=The automatic anchor, Artillery type, 1910= (see figs. 10 _a_ and _b_).—This is a device intended for use with buoyant mines, and by means of which such mines may be anchored in any depth of water, with any desired depth of submergence given automatically. The anchor is bell-shaped, 28 inches in diameter at the bottom, 28½ inches high over all, and composed of the following parts: Body, cover, reel, journal-box caps, ratchet, pawl, pawl spring, distance rope, distance weight, brakes, bails, necessary bolts, wrenches, and crank handles. The pawl is drawn away from the ratchet by a weight suspended a certain distance below the anchor. This is called the distance weight, and the submergence is regulated by the distance this weight is from the anchor. In falling through the water the mooring rope will unreel and the mine will remain on the surface, but when the distance weight reaches the bottom the pawl spring forces the pawl into the teeth of the ratchet, and as the latter is attached to the reel shaft, it prevents the reel from turning and hence unreeling. These anchors weigh approximately 1,500 pounds, including the 200-pound distance weight. In order to control the speed of revolution of the reel, the friction brakes must be adjusted properly. To do this, a pull is put on the mooring rope with a spring balance rigged to show the amount of pull; the pull for a particular size of case is determined by experiment. For a No. 40 mine case the adjusting screws of the brake shoes are regulated so that the reel will revolve slowly when a pull of 300 pounds is registered. The pawl spring is 9½ inches long and of such strength that a pull of 36 pounds will extend the spring 1½ inches. The pawl spring bolt is of such length that the pawl spring will be just at the point of tension when the top of the pawl spring bolt is flush with the top of the pawl spring-bolt nut and the pawl fully seated in the ratchet. When the tidal currents are such as to require a heavier anchor to hold the mine than the 1,500-pound automatic anchor, the following combination anchor will be used: Attach a mushroom anchor by means of a mooring rope (about 8 feet long) and clips to the bail in the bottom of the automatic anchor. If necessary, two mushroom anchors may be fastened together by bolts and these attached to the automatic anchor as stated above. [Illustration: FIG. 10b.—AUTOMATIC ANCHOR.] A 3,000-pound automatic anchor, similar to the 1,500-pound automatic anchor, is supplied for some localities. =The mooring sockets.=—To connect the wire mooring rope to the shackles at the mine and the anchor, a closed socket is attached at each end. The eye of the socket has a clear opening, 1³/₁₀ inches, designed to receive the bolt of the shackle. The end of the rope is passed into the socket, spread out, and secured by pouring in a melted socket alloy.