[Boatanchors] OFF Topic - Installing a UPS on a Naval vessel

[Francesco Ledda]

I worked on the NATO Sea Sparrow on destroyers, and the hull of the ship was the electrical ground!

Best, Francesco  K5URG


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 11, 2025, at 19:38, Glenn Little WB4UIV <glennmaillist at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> 
> No direct knowledge for installing a UPS on ship.
> The ships electrical system is not grounded to prevent battle damage from bringing down the electrical system.
> There should be about 60 volts from each leg to ground.
> About 120 volts between the legs,
> To be safe, I would install an isolation transformer between the ships service and your equipment.
> You could then probably install a UPS with a plug grounded to the hull without issues.
> I would check with the ships electrician to be sure.
> 
> 73
> Glenn Little ETCS(SS) USN Retired
> WB4UIV
> 
>> On 7/11/2025 11:18 AM, Bill Mellema via Boatanchors wrote:
>> We have a radio club on board the USS Wisconsin museum ship (BB64) moored in Norfolk, Virginia (N4WIS). We are trying to figure a way to install a UPS in our radio space, to protect our gear from voltage fluctuations and power outages. The UPS we have states that it must be connected to a grounded outlet to protect gear from surges. The ship does not have any grounded outlets period. It gets us wondering if a UPS is even suitable for shipboard installation. One idea floating was to use the ships hull as a ground, but again we are looking for input from anyone that has experience with this issue.
>> Thanks In Advance,
>> Bill N3WMUSS Wisconsin Radio Club BB64
>> |  | Virus-free.www.avg.com |
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Boatanchors mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/boatanchors
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
>> List Administrator: Gary Harmon, K5JWK
>> ** For Assistance: gharmon at idworld.net **
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to glennmaillist at bellsouth.net
> 
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Glenn Little                ARRL Technical Specialist   QCWA  LM 28417