🔍 Key Concepts

• Anchor cable and chain locker arrangements on merchant vessels • Purpose of the bitter end connection for an anchor chain • Safety / emergency requirement that the bitter end be capable of being slipped (released) in an emergency

💭 Think About

• Think about where the very last link of the inboard end of the chain has to go so the chain does not lose the ship, but can still be released in an emergency. Which option matches that? • Which choice describes a normal, everyday shipboard fitting found in the chain locker, rather than a special emergency or towing arrangement? • Ask yourself: is the bitter end normally made fast to something outside the chain locker, or to something inside the locker itself?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what the bitter end means: it is the inboard end of the anchor chain, inside the ship, not the end near the anchor. • Check which option refers to a fitting that would reasonably be located in the chain locker or forepeak, not on deck or over the side. • Confirm which fittings are standard for holding the inboard end of anchor cable and can be let go quickly in an emergency (e.g., with a pin or lashing).