Unusual Question

[ger_77]

Okay, here's a really strange question - one that was brought up on our roll call thread, for which I couldn't find an answer. What happens when a cruise ship is hit by lightning?

I was able to determine that on a smaller craft, (i.e. sailboat,) that if lightning hits the mast, it travels down through to the keel and grounds out in the water - does the same thing happen to a cruise ship? Are there lightning rods on a ship? If there are, I'm going to have to look for them next time we board. Are there any dangers to passengers standing on the decks if the ship is struck by lightning? Inquiring cruisers like to know!

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[bdcbbq]

Okay, here's a really strange question - one that was brought up on our roll call thread, for which I couldn't find an answer. What happens when a cruise ship is hit by lightning?

I was able to determine that on a smaller craft, (i.e. sailboat,) that if lightning hits the mast, it travels down through to the keel and grounds out in the water - does the same thing happen to a cruise ship? Are there lightning rods on a ship? If there are, I'm going to have to look for them next time we board. Are there any dangers to passengers standing on the decks if the ship is struck by lightning? Inquiring cruisers like to know!

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

The odds of being struce by lightning are extremly slim. The odds of being struck by lightning while on a ship are even slimmer. Expecially if you are anywhere below the top of the ship. There are too many other things that would attract it. The lighning arrestors/rods that are on a ship would conduct the electricity away from a human.

[Navy_Chief]

In all the years I've spent at sea on ships, the ship has never been hit by lightning. You have better odds at winning Powerball :)

[rfbdorf]

In all the years I've spent at sea on ships, the ship has never been hit by lightning. You have better odds at winning Powerball :)
You have Ben Franklin to thank for that.
- Richard

[Sea King]

In the "unlikely event" lightning should hit a ship, my guess is the Captain
turns to the chief officer and says, "Did you hear what I think I just heard?"

Depending on what the answer is, snowball jackpot bingo is either cancelled or is immediately called into emergency session.:D

Don't know if I've been on a ship that's ever been hit by lightning

guess that the entire crew would deny deny deny deny while the officers would sweat profusely until it was determined there was no damage and no one was hurt

odds of being struck by lightning?

probably same as winning the tri-state lottery;)

[ger_77]

You people are hilarious! :)

I honestly thought the chance of lightning hit a cruise ship was fairly good, because it is the highest point out there bobbing about. I guess I was wrong.

Thanks again for giving me a Sunday morning chuckle ... I'm off to buy my lottery ticket. I'll let you know the outcome. (walks away laughing)

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can't remember ship Princess ship we were on years ago, but we were hit by lightning.

It happened in the middle of the night. The rod was right above either our suite or the one next to us. The crack was so loud that we were all out on our verandahs wondering what had happened. Saw the captain the next day and he explained everything to us. The crew in the bridge didn't see the bolt hit, but they heard it as well.

[bdcbbq]

You people are hilarious! :)

I honestly thought the chance of lightning hit a cruise ship was fairly good, because it is the highest point out there bobbing about. I guess I was wrong.

Thanks again for giving me a Sunday morning chuckle ... I'm off to buy my lottery ticket. I'll let you know the outcome. (walks away laughing)

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)


I was referrig to hitting a person. The ship's lightning rod is another story. It would be interesting to find out how many strikes a lightning rod gets. I would guess that the arrestors would grab all strikes.

[tomc]

Proof that the ship got hit by lightning:

(1) Loud "fzzzzzt" and bright light followed by louder clap of thunder.
(2) Denial by crew that the ship got hit by lightning.
(3) Sudden increase in use of laundry by crew and pax.
(4) Letter under door explaining test of white rockets as required by SOLAS.
(5) Knowing pax saying, "SOLAS" = "Same Old Letter. @-Saving."
(6) Watching CNN talk about ship in danger, pax panicing, boats being lowered after lightning strike.
(7) Docking and finding news crews all over like cockroaches, looking for victims.
(8) Watching CNN that night, seeing pax from lower inside telling of horror.
(9) Pax lined up at Front Office demanding full refund and 50% off on next cruise or they will never sail HAL again.
(10) Pax saying, "This never happened before Carnival bought HAL."
(11) Pax in bar and casino saying, "Something happened??"

[sail7seas]

Nothing but a guess on my part, but I imagine there are a fair number of lightening strikes on vessels. Somehow I think it is not an unusual event.

[RustaRoo]

A b s t r a c t - CANADIAN DISASTERS - AN HISTORICAL SURVEY
Robert L. Jones
"While there have been many lightning strikes which kill one or two people at a time, there was only one major disaster directly caused by lightning (not including forest fires). The Weather Trivia Calendar reports that a freighter, "The John B. King", loaded with explosives was struck by lightning in the St. Lawrence River in 1930. Thirty crewmen died in the resulting explosion. "

[Copper10-8]

Okay, here's a really strange question - one that was brought up on our roll call thread, for which I couldn't find an answer. What happens when a cruise ship is hit by lightning?

I was able to determine that on a smaller craft, (i.e. sailboat,) that if lightning hits the mast, it travels down through to the keel and grounds out in the water - does the same thing happen to a cruise ship? Are there lightning rods on a ship? If there are, I'm going to have to look for them next time we board. Are there any dangers to passengers standing on the decks if the ship is struck by lightning? Inquiring cruisers like to know!

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

You might want to go fly a kite!;)

[hammybee]

Proof that the ship got hit by lightning:

12) A poster on the CC board says, once again " ship happens".

