![Uss south carolina bb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Uss_south_carolina_bb.jpg)
Lattice masts, or cage masts, or basket masts, are a type of observation
mast common on
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
major warships in the early 20th century. They are a type of
hyperboloid structure
Hyperboloid structures are architectural structures designed using a hyperboloid in one sheet. Often these are tall structures, such as towers, where the hyperboloid geometry's structural strength is used to support an object high above the grou ...
, whose weight-saving design was invented by the Russian engineer
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Григо́рьевич Шу́хов; – 2 February 1939) was a Russian Empire and Soviet engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new ...
. They were used most prominently on American
dreadnought
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
battleships and
armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...
s of the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
era.
In the
age of sail, masts were required to support the sails, and lookouts were posted on them; with the advent of engine-powered warships, masts were retained and used for observation and to spot
fall of shot
Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by ...
. The purpose of the lattice structure was to make the posts less vulnerable to shells from enemy ships, and to better absorb the shock caused by firing heavy guns, isolating the delicate fire control equipment (
rangefinder
A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
s, etc.) mounted on the mast tops. However, the masts were found to be easily damaged by the inclement weather experienced at sea by naval ships during typhoons and hurricanes: s mast was bent right down to the deck by such a storm in 1918. As the caliber and range of ships' guns increased, heavier rangefinders were required, and the powerful guns and engines created shock and vibrations; lattice masts were eventually phased out in favor of the more rigid
tripod mast
The tripod mast is a type of mast used on warships from the Edwardian era onwards, replacing the pole mast. Tripod masts are distinctive using two large (usually cylindrical) support columns spread out at angles to brace another (usually vertica ...
s favoured by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
.
Use in the United States Navy
The s of 1910 were the first class of American battleships to feature lattice masts, which were to become a standard fixture on all American battleships, and many
cruiser classes. Older vessels, including the first modern American battleship, , were modernized with lattice masts during the period.
During 1912, gunnery tests were carried out by the
US Navy Department on a lattice or basket mast specially installed on the ''San Marcos'' (formerly ), to see how capable the design was of withstanding sustained gunfire. The mast was prefabricated in the
Norfolk navy yard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...
and shipped out for installation.
:"As a result of the firing tests carried out some months ago against a lattice mast that had been erected on the ''San Marcos'', now lying on the mud in
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, the navy department has decided to make the lattice or basket mast the standard type for future warships. The mast, under test, showed remarkable endurance, several successful hits being necessary to bring it down."
The ''New York Times'', on the other hand, carried an unfavourable notice. By 1917 only the lowest ribs at the base of the mast remained.
![USS Michigan BB 27 collapsed cage foremast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/USS_Michigan_BB_27_collapsed_cage_foremast.jpg)
In January 1918, the lattice foremast of the battleship collapsed in a severe storm; the heavy seas put excessive stress on the mast and the weight of the fire control equipment caused the mast to fail at the narrowest point. The incident spurred an investigation by the
Bureau of Construction and Repair The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the ...
, which found that the failure was likely because the mast had been lengthened, with a new section spliced in where the mast broke. In addition, fragments from a recent explosion in one of the ship's guns had damaged the mast, and the damage had not been adequately repaired. Nevertheless, the investigation also found that the mast aboard the battleship also showed signs of buckling. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Navy repeatedly found evidence of structural problems in the masts, in large part due to the corrosive effects of
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
gases.
[Friedman, p. 177]
At the same time as the ''Michigan'' incident,
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
officers were also gaining experience with British
tripod mast
The tripod mast is a type of mast used on warships from the Edwardian era onwards, replacing the pole mast. Tripod masts are distinctive using two large (usually cylindrical) support columns spread out at angles to brace another (usually vertica ...
s for the first time while serving with the
Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
History
Formed in August 1914 from the F ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Unlike lattice masts, the heavier tripods did not suffer from vibration when steaming at high speed, and they were not as susceptible to shock from gunfire,
[ which caused the lattice masts to whip from the concussion.
All American battleships up to the battleships (1921–1923) were equipped with lattice masts, although in the 1920s to 1930s, the older battleships had their lattice masts replaced with more modern tripod masts, concomitant with the addition of larger, much heavier fire-control director tops. The newer and ''Colorado'' classes retained their original lattice masts, of heavier construction than those on earlier ships, at the start of ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Use in other navies
Only four battleships were completed with lattice masts for other navies. The two s of the Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
had lattice masts until they were replaced with conventional masts at the beginning of the First World War. The two United States-built s of the Argentine Navy, and , had lattice masts. They were the only dreadnought-type battleships built for export by the US. Two other battleships, the US pre-dreadnoughts and , were sold to Greece in 1914; they retained their lattice masts until their sinking by the Germans in 1941.
Some navies considered lattice masts for their ships. Following their experience with the ''Andrei Pervozvanny''s, the four Russian s, initially designed with lattice masts, were constructed with pole ones. The German Imperial Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaiser ...
designed its first battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...
, , with lattice masts, but she was instead completed with pole masts.
Use in fortifications
A lattice fire-control mast was installed on Fort Drum
Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, on the northern border of New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. It is home t ...
, a fort built by the United States to guard the entrance of Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...
. The mast directed the fire of the fort's 14-inch main batteries.[McGovern, pp. 14–15]
Notes
References
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*{{cite journal, last1=Wfirst1=Christopher C. , year=2006 , title=Re: Questions on the Effectiveness of U.S. Navy Gun Fire Control System Rangekeepers , journal=Warship International , volume=XLIII , issue=2 , pages=159–164 , jstor=44893396 , issn=0043-0374
Watercraft components
Nautical terminology