Masts

[RHeld]

Was the aftermost of the two masts on the titanic called in nautical terms the "mainmast" or "aftermast"?

Also, was it a thin wire that was strung between the two masts, or a thick cable? And the masts were there in part so a wire aireal could be rigged up for the Marconi shack, correct?

 

[David G. Brown]

Titanic was sometimes described as a "schooner rigged" ship, even though it carried no sails. The term "schooner" implies a vessel with two or more masts and fore-and-aft sails (if they existed). Schooners do not have yards to support square sails (like a clipper ship). Being a schooner, Titanics after mast was automatically the "main mast" and the forward mast the "foremast." To us these terms are charming leftovers from the days of sail, but not so in 1912. A large percent of the worlds commerce still moved by wind power. So, Titanic's builders and crew would have felt comfortable with the terms.

-- David G. Brown

 

[Andy Carter]

Hi everyone,

why did Titanic have the big Masts front and back?

It has no sails, is it just for looks?

I know the Crows Nest was on the front mast but they could have put the Crows Nest a number of places and it worked.

Thanks in advance,

Andy Carter

 

[Harland Duzen]

Along with it being aesthetically pleasing*, it also allowed a higher vantage point for lookouts and helped act as transmitters for the Marconi Wireless.

*A ship called the President Lincoln had 6 sails and used it as a selling point for immigrants along with it's name while the White Star "Big Four" included 4 masts which were meant to symbolise a mix of tradition (sails) and progress (steam engine).

 

[Aaron_2016]

Hi everyone,

why did Titanic have the big Masts front and back?

It has no sails, is it just for looks?

I know the Crows Nest was on the front mast but they could have put the Crows Nest a number of places and it worked.

Thanks in advance,

Andy Carter

Masthead lights
Wireless transmission
International signal flags - used for identification and communication.

International maritime signal flags - Wikipedia


.

 

[Andy Carter]

Thank you,

as I thought really, its a hang on from when Ships had masts for Sails.

All the best,

Andy

 

[Steve Thomas]

According to this, the main purpose was as part of a derrick (crane) for heavy cargo (these were kept on new ships until containerization, RoRo, etc., in the 1960ies and 1970ies), and also for the radio aerials. And it looks great.

"schooner" implies a vessel with two or more masts and fore-and-aft sails (if they existed). ... Being a schooner, Titanics after mast was automatically the "main mast" and the forward mast the "foremast."

... unless the forward mast is taller, in which case it is called the main mast, the aft mast the mizzen mast, and the ship a ketch.

 

[David G. Brown]

Can a ketch catch a schooner?

David G. Brown

 

[Steve Thomas]

It might happen, schooner or later

 

[Dave Gittins]

Yawl drive me nuts!

 

[David G. Brown]

Several years ago a wealthy gentleman had his sailing yacht docked in Miami for Christmas. So, he had a company put up seasonal decorations including a tree on the mainmast. He was called away on business the morning the lights and greenery were to be installed, but managed to get back after lunch. To his dismay, he found the decorators hard a work, but not on his yacht. They were hoisting greens on the boat across the dock. "Stop, stop," he yelled running down the pier. "Stop! You're treeing up the wrong barque."

-- David G. Brown

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Hi everyone,

why did Titanic have the big Masts front and back?

It has no sails, is it just for looks?

I know the Crows Nest was on the front mast but they could have put the Crows Nest a number of places and it worked.

Thanks in advance,

Andy Carter

Hi everyone,

why did Titanic have the big Masts front and back?

It has no sails, is it just for looks?

I know the Crows Nest was on the front mast but they could have put the Crows Nest a number of places and it worked.

Thanks in advance,

Andy Carter

I had a question about the crow's nest previously. The answer was that the crow's nest was on the most forward mast was because the view was less obstructed by other masts, etc.than from the bridge. It may be an optical illusion but the crow's nest does not seem to be much higher than the bridge or uppermost deck on the ship. So the advantage to the crow's nests seems to be more for the unobstructed view than for seeing farther. Also the lookout's job was just that - "looking out" - all the time while those on the bridge were occupied on other duties. I have read reports that some officers officers reported seeing ships or objects before they were reported from the lookouts in the crow's nest.

Before looking at those plans and photos I had always envisioned the crow's nest to be much higher.....Even at the very top of the highest mast !

Interestingly , the antenna of the surface radar was on the very top of the highest mast on the ship on which I served. The radar could have "seen" much farther than the man in the crow's nest. The ship did have a crow's nest but it was much lower than the radar antenna and I doubt that It was ever manned.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Yawl drive me nuts!

How much Tuna can yawl ketch from your schooner ?
Oh, never mine it, you can frigate my question if you want to.

 

[Tim Aldrich]

Sounds like a "tender" subject.

 

[Steve Thomas]

Robert, I'm pretty sure a forward lookout is at least as much about seeing things that are very near, that is in the bridge's "blind spot" directly before the bow, as it is about things very far. Also he might have better night vision, due to most of a liner's bright lights being behind him? It would be interesting how the lighting conditions would have appeared from Titanic's bridge. And, the bridge crew would look out where they are going all right, I don't think Titanic was understaffed and overworked like some modern ships are? Not sure though. I find it easy to overlook small things when staring at the same patch of ocean for hours on end, and just having an additional pair of eyes helps a lot.