Complex sentence: Interesting as a social experiment the Norfolk had nearly 300 captains masts in a single year with a crew of only 150 men, while most ships of this size have only 7 or 8 per year.
Split into simpler sentences: Interesting as a social experiment the Norfolk had nearly 300 captains masts in a single year with a crew of only 150 men. Most ships of this size have only 7 or 8 per year.