Very interesting link DaveRo, thank you for posting it. In the instances given all stress the importance of having steerageway on the ship so that the ship can answer her helm. It also states the differences between coming to anchor and mooring. Emphasis is also given to the ship moving at the lowest speed possible.

Regarding paragraph 754 it is the sacrificial check-stoppers that "break" when the anchor is let go. The check-stoppers are installed on the inboard ends of rope or cable flaked out on deck, they keep the rope or cable under control:

            __________________________________________ Cable tier
          (______________________________
            ______________________________)-- Check-stopper A
          (______________________________
            ______________________________)-- Check-stopper B
          (______________________________
Anchor____________________________________)-- Check-stopper C

Anchor is let go and weight comes onto Check-stopper C which breaks, the bight of cable to Check-stopper B runs out and Check-stopper B breaks when it takes the weight and so on.