OK. Here to set things straight. I was on my first trip as pilot. Murphy's Law was in full operation. We were enduring a blinding rainstorm in early afternoon when lightning struck somewhere near the pilot house. I wasn't sure if we had really been struck until someone reported that Vic Tooker, who was watching the storm from the Texas lounge, was knocked off his feet. Later on, it was found that one of the searchlights wouldn't work. Lightning can strike anyplace it pleases, but the obvious target would have been the smokestack, passing the charge, for the most part, right through the boat to the water. Stray charges could have passed through the wiring or plumbing. Since the affected searchlight was on the deck right above where Vic was reputedly standing, he could have experienced some of that stray charge. He might have had his hand on a pipe or conduit. Those of us in the pilot house felt nothing. Funny how these stories get embellished.
|
Threaded Mode
