🔍 Key Concepts

• Difference between a single accidental ground and a system overload • What happens to insulation and cables if a ground fault is left uncorrected • Whether a single ground on some shipboard systems causes an immediate power loss

💭 Think About

• Think about the typical design of shipboard distribution systems: does one accidental ground always trip everything off right away, or can the system keep running with a fault? • Consider the long‑term effects of current flowing through an unintended path to the hull. What pieces of equipment or materials are most at risk? • Ask yourself which option describes a realistic, gradual hazard rather than something that would happen instantly every time a ground appears.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether shipboard systems (such as insulated neutral or ungrounded systems) are designed to continue operating with one ground fault present. • Check which answer choice talks about damage over time (e.g., to insulation) versus something that must happen immediately. • Confirm whether the ground detection system or circuit breakers are normally designed to withstand a single ground without being damaged.