Post by brygun on Jan 5, 2020 16:57:21 GMT -6
This is a self-correcting or rather self-expanding post
Some time ago someone was asking about what the side masts or side booms were for on carriers. Which thread that was I've not been able to determine though did search a few pages worth.
At the time I reported that it was for radio antennas. That being based on video that I had seen where the radio support arms did indeed articulate to lay horizontal. That clears the long wires for the antennas out of the way.
However, that may have been just one possible function. Later research discovered that most of the side spars/booms/masts were in fact to hoist out signal flags.
In this UK video at 05:05 they run out the first signal as to which squadron gets to come down to land.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIf7wMOGFM0
This is for Swordfish planes so going into early WW2. Radios not being like the modern ones or not present the visual flying of flags being a good way to communicate to the planes.
Now while the flip down radio antennas was also a thing its far more common that any horizontal carrier masts were there for visual signals to nearby planes.
Some time ago someone was asking about what the side masts or side booms were for on carriers. Which thread that was I've not been able to determine though did search a few pages worth.
At the time I reported that it was for radio antennas. That being based on video that I had seen where the radio support arms did indeed articulate to lay horizontal. That clears the long wires for the antennas out of the way.
However, that may have been just one possible function. Later research discovered that most of the side spars/booms/masts were in fact to hoist out signal flags.
In this UK video at 05:05 they run out the first signal as to which squadron gets to come down to land.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIf7wMOGFM0
This is for Swordfish planes so going into early WW2. Radios not being like the modern ones or not present the visual flying of flags being a good way to communicate to the planes.
Now while the flip down radio antennas was also a thing its far more common that any horizontal carrier masts were there for visual signals to nearby planes.
