Posted on Jan 15, 2020
What happens when lightening hits a Warship's mast?
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I'm wondering what happens if/when a lightening bolt hits a Warship's mast? What are the built-in safety measures to prevent damage? I'm asking (after all these years) because in '96, I witnessed a lightening strike on an anchored sailboat at distance of 50yards from my small boat position (thankfully, I was able to get tied up before the storm hit full bore) on the dock and it's been bugging me ever since. There was no fire subsequent to the strike. To me, it sounded like the hounds of hell had just kicked in the door and threw a flash-bang in the room before getting their party started, and to this day it's left me extremely jumpy when lightening is in my immediate vicinity. Any Electronic Techs want to weigh in?
Posted in these groups: Electronics Technician
ELC: Electronics
Sailors
ElectronicsElectronics Engineer
ELC: Electronics Sailors ElectronicsElectronics Engineer
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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Just repaired a radio on the railroad tracks in the middle of nowhere. It was hit by lightning. Beautiful sunny day. Just put my tools into my van and this ugly black cloud appeared. Was back in my van and now the sky was black in just a few minutes. My hair stood up and bang, the radio got hit again. Scared the $hit out of me. I respect lightning. Some say a bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun.
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As Chief Engineer, I never really worried about it (other than the XO screaming to sail through rain showers for a free fresh water wash down). The mast does have a lightning rod that channels the bolt down to the bottom of the hull, where the energy dissipates into the ocean. There is probably some collateral electrical overload issues inside the ship, but circuit breakers and fuses take care of that, and then you just go out and repair whatever damage that occurred. I am sure there could be some danger to sailors, but, I don't ever remember having procedures for lightning storms, and I sailed through a bunch of storms. Wish I had a better answer PO1 John Johnson, but I am sure smaller civilian craft have similar protection.
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SPC Michael Terrell
All that current flowing to ground can create a small EMP. I had a 300 foot tower at a Cable TV headend ht once. The morons who installed it used unshieled, telephone wire between the microwave racks on one side of the room, to the modulators on the other side. That pulse damaged every one of the early CMOS OP Amps used for the Audio inputs. None of the racks were properly grounded, and there was no ground plate where all of the antenna feeds entered the building.
There have been cases of lightning striking a large prefab buildings, where every steel post is grounded. After the strikes, computer monitors were affected by the magnetized steel columns. They had to move desks away from the columns, after attempts to degauss the steel failed. I'll bet that the hull of a large ship and the mast would have some residual magnetism, as well.
There have been cases of lightning striking a large prefab buildings, where every steel post is grounded. After the strikes, computer monitors were affected by the magnetized steel columns. They had to move desks away from the columns, after attempts to degauss the steel failed. I'll bet that the hull of a large ship and the mast would have some residual magnetism, as well.
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SCPO (Join to see)
Yep, sure have Lt Col Charlie Brown. PO1 John Johnson Modern ship architects have been taking the issue of lightning strikes into account longer than aircraft designers. However, that said, the solution has been exactly the same. A predetermined, scientifically sound location for receiving the strike is positioned on such ships, and the discharge is through the hull of naval and commercial vessels and generally out the opposite end of the plane from the site of the strike.
That said, I can't say for certain what the outcome would be on a small pleasure craft, like a sailboat.
One thing for sure when dealing with lightning: don't take the word of anyone about the characteristics of lightning. Simply put, nothing about lightning, absolutely nothing is subject to calculated design.
That said, I can't say for certain what the outcome would be on a small pleasure craft, like a sailboat.
One thing for sure when dealing with lightning: don't take the word of anyone about the characteristics of lightning. Simply put, nothing about lightning, absolutely nothing is subject to calculated design.
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