What is this ???

[Ship's Cat 73]

While wiping around in the bilge immediately below the engine, I attempted to clean the "thing" in the photo below. As I could see a hole in each end I assumed it was somehow attached to the hull and it superficially looked as if it was part of the engine mountings . . .
. . . but it wasn't ~ as I began wiping it, it moved under my hand as it wasn't attached to anything.

So, I'm now wondering what it is? It is extremely pitted/eroded/eaten away so that makes me wonder if it is meant to be some kind of sacrificial anode ??? Was it placed under the engine in order to provide some kind of invisible protection for the engine? (It's around 10 inches/250mm in length.)

Thanks in advance to you guys out there who will know . . . . .

 

[nimbusgb]

It's an anode.

Perhaps it fell in the bilge some time in the past?

 

[kennyh]

Yep. It's an old anode.

 

[Ship's Cat 73]

It's an anode.

Perhaps it fell in the bilge some time in the past?

"Fell in"? ~~~ that would seem like a feasible explanation! . . . it's not in there now, and it's not going back!

Yep. It's an old anode.

It certainly looked OLD!

Thanks guys.

 

[superheat6k]

Mine look like that after 4-6 months !

 

[KREW2]

Looks like an old Crunchie Bar that has seen better days.