NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Lightning at sea - James Cook
From: Lisa Fiene
Date: 2004 Oct 16, 08:36 +1000
From: Lisa Fiene
Date: 2004 Oct 16, 08:36 +1000
Couldn't resist also throwing in the actual entry from James Cook's log: "About 9 o?clock in the Evening we had much rain, with some very heavy Claps of Thunder, one of which carried away a Dutch Indiaman?s Main Mast by the Deck, and split it, the Maintopmast and Topgallantmast all to shivers. She had had an Iron Spindle at the Maintopgallant Mast head which had first attracted the Lightning. The ship lay about 2 Cable lengths from us, and we were struck with the Thunder at the same time, and in all probability we should have shared the same fate as the Dutchman, had it not been for the Electrical Chain which we had but just before got up; this carried the Lightning or Electrical matter over the side clear of the Ship. The Shock was so great as to shake the whole ship very sencibly. This instance alone is sufficient to recommend these Chains to all Ships whatever, and that of the Dutchman ought to Caution people from having Iron Spindles at their Mast heads.*" Lisa