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Large anchor with one fluke deliberately bent back.

The precise history of the anchor is uncertain, but it is believed to date back to the early 19th century. It was used on a warship of the Royal Navy, probably a large frigate, or ship of the line. An anchor of this size, it weighs about 4 tons, would have needed two capstans to wind it in: one on the top deck and one on the lower deck, both connected by a common shaft. Each capstan would have needed up to 16 men to weigh anchor.

In the 1890s the anchor was used to hold surface mooring buoys in position at Portland. One fluke was deliberately bent back against the shaft to avoid ropes and cables from other ships entangling in it. The anchor was used in this way until 1974 when it was recovered by the Royal Navy. The stock is made of wood bound with iron straps, while the flukes and shaft are made of wrought iron.

Source: Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum Guidebook, 1984