I have to get close enough to confirm the hull type, meaning front, middle, rear or flat topped hull forms. At that range, it is fairly easy to see the stack location (rear, mid) and the superstructures, and with those things narrowed down you (can be done fairly quickly with practice) one can usually deduce the correct mast types from the remaining choices.
I believe I learned the word deduction in highschool and its meaning applies well to the manual, eliminate the ships that are NOT out there, soon the only one left is the one that IS there. So says Sherlock Holmes.
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