Anchors play a key role in telling the story of maritime history. They’ve also become iconic symbols around the world.
The BIG Anchor Project , launched by the Nautical Archaeological Society in 2008, invites volunteers (or “citizen scientists” as we often call them) to help document anchors they come across. With over 500 anchors currently in the database, only three were from the Lake Huron area—until now!
In the spring of 2025, Alpena High School students from the Shipwreck Alley Earth Science class measured and gathered data from four anchors at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Now they are officially part of the global database!
Here’s a peek at the anchors they contributed:
The PEWABIC Anchor – 1,400 pounds, located in the GLMHC parking lot
The BULGARIA Anchor – 1,100 pounds, located inside the GLMHC
An Unknown Anchor – 1,400 pounds, located on the Thunder Bay River
The NORDMEER Anchor – 9,000 pounds, located in the GLMHC parking lot
The sanctuary’s ongoing goal is to add more anchors—including those still submerged on shipwrecks—and involve even more students in this exciting project.
This project offered an opportunity to engage and educate students, give them experience using the same tools archaeologists use, and to explore the history of these anchors. Students left with the resources and encouragement to take initiative to document other anchors throughout the community.
Alpena’s local news station, WBKB, covered the story, airing it across northern Michigan during the six o’clock news.
