Masts on boats

[William Lafferty]

The higher the light, the farther over the horizon it can be seen. The 1897 "Rules to Prevent Collisions at Sea" stipulated for steamships a constant white light on the foremast visible for a minimum of five miles. Running lights had to be high enough to be seen two miles away. What were called "range" lights were placed on the center line of the hull, one fifteen feet higher than the foremast light and the lower light ahead of the upper light to indicate the vessel's direction. Various light configurations on the foremast were used while towing, as well. In a world before radar and GPS, this was the only way to discern vessels at night (or in certain weather conditions). Over the decades these rules have been modified to reflect current practice and technology.

[Jared]

A double reasoning of aesthetics and the positioning of navigation lights. The larger the boat, typically the higher the lights had to be from the deck and the separation of such lights to indicate the vessel's length and what type it was.

[Guest]

What was the reason for the extremely high masts on steamers 100-ish years ago? Looking at the old versus newer pictures of the Buffington on the history pages today, originally the Buffington had some extremely tall masts - just wondering what purpose those would have served.