Why do so many early 20th century battleships have vestiges of

>>34220047
I like this question.

Have a bump OP

I suspect it was more of a situational assist to ease up on coal consumption. Modern freighters have basically reinvented the spinnaker by having kite style flying sails they can use to relieve some of the load on the engines given a following wind.

>>34220047
The boat rolls over, you see.
The tiny sails only need to catch the current.
Submarines don't stand a chance against that battery of guns.
A surface enemy only sees what looks like an already sunken vessel.
Then SURPRISE
It rolls back over and fires full broadside at point blank range.

>>34220047

I remember reading a story about a Japanese battleship (or maybe cruiser) raising its sail during a battle for some reason. A nearby American ship saw this and wrongly interpreted this as a request to surrender, since a sail looks an awful lot like a white flag. As the American ship approached the Japanese vessel, the Japs opened fire, and the Americans thought they were being rused, and returned fire. Can anybody corroborate this? I remember reading this once but I can't find it now and the details are sketchy.

could be radiomasts?

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47KB, 480x306px

>>34220047
They are now supporting HF radio antennas, plus they still needed lookout posts for visual observation and to hang flags for backup signalling if the early radios broke