I had to come up with a Security Drill for the crew, like every month. This time though, I wrote out the plan that was in the back of my mind, in the event there was an EMP Incident that would disable this computer controlled vessel. The crew actually got into the drill, figuring out how to launch the sm boat without a davit. How to secure the tow to the bank without any trees to tie off to. Rationing food and water while cooking onshore over a fire. How long to wait for the authorities or company reps for a rescue. We also covered making use of gear onboard for survival purposes.

Excellent

Right On.

Love it.

This is great, though it seems like a daunting task. Based on your mentioning securing the tow, am I right to assume you're on a tugboat? Is an sm boat just a small boat? Like a RIB or fast rescue boat? Would that even run after an EMP event? I'd imagine it isn't practical to row, and I'd further imagine no one keeps an efficient row boat handy on deck these days.

I'm not sure I fully understand EMP, but from what I do understand, anything that can carry a current will, unless it is shielded. As such I'd think that the electrical systems both on the tug and the sm boat COULD be destroyed. Leaving you trying to stop hundreds or thousands of tonnes of cargo with some seriously questionable method, like manually releasing the anchor windlass and praying. Ha. You've certainly got me thinking!

I continue to question whether systems free of the electric grid are good targets for an EMP. The grid and anything connected to it are very susceptible due to the large collection antennas otherwise known as high voltage transmission lines. However, boats and ships underway are not connected to the grid. A ship may have enough antennas to damage some of the communications gear that is connected, but does that mean other systems on the ship will also fail. How many amps can be collected from a simple HF whip or even long-wire?

That said, your drill is still good because total electrical failures can and do happen. Thinking about work-arounds for critical system failures is a good thing.

You've actually jogged my memory. I've seen people claim that an aluminum yacht may act as a Faraday cage, so to that end, I'm sure a mostly steel tug boat would do the same. Excellent!

I found that Faraday cage claim. Also, I wish I had an extra $5m around to pick up one of these yachts.

http://www.setsail.com/lightning-strikes-and-how-to-prepare/

It comes down to how well the EMP couples to the electronics. If you are on the grid and your TV is plugged in, the coupling mechanism is fairly solid and the TV is toast. Underway at sea or on a river the coupling is through an antenna of some type. The pulse may have enough juice to fry the radio or whatever device it's connected to, but the entire grid does not continue to feed it. There's a limited amount of amperage available through those topside antennas; any isolation should work to limit damage.

I really like the idea of back-ups to critical electronics. Handheld radios, laptop computers with the correct software. A back-up computer might be cheap insurance but many don't want to invest in insurance for something that may never happen -- sorta like flood insurance -- then a big hurricane comes and the dike collapses .... There's way too much unknown about EMP.

IMO, $.02

The small boat engine may or may not operate but the paddles will let us get it to the shore and around the tow. The small boat is an aluminum bateau or John Boat.

I have been considering whether the boat hull with many zinc diodes will or won't be an effective Farraday Cage. I give it a 50/50 chance.

Stopping the tow is a matter of the momentum dieing once the engines have crapped out dut to computerized engine controls. All one can do then is wait until the tow lands on the beach and then secure it as best as the landscape allows.

It depends on how big the openings are. The attenuation through the opening is a log function of the wavelength/frequency, the length of the channel, and the maximum opening size. IIRC, lightning is around 6 Hz, nuclear tops out around 100 MHz, small part ESD is around 600 MHz. If you can get FM radio reception (~100MHz) inside the hull, without running an entenna outside, it's not really effective shielding.

My.02, which is probably worth about .02, is to shield everything using a combination of shielded cables grounded to shielded enclosures, RF chokes, and fast acting fuses. Stick the backup hardware in ESD bags and put it in a shielded cabinet.