BASIC TOWING #4

Securing the Line on the towed ship on board the tow, the hawser is usually secured to the anchor cable, there are a lot different conditions and some other plan will be used. Use a short length of chain to take the chafe in the chock if the anchor cable is not used. If the anchor cable is used, the hawser is secured or shackled to it and the cable veered away to the desired length; the windlass brakes are then set up and springs or chain stoppers used to take the real strain of towing. You should have a shackle between the windlass and the point at which the springs or chain stoppers are secured and to keep tools at hand for unshackling if it becomes necessary to let go in an emergency. The tow should not be let go in this way, except in case of extreme emergency, because the line weighted with a length of heavy anchor cable would sink immediately, hanging as a dead weight from the stern of the towing vessel. In this position, it would be very hard to handle and in danger of fouling the propellers. This is only when the tow is a vessel of some size and is towing by her anchor cables. When a large ship is towing a small one, it is evident that the natural way of casting off is for the tow to let go, leaving the line to be handled by the large ship.