TYPES of ANCHOR

Grapnel anchor
A traditional design, the grapnel is merely a shank with four or more tines. It has a benefit in that, no matter how it reaches the bottom,
one or more tines will be aimed to set. In coral, or rock, it is often able to set quickly by hooking into the structure, but may be more
difficult to retrieve. A grapnel is often quite light, and may have additional uses as a tool to recover gear lost overboard. Its weight also
makes it relatively easy to move and carry, however its shape is generally not very compact and it may be awkward to stow unless a
collapsing model is used.
Grapnels rarely have enough fluke area to develop much hold in sand, clay, or mud. It is not unknown for the anchor to foul on its own
rode, or to foul the tines with refuse from the bottom, preventing it from digging in. On the other hand, it is quite possible for this anchor
to find such a good hook that, without a trip line from the crown, it is impossible to retrieve.
Mushroom anchor
The mushroom anchor is suitable where the seabed is composed of silt or fine sand. It was invented by Robert Stevenson, for use by an
82-ton converted fishing boat, Pharos, which was used as a lightvessel between 1807 and 1810 near to Bell Rock whilst
the lighthouse was being constructed. It was equipped with a 1.5-ton example.
It is shaped like an inverted mushroom, the head becoming buried in the silt. A counterweight is often provided at the other end of the
shank to lay it down before it becomes buried.
A mushroom anchor will normally sink in the silt to the point where it has displaced its own weight in bottom material, thus greatly
increasing its holding power. These anchors are only suitable for a silt or mud bottom, since they rely upon suction and cohesion of the
bottom material, which rocky or coarse sand bottoms lack. The holding power of this anchor is at best about twice its weight until it
becomes buried, when it can be as much as ten times its weight.
[17]
They are available in sizes from about 10 lb up to several tons.
Danforth anchor
American Richard Danforth invented the Danforth pattern in the 1940s for use aboard landing craft. It uses a stock at the crown to which
two large flat triangular flukes are attached. The stock is hinged so the flukes can orient toward the bottom (and on some designs may be
adjusted for an optimal angle depending on the bottom type). Tripping palms at the crown act to tip the flukes into the seabed. The
design is a burying variety, and once well set can develop high resistance. Its lightweight and compact flat design make it easy to retrieve
and relatively easy to store; some anchor rollers and hawsepipes can accommodate a fluke-style anchor.
A Danforth will not usually penetrate or hold in gravel or weeds. In boulders and coral it may hold by acting as a hook. If there is much
current, or if the vessel is moving while dropping the anchor, it may "kite" or "skate" over the bottom due to the large fluke area acting as
a sail or wing. Once set, the anchor tends to break out and reset when the direction of force changes dramatically, such as with the
changing tide, and on some occasions it might not reset but instead drag.
[7]

The FOB HP anchor, designed by Guy Royer in Brittany in the 1970s, is a Danforth variant designed to give increased holding through its
use of rounded flukes setting at a 30 angle.
[8][9]

The Fortress is an aluminum alloy Danforth variant which was designed by American Don Hallerberg. This anchor can be disassembled for
storage and it features an adjustable 32 and 45 shank/fluke angle to improve holding capability in common sea bottoms such as hard
sand and soft mud.
[10]
This anchor performed well in a 1989 US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) test