[CoconutFish]

Thanks to Sea King, tomc, Copper10-8 and hammybee for your humor!
You guys are hilarious and would no doubt make a great vauderville team.

It has been noted by others that this board can be somewhat too serious at times: you guys do a lot to make it informative, interesting and fun! Thanks and please, keep up the good work!:)

[unclerich]

Found this from August 2005 (cruisejunkie.com):

August 28 - Sept 3
Mariner of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/)
The following bit of excitement was sent by a passenger and may interest some: While heading for Cozumel the ship was going thru a lightning storm and was hit on one of the antenas around 4:35am. It fried some wiring and set off the fire alarms throughout the ship. It took about 15 mins. to turn them off. Also the large doors between sections on hallways closed automatically and had to be opened manually, for a few hours. The was no serious damage to the ship and no injury to persons. For photos go here (http://www.cruisejunkie.com/MOTS.html)
Lighting strike
---
No harm

[ger_77]

To quote our friends from Louisiana: "Y'all are too fun-ny!" - it's not a phrase we usually use up here in the "frozen tundra", but it certainly applies. I guess I should take it as a compliment that you are taking a serious question and absolutely ragging on it ... it makes me feel like a regular on this board. You've provided some belly laughs on a quiet Sunday, and although I haven't got the lottery ticket yet, I plan on buying one ... but not a kite, sorry Copper! I was going to make a lewd remark about the state of the antenna in the pictures and referencing it to my DH, but I've thought better of it.:D

Okay, so I'm not going to worry about me or the ship being struck by lightning, and I will refer this thread back to the Rotterdam Oct 10/06 roll call thread from whence it came. Thanks for the giggles, folks.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Bramcruiser]

What is someone doing standing on the top deck of a ship in a thunderstorm anyway?

[tomc]

Saying, "Watch this!"

[NoNoNanette]

Saying, "Watch this!"

*LOL*

We've got a joke down here.... What's the last words of a redneck? "Hey y'all, watch this!". :D

[jagsfan]

Since I live in the lightning capital of the US, I can tell you people in little
boats get hit....sometimes fatally, also people running to cars, taking in
wash, etc. Our chances of getting hit are higher than the average........
however, what worries me is the rogue wave.....I've now witnessed two
cruise ships turn over......granted, it was in movies, but still......

[Bramcruiser]

however, what worries me is the rogue wave.....I've now witnessed two
cruise ships turn over......granted, it was in movies, but still......

:D :D :D

I'm looking out for icebergs on my Caribbean cruise in December!

David

[tomc]

jagsfan...

Said it before and will say it again: Watch out for the following.

(a) Handsome man, his mistress and his wife.
(b) Old lady
(c) 10-y/o boy
(d) Optional dog

You see these together, you know you're in BIG trouble. Ship's gonna roll over, catch fire, blow up, rip out the hull, something. All disaster films have this combination; all of them.

[hammybee]

:D :D :D

I'm looking out for icebergs on my Caribbean cruise in December!

David

On your salad plate, next to the cukes

[cruzincurt]

I don't recall ever seeing lighting rods on a cruise ship. I sometimes design lightning protection for buildings as part of my work, and if the metal is over 3/16" thick, a rod is not required. So I will assume the ship has lots of thick metal, hence no rods (Franklin air terminals). The ship's metal hull also will work great to distribute the strike. Smaller ships such as sailboats are fiberglass or wood, so a lightning rod and a downlead are typical to provide a path to ground.

What would probably be hit would be the ship's stack or antenna, whichever sticks up the highest and has the sharpest point. I would not venture out on the open deck during a lightning storm. The high funnel provides what they call a sphere of protection for the lower decks. Take the height and make it the high point of a half sphere. Everything lower that falls within the sphere is theoritically protected. NFPA 780 is the national lighting protection code that includes buildings and ships.

[Tinknock50]

Proof that the ship got hit by lightning:

(1) Loud "fzzzzzt" and bright light followed by louder clap of thunder.
(2) Denial by crew that the ship got hit by lightning.
(3) Sudden increase in use of laundry by crew and pax.
(4) Letter under door explaining test of white rockets as required by SOLAS.
(5) Knowing pax saying, "SOLAS" = "Same Old Letter. @-Saving."
(6) Watching CNN talk about ship in danger, pax panicing, boats being lowered after lightning strike.
(7) Docking and finding news crews all over like cockroaches, looking for victims.
(8) Watching CNN that night, seeing pax from lower inside telling of horror.
(9) Pax lined up at Front Office demanding full refund and 50% off on next cruise or they will never sail HAL again.
(10) Pax saying, "This never happened before Carnival bought HAL."
(11) Pax in bar and casino saying, "Something happened??"

LOL.....I particularly liked # 10......otherwise known as the "Carnivalisation of HAL" On my last HAL cruise, that was our ongoing punchline!

[Bramcruiser]

jagsfan...

You see these together, you know you're in BIG trouble. Ship's gonna roll over, catch fire, blow up, rip out the hull, something. All disaster films have this combination; all of them.

How about that nun on that plane on the way down to catch the ship. That is almost a sure sign something will happen. :eek: Ask the flight attendant if she knows how to fly the plane! That's why I'm taking a Zeppelin - nothing can possibly go wrong!

David

[unclerich]

:D :D :D

I'm looking out for icebergs on my Caribbean cruise in December!

David

Icebergs, Goldbergs ......what's the difference:)

It's a real old joke, but I couldn't resist.