If An Anchor Could Speak

Posted by Mercy Ships staff on Feb 16, 2010 at 11:21 am

The story begins around 1989 when the Good Samaritan was at anchor near Saint Marc, Haiti.  Al Bennett was the Captain, and Tim Tretheway was the Chief Officer.   The ship was delivering vital supplies to local ministries and churches.

Chief Officer Tretheway was on the bow having difficulty raising the ship’s anchor.  The windlass motor was working so hard that it was overheating.  Captain Al finally decided to secure the brake and use the ship’s engines to power out toward deeper water to see if the anchor would break free.  He assumed the anchor was wrapped around a coral head or something.

In a short time, the murky water of the anchorage was replaced by that wonderful indigo blue which indicates deep water.  Captain Al checked the depth sounder.  They were already in 800 feet of water, much deeper than the anchor chain.

They started to raise the anchor with the windlass again, but it still strained.  Finally, the Chief Officer saw a cloudy mass of mud washing off the rising anchor and reported that the anchor was in sight.  Then he realized that there was still nearly 200 feet of chain left … far more than he should be able to see.  So, he corrected his report, saying, “I have AN anchor in sight, but not OUR anchor insight!”

After a two hour process of washing off the anchor, getting a wire cable on it, and doing some tricky seamanship, the “second” anchor was freed and lifted onto the deck.  Captain Al says, “It was fascinating.  Tim and I are both interested in maritime history.  It was a fun exercise for us.”

They discovered some unique marks on the anchor, including the initials of the craftsman who made it.  Chief Officer Tretheway did a precise rendering of it in his journal.  He later contacted the Maritime Museum in Norfolk, Virginia.  They confirmed that the anchor was a French admiralty type, with a possible date of about 1802.

During 1802 was the year of the first Slave Uprising.  The second uprising occurred in 1804 and was successful in driving the French military and slave owners out of the country.

So, if the anchor could speak, what story would it tell?  It’s a mystery that lends itself to imaginative speculation.  Tim Tretheway, now Captain of the Africa Mercy, has his own theory.  He believes the anchor came from a French military sailing vessel – a transport, a sloop, or possibly a frigate.  The location of the anchor was in a good triangulation point for guns from the two main fortifications which stand above the town and protect the harbor.  Perhaps the slaves managed to eventually take the forts, took command of the guns, and targeted any vessels in the harbor.  Perhaps in a rush to escape, the ship’s crew cut the rope and abandoned the anchor.  And the anchor remained in the deep waters of the anchorage, well-set and slowly becoming buried deeper and deeper through the years.

Of course, there are other possibilities.  Perhaps the ship simply couldn’t escape the grip of a vicious storm.

Regardless of the reason for the French ship’s demise, about 200 years later, the Mercy Ship Good Samaritan anchored in the same spot – carrying a cargo of hope and healing.   Then the ship’s anchor chain slowly wrapped around the ring and upper shank of the old anchor … and a mystery was brought to the surface. 

Further research could possibly reveal the exact type, name, and purpose of the mysterious vessel.  On second thought, maybe it’s more fun to let the anchor keep its secret, allowing our imaginations to write the script.

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