Lightning Protection For Ship PDF

LIGHTNING: GROUNDING YOUR BOAT open water.
This same study listed an additional

177 who were injured while on or near open
Lightning can kill: Carrying as much as 100 million
waters. Water and lightning are a natural combi- 60°
volts, lightning can smash a hole through a hull,
nation.
explode a mast and electrocute several people in
a single flash. The thunderstorms of the
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Chesapeake Bay, described by Captain John
Smith as among the most violent he had ever To protect yourself in a boat, the important thing is
seen, pose a lightning threat every boater should to give lightning a ground. Boats made of steel,
know about. such as naval vessels, have an automatic ground
in their metal hulls; but most small boats, usually
WHAT IS LIGHTNING? constructed of fiberglass or wood, prevent the
Lightning is simply nature’s way of equalizing con- lightning easy access to the water and pose a
trasting charges, often built up when cool and grounding problem. Small boats may also lack tall 60°
warm air masses collide. As negative charges in objects which could deflect lightning, and even
the base of a storm cloud pass over the earth, boats that do have tall spars — like sailboats —
they induce a positive charge in the normally neg- can run into problems if their spars are not prop-
atively charged terrain. This positive charge actu- erly grounded. The following grounding system
ally works its way up tall objects, pulled by the will minimize the risk of lightning damage:
negatively-charged clouds. When an arc breaks Grounded spars or antennas offer a 60 degree cone of
through the insulating air, lightning strikes. Not all On a sailboat, make a lightning rod using a piece protection. Note that this cone measures from the highest
lightning follows the same scenario: It can leap of aluminum which sticks about 1 foot (30.48 cen- point off the water, not from a mast’s full height. Since
from cloud to cloud, from cloud to earth or from timeters) above the mast. Sharpen the rod to boats usually heel during storms, the cone of protection
reduce resistance at the top. A radio antenna can will shrink proportionate to the dip of the mast. A bending
earth to cloud. or slanting whip antenna will considerably lesson the pro-
also conduct electricity but may lead lightning to tected zone, as the illustration shows. Adapted from the
HOW DANGEROUS IS LIGHTNING? the radio and may well vaporize during a strike. National Fire Protection Code.
In the United States, lightning kills, over time, From the rod, lead a wire down a wooden mast;
more people than do hurricanes, floods or torna- an aluminum mast can serve as its own conductor On a motorboat which has no high spar, use a
does. Although lightning rarely reaches the cata- as long as a wire is led from its base to direct the metal radio antenna (not a fiberglass one), attach-
strophic dimensions that make headlines, it con- charge to the ground. (A wooden mast with a ing a wire to a ground plate, as described above.
sistently kills over a hundred people a year in this metal sail track can be grounded as though it If there is a loading coil on the antenna, use a
country. Not everyone struck by lightning dies: were a metal mast.) The Coast Guard finds a #8 shunt of 31-strand, 17-gauge, bare lightning
researchers estimate that two-thirds of those wire adequate, though a larger gauge, say #4, grounding mesh to bypass it — this will make the
struck by lightning survive, and often people further reduces heat and resistance. whole height of the antenna an effective ground.
apparently “killed” by a lightning strike can be Quick-release clamps will allow an easy tempo-
revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation. But Attach this wire to a copper ground plate mounted rary attachment. (On a fiberglass antenna you
risks remain high for those who spend time out- on the hull beneath the waterline or dangled can clamp the wire to a metal rod, letting that act
doors — farmers, fishermen or boaters. underwater. A square foot of copper flashing, eas- as a lightning interceptor.) Use a “lightning
ily obtained at many hardware stores, will make arrestor” to protect your radio.
Because water conducts electricity so well, and an adequate ground plate. If you decide to attach
because a boat — or even a person — may pres- a permanent ground, use large stainless steel When leading the wire to a ground, avoid sharp
ent a high profile on water, boaters need to take bolts, say 1/2 inch, to prevent their cracking under bends or turns. Any bend in the wire should have
special precautions. Records show that lightning large electrical discharge. To increase safety, a radius of at least 60 degrees.
has killed people who were standing in or fishing some recommend all stays be grounded to the
from boats or starting outboard motors. One study plate. One alternative calls for leading the grounding
shows that out of 494 people killed while involved wire to a metal strip which runs down the bow or
in outdoor recreation, 200 were in, on or near stern and maintains constant contact with the
water. This offers the advantage of carrying the lence. Remember that lightning can lash out for
LIGHTNING
charge, at a gradual angle, safely away from the miles in front of a storm, and it can strike after a
engine and the helm. storm has seemingly passed. Remember, too,
that, storms can bring high winds and waves,
Both the mast and the whip antenna will provide a making a last minute trip to shore a dangerous
“cone of protection” with a radius of approximately dash. The best maneuver of all is to think ahead.
the same dimension as the rod’s height. For most
small boats, this will include the entire deck area. REFERENCES
There may be, however, induced electrical surges
created by the lightning, and for this reason large www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
metal objects — engines, for example — should www.nws.noaa.gov/om/trw.htm
be avoided during a storm. (Remember that an www.nssl/noaa.gov/edu/ltg/
engine will have its own ground in the propeller www.nssl.noaa.gov/researchitems/lightning.shtml
www.lightningsafety.com
and the shaft.) Induced electrical charges can
www.abycinc.org/staticpages/3/Table%20of%20Content
cause arcing and electrical shocks strong enough s.htm
to knock you unconscious, perhaps producing
dangerous heart arrhythmias. A lightning strike University of Florida Sea Grant: Lightning and Sailboats
can also magnetize a keel or other, metal fittings, - video and booklet (booklet alon - $2.00)
rendering your compass useless. $15.00-SGEP-17 www.flseagrant.org
FIRST AID FOR LIGHTNING

Please note that no system is full proof. According to the American Boat
After a shipboard lightning strike, check to see and Yacht Council, Inc., “In view of the wide variation in structural
design of boats, and the unpredictable nature of lightning, specific rec-
that everyone is all right — it is, of course, per- ommendations cannot be mae to cover all cases.”
fectly safe to handle someone who has been hit
by lightning. Check for burns, which should Marine Advisory Program First published 1980-81
receive normal first aid treatment. (Don’t put oint-
ment on severe burns; cover them with clean
cloth or plastic to keep out air.)
If someone has been knocked unconscious, act

immediately: Check for breathing and heartbeat.
If you feel a pulse, but no breathing, begin mouth-

to-mouth resuscitation (a handkerchief over the
mouth will help the squeamish). If there is no
heartbeat, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a
technique every serious boater should know.
PRECAUTIONS
Grounding your boat and unplugging radios and
electrical equipment during a storm are good
ideas, but the best precaution against lightning is
avoidance. Especially in small craft, keep a
weather eye out for the coppery haze and build-
GROUNDING
ing cumulonimbus clouds that signal thunder-
storms, heading ashore well ahead of the turbu- YOUR BOAT

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LIGHTNING: GROUNDING YOUR BOAT open water.

This same study listed an additional

FIRST AID FOR LIGHTNING

If someone has been knocked unconscious, act

If you feel a pulse, but no breathing, begin mouth-

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