MAST (AS. nia-sl. 01TG. mast. Ger. Host: probably eonneeted ultimately with Lat. malus, pole). The upright spar on which sail is set. In large ships masts are in several lengths. In fore-and-aft rigged vessels the mast is commonly in Iwo parts called the lower mast and the top mast: in large square-rigged vessels the masts are in three sections. the lower mast. topmast, and topgallantmast. That part of the topgallant mast above the eyes of the topgallant rigging and below the royal rigging is called the my:dynast ; if skysails are carried the part of the topgallant mast above the eyes of the royal rigging is called the skysailmast or skysail pole.
Large lower masts are either of iron or steel or huilt up of many timbers whose edges meet its radial planes. These timbers are bolted to gether and further held by circular bands of iron or steel. They are joined to the timbers above and below by searfs and the scarfs 'break joints' (i.e. no two scarfs are alit-vast each other horizontally).
The parts of a mast are the head. body. partners, and heel. The head is the upper part ; the hounds are the enlarged parts just be low the eves of the rigging: the body is the part between the hounds and the deck; the partners the portion which passes through a deck: and the heel is the lower end. Lower masts alone have partners (since the upper masts do not pass throng)] (leeks) and they have tenons at the heel which fit in the mast step on the keelson. They are litdd in posit ion by wedges at the part ners and hy the rigging. Of the latter, the shrouds lead from the masthead just above the hounds to each side of the ship,where they spread out lanwise and sustain the mast against thwart ship pressure; the stays lead from the masthead forward along the centre line of the ship. fur nishing strength in that direction; while the hackstays, also descending from the masthead, extend to the sides of the ship abaft the shrouds to resist the forward pull of the sails. Upper
masts have similar rigging, but the lower ends are secured differently. The heel passes through a hole in a heavy iron-bound wooden block called a cap, which is secured to the head of the lower mast, and extends downward to the trestletrees, between which it passes and to which it is secured by a heavy piece of wood or iron called a lid passing through the mast and trestle trees or simply resting on the latter, the heel extending beyond the fid hole far enough to he held from horizontal movement by a framed hole between the trestletrees. On the head of the uppermost mast there is usually placed a small disk of wood called the truck, which has sheaves or holes for signal halliards.
rimer masts and the lower masts of schooners and of other fore-and-aft rigged craft are (when the masts of the latter are not of iron) almost invariably of one stick, the sliding of yards and of the hoops of fore-and-aft sails being interfered with if bands are used. When masts are large and made of a single stick they form no incon siderable item in the equipment of a ship, for they must he straight, free from blemishes, cracks, deep-seated knots, etc. They are usually of pine, spruce, or fir, which woods combine light ness with strength in addition to other desirable qualities.
As regards position in a ship masts are vari ously named. In two-masted vessels the forward is called the foremast, the after one the main mast. In three-masted ships the forward one is the foremast, the middle one the mainmast, the after one the mizzen or mizzenmast. When there arc four masts, all large, they are called the foremast, forward mainmast. after mainmast, and mizzen; if the after mast is small, they are called the foremast, mainmast, mizzen, and jig ger. When the masts exceed four in number there is no fixed rule for naming. See SIIIP; SHIPBUILDING. etc.