devils claw is used when underway. This prevents the anchor from working loose and causing damage to the ship in heavy weather. It provides a more reliable means of securing the anchor than the brake. 3. The brake should be capable of stopping the chain in about 2 seconds after has been set. A band brake isd used for this purpose. The brake should be capable of withstanding a static pull of 45% of the chain breaking strength.

LIFE BOAT WINCHES : Used to operate the falls of a gravity life boat davit. The winch drum has the wire rope wound on it. Lowering of the life boat is by gravity. After release of all the stops and lashings, the brake is released to start the lowering. The brake handle has a heavy weight on one end which activates the brake and stops the descent if the handle is released. During lowering, the speed is limited to about 1m/s by a centrifugal break arrangement. This brake acts on A stationary drum and prevents high speed. The hoisting is carried out either manually or with the means of an air or electric motor. During hoisting, a ratchet arrangement prevents the boat from going down if the operation is stopped. The gears for the winch unit may be of the enclosed type and oil lubricated.