Another Sea tale that is Highly probable.

[Boasun]

While sailing far offshore I came across a flotilla of Naval ships. They were lost due to a EMP (electro magnetic pluse) that wipe out their electronics including those chart plotters... Even their gyro and fluxgate compasses were down.
Using flashing light they were able to communicate their problems to me. Several Naval ships and not one sextant between them. Thus they were lost.

So using my trusty C Plath Sextant, I plotted a position for them and then led them back to port with my old fashion magnetic compass and giving them a position fix every hour as we progress toward their port of call.

After the ships were all moored, the Admiral sent all of the ships navigators over to my boat and for the next few weeks I taught them the old fashion way of navigating. The Navy acquired sextants and pubs for all of their ships and Electronic navigation was looked on with a lack of trusting suspiction.

[captbillc]

were they U.S. Navy ships? i find it hard to believe even the gyro & mag compasses were completely down! no sun or stars to get some idea of where they were heading?

[Boasun]

The Dumb Politicans had thought they would have big savings by not buying or maintaining the magnetic compasses... And Gyro compasses are subject to EMPs

Note: Sea tales are another form of tales that may start with "once upon a time" or "this is no sh*t".
Note2: With the rush to all electronic & computerized bridges, some people would do away with the magnetic compasses. So my sea tale is probable.

[knothead]

What would an EMP to to a handheld GPS which was not activated and stowed?

[Boasun]

Originally Posted by knothead

What would an EMP to to a handheld GPS which was not activated and stowed?

Do you have it stowed in a Faraday Cage??
If not it will make a good paper weight.

[camaraderie]

You forgot to add..."Unfortunately, the radiation cloud soon covered us and nuclear winter set in and the seas froze and we walked home."

[Hillster]

I saw a show on the history channel about Harrison's Timekeeper and it showed navigators on modern US navy ships using sextants as a back up. They still carry timekeepers too.

[AdamLein]

Why were the gyrocompasses affected? To my understanding, they don't rely on electronics.

Also, when/where was this? What was the source of the EMP? Are we doing offshore nuclear testing now?

[knothead]

Adam, You know it's only supposition right?

[tweitz]

There was a movie like this a few years back. One of the big carriers ran into an electromagnetic storm off Hawaii that caused it to travel back in time to December 7, 1941. Ridiculous premise, fun movie watching the F-15s fly past the Zeros.