Weigh anchor is a nautical term indicating the final preparation of a sea vessel for getting underway. ''Weighing anchor'' literally means raising the

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄ� ...

of the vessel from the sea floor and hoisting it up to be stowed on board the vessel. At the moment when the anchor is no longer touching the sea floor, it is ''aweigh.''

Example of use

USS Marvel (AM-262)'s narrative is described in part in DANFS as "On 17 January 1945 she ''weighed anchor'' and began a 2-1/2-month cruise to Kodiak,

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

When not at anchor

When a vessel is not at anchor, but tied to a

pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

or to another anchored vessel, it does not weigh anchor; the captain or master gives the order to "take in lines."

References

* Nautical terminology Ship anchors {{Water-transport-stub