1912 Olympic Lowering Her Anchor

[Aaron_2016]

Found this photo in a US newspaper from April 1912 reported to be the Titanic, but I can see her promenade deck is not enclosed which makes her the Olympic. Anyone know where this photo was taken and if her forward anchor is being raised or lowered? New York quarantine?

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[Ioannis Georgiou]

That photograph of Olympic was taken on 20 September 1911 after the collision with the HMS Hawke. The port anchor had been lowered and she is towered back to Southampton.

 

[Harland Duzen]

Just found a clearer copy of it on Paul Lee's website here:

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

From my original "The New York Times" 29 September 1911

 

[Doug Criner]

When maneuvering into port, it might have been usual to hoist an anchor off its chain stops, and put all the weight on the anchor windless. That would allow quick deployment of the anchor in extremis.

 

[Jim Currie]

The anchor is hung there, probably on the windlass brake ready for immediate use or prior to recovery. If it had been used, you would see water pouring from the port hawse pipe. This, to remove any mud from the anchor flukes and cable before heaving up tight.
The aft tug is made fast alongside Olympic's starboard quarter. You can see the tug's bow line mooring rope leading up to Olympic's starboard shoulder. There would be a similar line leading from the tug's stern to that of Olympic. You can see the bow tug's tow line leading from the bow-lead out of the top RH side of the picture.
Olympic is also carrying the NUC signal...2 black balls in a vertical line. This tells everyone that she is unable to manoeuvre and obey the Collision Regulations. The fact that the anchor is hanging from the port pipe tells me it would be used to slow forward movement, turn the ship's stern quickly to port or in combination with the stern tug, stop her and let the bow tug turn her head.

 

[Doug Criner]

OK, I now see the tow line coming out the center hawse. The port anchor could be let go in an instant since the chain stops are disconnected. The tow line is a steel cable (not chain) for the center anchor and its anchor windlass was below deck.

 

[Harland Duzen]

I just found this photo taken seconds before / after the original photo from a different angle.

Link:

The photo found by Aaron_2016 must been taken from the Tug seen on the right on it's Port side.

 

[Jim Currie]

It certainly was taken from the tug seen earlier on the port bow. However, this latest photograph was taken quite a bit later because in the early versions, we see a deck hand standing on the aft deck of the starboard bow tug and he is between the strong backs. He would most certily not have been there after the tow line was made fast. In addition, is seems, althought the picture is faint, that there is a volume of water coming out of the port hawspipe and the anchor is hove up into it so it must have been used, then recovered and was being cleaned. It might of course be a fold in the picture we are seeing but there is no clear sign of the anchor