Mast of the ship: photo, name, dimensions

The mast is an integral and indispensable part of the ship, which belongs to the mast. Its direct function is to serve as the basis for securing the stengh, the rests (the components of the spar), and also for supporting the sails. What else can you tell us 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 masts of the ship, their number

Depending on the purpose of the ship masts are of different heights. Some reach 60 m with a base thickness of 1 m.

And how many masts are there? Their number directly depends on the size of the vessel. The length of the foremast and the mizzen mast depends directly on the height of the mainmast. So, the first is 8 \ 9 of its parts, and the second is 6 \ 7. These proportions are not fundamental for all vessels. They depended on the wishes of designers and builders.

Once the mainmast was calculated as follows. It was necessary to add the length of the lower deck and its greatest width, divide the sum obtained by two. This figure is the length of the mast of the ship.

At the very beginning of the development of navigation and shipbuilding, the structure included only one mast and one sail. Over time, development has reached the point that they are installed on ships up to seven pieces.

The most common phenomenon is the supply of the ship with three straight and one inclined mast.

The name of the masts of the sailing ship

The location of the mast on the ship determines its name. For example, if we consider a three-masted vessel, it becomes clear that the mast, which stands first from the nose, is called a "foremast".

The next main mast is the largest. And the smallest is called "mizzen-mast". If there are only two, then the mainmast is the one that is closer to the stern.

An inclined mast on the bow of the ship is called a "bowsprit". On ancient ships the angle of inclination was 36⁰, now it is 20. Its main purpose is to ensure the greatest steerability of the ship. This is achieved due to the fact that forward made special triangular sails.

If there are more than three masts on the ship, then all following the fore-mast will be referred to as 1st grotto, 2nd grotto, etc.

Structure and materials of construction

Most often the masts of the ship (photos of some of their kinds you have the opportunity to see in the article) are made from the components that continue each other. Its base is called the mast, and its constituent parts are the mast. The upper part of the mast has the name "top".

A small ship is equipped with a mast made of one tree (one-tree), and larger vessels are equipped with three-piece components. They can be disassembled if necessary.

The material for their manufacture is wood or metal. Metal (steel or light metal) makes pipes that later become a mast on a ship.

What tree do masts of ships make of? It:

• Spruce.
• Larch.
• Fir.
• Pinia.
• A resinous pine, etc.

Trees should be light and resinous.

Different mast classification

Earlier, the masts were distinguished by their location on the ship:

• The nasal.
• Average.
• Rear.

The purpose of using the mast lies at the heart of its division in:

• Signal. This is a special mast for lifting signal signs, flags, lights or for installing antennas.
• Freight. It is equipped with a special mechanism for securing the boom. But, if necessary, it can perform the same functions as the signal mast.
• Special. These are masts made for a specific purpose.

According to the design, the masts of the ship are divided into:

• Single. Waterproof mast, is used for installation on small vessels, as well as sailing and auxiliary ships. They are of two kinds, one-piece and one-piece.
• Trenogie. It consists of 3 steel pipes.
• Four-legged. The mast is lined with steel sheets on the frame.
• Tower-like. The constructed sites are arranged in tiers. They are designed to monitor and post posts.

The mast position on the ship and the slope

The spread of navigation gives a considerable portion of food for the mind to the builders. It is important to properly position the mast on the ship. This is necessary for the ship to be easily operated. Gradual development led to the emergence of certain rules.

The center of the lower ends of the masts is determined very strictly. Metering starts on the lower deck, the first mast is set to 1/9 of its length, the second - to 5 \ 9, the third - to 17 \ 20. These measurements are not carried out during the construction of merchant ships. French ships to the fore-mast had on 1/10 part of the ship, the calculation was carried out, starting from the bow.

The mast slope was also different, some ships sailed perfectly with masts tilted forward, others back. Short, but wide ships were built with masts that are closer to the middle, strongly tilted back. And on the long, on the contrary, vertical structures were installed, as it was believed that during the voyage, with considerable resistance to the wind, the mast could break.

Why masts are needed on the ship

Today on masts establish:

• Antennas.
• Ship's 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 an accompanying element.

Mounting masts on ships

How does the masts mount on ships? Single masts for securing pass into the hole on the upper deck and the spurs (mast bottom) are welded to the deck or the second bottom. The cable that connects the mast to the side is called the guy. The front part of the mast is supported by means of stanchions, and from the stern side it is supported by buckthags. The bowsprit is fastened with special water-wools made of strong cables. Now the cables are replaced with chains.

The mast of the ship is fixed on the deck or passed through it and fixed to the keel. In the main now it is fixed on the special fortifications of the roofs on the deck. This fixing method has positive sides:

1. The space inside the cabin is free, it does not hamper the movement.
2. In the event of an accident, the mast, which is fixed on the deck, will not rupture the cabin cover, but simply fall overboard.
3. Mounting on the deck gives another plus - when dismantling it is easy to remove. While the mast, attached to the keel, will require a crane for this action.

Warships

Masts for this category of vessels are made of steel and are called "combat". Special platforms are attached to it, which are used for observation or special fastenings for placing artillery equipment.

Previously, the masts of warships were made of solid wood, but when a projectile hit it, the ship remained unconnected. Given all the shortcomings of the time, now they are installing special three-legged or latticed (openwork) masts. They are more stable, do not break down from direct hit.

Depending on the number of masts are subdivided into one-, two-, three-, four-mast vessels.

Types of sailing ships

On how many masts on the ship, its name depends. Five masts, four masts, barges with 2, 4 and 5 masts, barkentine (1 straight mast, 2 slanting), brig with 2 masts, as well as a schooner, a brigantine caravel, etc.

The number of masts, 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-masted sailing vessels, including yal, cat, sloop, etc.
• Two-masted sailing vessels are a brig, a schooner, a brigantine, and so on.
• Three-masted sailing vessels: frigate, caravel, bark, etc.

A bit of history

Now you know what the ship's mast is, how many of them there are, what they are intended for, etc. In conclusion, I would like to go a little deeper into the story and tell you about some curious facts that will surely be of interest to those who are interested in this topic.

Mankind has learned to use sails for its own purposes 3,000 years ago. When people just started using the wind for their own purposes. Then the sail was very primitive and it was attached to a rye, located on a small mast. Such a construction helped only with a favorable wind. Therefore, sometimes there was no sense from him at all.

A little later, in the time of the feudal system, shipbuilding reached a greater development. The ships were equipped with two masts, and the sails used were of a more perfect shape. But shipbuilding did not develop at that time. In those days, the labor was widely used. Therefore, no one has developed this industry.

After the disappearance of free employees, the work of seafarers became difficult. The operation of ships, the movement of which was possible only with the participation of a large number of oarsmen, became impossible, since the expansion and expansion of trade relations meant moving to further distances.

The first ship, meeting the requirements of the time, was called "nave". Initially it had 1 or 2 masts. Its length was 40 m. And they could carry 500 tons of these vessels.

Carrakka is a three-masted vessel. The first two masts were equipped with straight sails, the latter was triangular. Then these two species were united into one and were the prototype of modern ships and frigates.

Galleon is a Spanish ship with 4 masts and a bowsprit, with straight sails.

The further development of shipbuilding led to the emergence of a clear classification of ships. The division for commercial and military vessels determined their armament.