Shipbucket

You're right, it's an open box. For some reason I had remembered that there was structure between each 8-cell module.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sPq1MO9BHag/U ... 136915.jpg

An ex-USN friend of mine simply refused to accept a lack of bridge wings. Revision of the minor satcom (sponsoning them outboard, basically) allows for 360deg open view and transit around the main mast, albeit one deck level above the pilothouse proper. I think that ought to do. The nav radar has a marginally better field of view now, and (this had been bothering me even though it probably shouldn't) there are now no flags or lines in the field of view of any phased array while underway.

How about fully enclosed bridge wings like on modern cruise ships?

In the combatant conversation, bridge wings are often defended in the context of shipping .50cal or similar close-in anti-surface guns, which are obviously not fit for internal usage. I've evaluated a number of enclosed-wing arrangements, and at the moment (I'm away from my drawing workstation for job training) I don't find them sufficiently exciting to change the design. Nearly all of the time, either internal view plus radar is enough, or the situation is ship-critical and some folks can go get miserable in the rain.

I do continue to evaluate these questions, though. Perhaps it would make sense to move the 4'-equiv satcom aft a bit and open up an enclosed bridge wing structure below that.

Being a combatant ship driver, I would say that rarely is something as large as a .50 put on the bridge wings. The Burks and Ticos put M60s or now 240Bs on the wings if they put anything there at all.

What the wings are used for primarily is for UNREPs. I can't imagine doing one from an enclosed bridge with zero ability to quickly look at the refueling/stores stations or to readily see the phone and distance line. Even something as simple as using a had held laser range finder would be impossible.

I suppose you could have an outside conning station on top of the bridge. After all nobody steers the ship from the bridge wing. They just phone in the conning commands to the helm from there.