I’ve worked a bit on 350 psi Hydraulic systems, and only a couple of times on the 1,500 psi systems. Doing what you are suggesting is certainly a very, very dangerous thing to do - both to the ship, as well as the sailor.
I honestly don’t know what scares me more, electricity or hydraulics. So, what do I do? I’m an engineer and work with both. Let’s just say that I have a HUGE amount of respect for those who work with Hydraulics.
You may search high and low; I doubt you’ll find a more safety conscious engineer in the Hydraulics area than me. I get shivers just thinking about that. Ewwww, nasty, nasty, nasty.
This was for the boilers. Eight of them at 1200 PSI super heated steam. A leak the size of a #2 pencil lead can decapitate you. You can’t hear the leak But if you go into such a boiler room and it is quiet but you can’t hear yourself speak either Get out the same way you came in and fast a major steam break has occurred. The noises are above human hearing range but over come all other sounds.
They had to have lost the anchor without “dredging”. The thought of that chain whipping around while circling the Hawespipe is a deck Dept. members worst nightmare.