Foul anchor

the anchor when it hooks, or is entangled with, another anchor, or with a cable or wreck, or when the slack cable entangled.
(Naut.) See under Anchor.

See also: Anchor, Foul

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by G. & C. Merriam Co.
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Navy Department Circular #79, dated June 12, 1897, described the new CPO cap device as, "The 'device for chief petty officers' caps (except bandmaster) shall be the letters U.S.N., in silver, upon a gilt foul anchor."
First they were firsts
Also under an 1869 order, all commissioned officers, except chaplains, professors of mathematics and naval constructors were directed to wear the same cap device, a silver spread eagle standing on a gold embroidered foul anchor. Thus, the Pay Corps device disappeared forever from the cap.
From the Supply Corps archives: Evolution of the oak leaf

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