Brion Toss, Julian Arthur and Port of Port Townsend and Northwest Maritime Center staff help guide the anchor into its home for the next month.
For those who haven’t heard, an anchor thought to be from Captain Vancouver’s 18th Century expedition may have been pulled from off off of Whidbey Island six days ago. If verified, this would be an amazing historical find. Previously, it was thought to have been in Bellingham Channel. Kudos to sea cucumber fisherman Doug Monk for recognizing the potential importance of his find, and to Scott Grimm for historical sleuthing. Anybody fascinated with this region’s maritime history will want to see the anchor and hear Scott Grimm’s historical take.
There have been several stories on the find and anchor recovery. Here’s one:
From the Port Townsend Leader, by Robin Dudley:
An anchor believed to be lost from the HMS Chatham in 1792 was salvaged on June 9 and brought to Port Townsend.
It is on display at the Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC) for about three weeks, according to Jim Pivarnik of the Port of Port Townsend.
To prevent rust, the 900-pound anchor is being stored in a T-shaped tub filled with recirculated salt water. The tub is to displayed in a windowed corner of the NWMC boat shop along Water Street. The space will be lit at night so the anchor can be seen through the windows, and the shop is open during NWMC regular hours.
The anchor was discovered by Doug Monk, a commercial fisherman, while he was diving for sea cucumbers in 2008 off Whidbey Island’s northwest shore.
Soon after, Monk met Scott Grimm, an amateur historian, and along with a videographer and an attorney they formed Anchor Ventures LLC, with the aim of recovering and validating the anchor’s pedigree. They believe the anchor is from the HMS Chatham, a gunship accompanying the HMS Discovery on English Capt. George Vancouver’s 1791-1795 exploration of North America’s West Coast.
