Getting struck by lighting...

[Alpha Von Burg]

I know you can't really get struck by lighting but it came to my head when I was sailing in a storm and I thought that, isn't it be possible to get struck by lighting... :hmmm:

[frau kaleun]

I dunno, but I'd say... yes?

I just finished up Steel Boat, Iron Hearts - the story of U-505, written by one of the enlisted men who served on her (awesome book BTW!) - and he describes sailing through a severe storm where lightning was striking all around and they were concerned that it might get close enough to effect some of their already damaged equipment. Also they had at least a couple instances of St. Elmo's Fire appearing on their boat.

Edit: but I'd think if it was possible for the boat to get struck that some kind of provision would've been made for the safety of the men on the bridge? Wasn't there some kind decking that they stood on? Or surely the soles of their regulation shoes/boots would've been non-conductive?

[xarel]

Buchheim mentions in "Das Boot" that the boots they use have soles made of cork. I think that would provide some isolation from standing on metallic ground-but would it help if you're touching the bridge with your wet hands while the lightning strikes?

[melendir]

In real life, my father's sailboat got struck by lightning years ago. Luckily no one didn't get hurt, but it made some damage to the boat (sonar went dead, metallic ashtray got "punched" and the lightning went to water through hull and made few tiny holes. :down:

[Jimbuna]

Lightning and water can be a pretty powerful/lethal combination....I've never heard of a U-boat being struck but I would imagine it being potentially lethal to those on the bridge if the conning tower were hit.

This could possibly be another reason U-boats submerged during heavy storm conditions.

[Panser]

For the most part a U-boat being struck by lightning would have a similar effect to a Faraday cage whereby the discharge of lightning would most likely pass through the outer hull and down through the keel into the sea. No doubt there would be a strong likelihood of damage to internal systems and quite possibly a hair raising experience for all within.

As Jim said the watch crew would potentially be in danger, though in the heavy seas that would usually accompany such a storm the boat would be constantly pitching and rolling. At any particular moment the bow, the stern or even something like the DF loop could be the highest point available to a lightning strike.

[Brag]

I was onboard a Boeing 707 when lightning struck the windscreen. All electronic equipment went kaplooey except for one VHF radio. So did all the magnesin compasses and the magnetic compass would not move from its last heading.

The exit point was about one third of the way down the fuselage-

It took a week to demagnetize the bird.

I think, in a U-boat the watch crew could have been seriously hurt if the tower was struck.