Question 4042 Deck General

The correct answer is C) Riding pawl. The riding pawl is a critical safety feature on a winch that prevents the anchor cable from running out if the winch should fail while hauling in the anchor. The riding pawl engages with the winch drum's ratchet wheel, locking it in place and preventing the anchor cable from paying out. This ensures the anchor remains secured even if the winch mechanism fails. The other options, while potentially related to anchoring operations, do not specifically serve this function of preventing the anchor cable from running out in the event of a winch failure. The chain stopper, hawse ratchet, and devil's claw have other purposes, but do not directly perform the safety-critical role of the riding pawl in this scenario.