S.C. 'anchor farm' preserves sea relics

GEORGETOWN, S.C., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A massive early-19th century ship's anchor found off the coast of South Carolina will become part of an underwater "anchor farm," state officials say.

The 1,400-pound anchor, discovered last spring by a state Department of Natural Resources trawler, would have been too expensive to move, especially since its historical significance is undetermined. So instead, it will become part of state's Cooper River Heritage Trail, The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier reported Saturday.

The newspaper said the trail is actually a series of underwater historical sites identified by buoys and underwater plaques. The Anchor Farm, where several other historic anchors have also been deposited, is part of the effort and is "unique," Chris Amer, the state's underwater archaeologist, told the Post and Courier.

Amer said that submerging the anchors in the fresh water of the Cooper River preserves and protects them without the costs of restoring iron.