The mast is an integral and irreplaceable part of the ship, which refers to the mast. Its direct function is to serve as the basis for fastening the rods, rails (components of the mast), as well as to support the sails. What else can you say about the masts of the ship? You will learn a lot of useful and interesting information in the process of reading the article.
The height of the mast of the ship, their number
Masts are of various heights depending on the purpose of the ship. Some reach 60 m with a base thickness of 1 m.
And how many masts does the ship have? Their number directly depends on the size of the vessel. The length of the fore-mast and mizzen-mast directly depends on what height the main mast is. So, the first is 8 \ 9 of its parts, and the second is 6 \ 7. These proportions are not critical for all vessels. They depended on the wishes of designers and builders.
Once the calculation of the main mast was carried out as follows. It was necessary to add the length of the lower deck and its greatest width, divide the amount received by two. This figure is the length of the mast of the ship.
At the very beginning of the development of shipping and shipbuilding, the structure included only one mast and one sail. Over time, development has come to the point that they are installed on ships up to seven pieces.
The most common phenomenon is the supply of a ship with three straight lines and one inclined mast.
The name of the mast of the sailing ship
The location of the mast on the ship determines its name. For example, if we look at a three-masted vessel, it becomes clear that the mast that stands first from the bow is called the “foremast”.
The next main mast is the largest. And the smallest is called the mizzen mast. If there are only two, then the main mast is the one that is closer to the stern.
The slanted mast on the bow of the ship is called the bowsprit. On ancient ships, the inclination angle was 36⁰, now it is 20⁰. Its main purpose is to provide the greatest agility of the vessel. This is achieved due to the fact that forward made special triangular sails.
If there are more than three masts on the ship, then everyone following the foremast will be called the 1st mainsail, the 2nd mainsail, etc.
Composition and materials of construction
Most often, the mast of the ship (photos of some of their types you can see in the article) are made of components that continue each other. Its base is called the mast, and its constituent parts are called rods. The top of the mast is called “top”.
A small vessel is equipped with a mast of one tree (odnoderevki), and larger vessels are equipped with three-piece components. They can be disassembled if necessary.
The material for their manufacture is wood or metal. Pipes are made of metal (steel or light metal), which subsequently become the mast on the ship.
What tree are ship masts made of? It:
- Spruce.
- Larch.
- Fir.
- Pinia.
- Resinous pine, etc.
Trees should be light and resinous.
Different mast classifications
Previously, the masts were distinguished by the location on the vessel:
- Nasal.
- Medium.
- The back.
The purpose of the mast is the basis of its division into:
- Signal. This is a special mast for raising signal signs, flags, lights or for installing antennas.
- Freight. It is equipped with a special mechanism for securing the cargo boom. But if necessary, it can perform the same functions as the signal mast.
- Special. These are masts made for any specific purpose.
By design, the mast of the ship is divided into:
- Single Waterproof mast, used for installation on small vessels, as well as sailing and auxiliary ships. They come in two forms, whole and composite.
- Tripods. It consists of 3 steel pipes.
- Four-legged. The mast is sheathed with steel sheets on the frame.
- Tower-like. Built sites are arranged in tiers. They are intended for monitoring and posting.
Mast position on the ship and tilt
The proliferation of shipping provides builders with a considerable portion of food for the mind. It is important to correctly position the masts on the ship. This is necessary so that the ship is easily controllable. Gradual development led to the emergence of certain rules.
The center of the lower ends of the masts is very strictly defined. Measurement begins on the lower deck, the first mast is installed at 1 \ 9 of its length, the second - at 5 \ 9, the third - at 17 \ 20. These measurements are not performed during the construction of merchant ships. The French foremast vessels were located on 1/10 of the ship, the calculation was carried out, starting from the bow.
The inclination of the mast was also different, some ships sailed beautifully with the mast tilted forward, others back. Short but wide vessels were built with masts closer to the middle, strongly inclined back. On the contrary, vertical structures were installed on long ones, since it was believed that during sailing with considerable resistance to the wind the mast could break.
Why masts are needed on board
Today on the masts install:
- Antennas
- Ship lights.
- Signals.
- Communication
- Flags
- Necessary fastenings (if the ship is cargo).
But despite this, the most important purpose of the masts is to provide support for the sails of the ship. Everything else is related elements.
Mast fastening on ships
How are the masts mounted on ships? Single masts for fastening are passed into the hole on the upper deck and spurs (bottom of the mast) are welded to the deck or the second bottom. The cable that connects the mast to the side is called a cable. The front part of the mast is supported by the headquarters, and from the stern side by the back posts. The bowsprit is attached using special water-vulings made of durable cables. Now the cables are being replaced with chains.
The mast of the ship is mounted on the deck or passed through it and attached to the keel. Basically, now it is fixed on special fortifications of the roofs of the cabins on the deck. This mounting method has positive aspects:
- The space inside the cabin is free, this does not impede movement.
- In the event of an accident, the mast, which is mounted on the deck, will not break the cabin cover, but simply fall overboard.
- Mounting on the deck provides another plus - when dismantling it is easy to remove. Whereas a mast attached to the keel will require a crane for this action.
Warships
Masts for this category of ships are made of steel and are called “fighting”. Special platforms are attached to it, which are used for observation or special mounts for placing artillery equipment.
Previously, the masts of warships were made of solid wood, but when a shell hit it, the ship remained unconnected. Considering all the shortcomings of that time, now they are installing special three-legged or trellised (openwork) masts. They are more stable, do not fail from a direct hit.
Depending on the number of masts, they are divided into one-, two-, three-, four-masted vessels.
Types of Sailing Ships
The name of the ship depends on how many masts are on the ship. Five-mast, four-mast, barges with 2, 4 and 5 masts, barquentine (1 straight mast, 2 oblique), brig with 2 masts, as well as a schooner, caravel brigantine, etc.
The number of masts available, their location and slope are all distinctive features.
Sailing vessels are divided into three types, depending on how many masts are installed on them:
- Single mast sailing vessels, such as yal, cat, sloop, etc.
- Two-masted sailing vessels are brig, schooner, brigantine, etc.
- Three-masted sailing vessels: frigate, caravel, bark, etc.
