Brixham fishing boat catches car size anchor worth £10k

An anchor the size of a car from the 19th Century that was hauled up by a fishing boat could be worth £10,000.

Richard Fowler's crew caught the 2,150kg (339st) anchor while trawling in Rebecca, his fishing boat based in Brixham, Devon.

He said the crew knew they had caught "something heavy" and were unable to lift it until they returned to harbour.

Local maritime history enthusiast Bob Higginson believes the anchor dates back to the 1860s.

Mr Fowler, who has been fishing for 40 years, explained the return to Brixham harbour took 14 hours after being found at around 05:30 BST on Saturday due to the "severe weight".

He explained the Rebecca needed to be stabilised and assisted by a larger trawler to bring the anchor to the surface.

He said: "We had no idea of the size of it, it was far, far bigger than anything we expected."

Mr Higginson thought the "very rare" Trotman anchor, which measures nearly 4m (13ft) in length, could fetch £10,000.

"On close inspection it appears this anchor may have sustained some damage prior to its loss," he said.

"This can be seen by the missing tooth which looks to have had chain added to give the anchor back its balance which all adds to its rich history.

"The anchor, although covered in crustacean, is in very good shape and still pivots in all the right places, once cleaned up this anchor will make a great display."

Mr Higginson believes the anchor could be made by the same company that was involved with creating the anchors used by the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania.

He explained the Trotman anchor gets its name from John Trotman, who patented this particular type of anchor in 1852.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the Receiver of Wreck will investigate what vessel the anchor might have come from and try to identify its owner.

The anchor is not for sale currently as an owner has one year to come forward and claim it "after which point it will become property of the Crown and it will be the receiver's responsibility to dispose of it appropriately on behalf of the Crown".

"If the finder has committed a legitimate act of salvage then they may be entitled to a salvage award for the recovery and return of the anchor," added the MCA.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].