Danger on the seas as walls of water sink tankers

The Observer (U.K.) ^ | 11/10/2002 | Robin McKie and Mark Townsend

[mlo]

....A scary experience.

I hate it when that happens.

[VOA]

bump

[Pookie Me]

Strange that the US Navy (who is at sea 24/7/365) hasnt' reported any of these. (I know, they can't tell anyone.)

Actually these rogue waves ARE out there, though I've never seen one sink anything. In 1987, the first ship I was on (USS O'CALLAHAN FF-1051)had a poor sailor out on the flight deck of my frigate, a rogue wave came, he was up to his waste in water. (ten feet above the waterline).

The second ship I was on one of our frigates in the squadron blew some boiler tubes, headed into Japan when a rogue wave caught two sailors on the fantail unawares and took both over the side, railing just broke the ribs of one, they never found the second.

Both occured in the middle of the day, no storms, just one nasty rogue wave. THE SEA IS A HARSH MISTRESS

Pookie & ME

[Freakazoid]

Another suggests that, under certain conditions, waves can become unstable and start to suck in energy from neighbouring waves and so grow massively and rapidly.Sounds like some kind of harmonic convergance. I'm doubtful though because we should be seeing these things slap into the coast line all over the world and we would have some video evidence of it. What does the U.S. Navy say about? After all these years they should have experienced it several times.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

In 1966-67 Sir Francis Chichester, (he was knighted after completing this historic achievement) at the age of 65, single-handedly sailed Gypsy Moth IV, a 54 ft ketch, around the world, sailing from Plymouth, England around Cape of Good Hope to Sydney, Australia, then continuing around Cape Horn and back to Plymouth England.

On the second leg of this journey, in the Tasman Sea, Gypsy Moth IV was hit by one of these freak waves. The ketch did a complete 360 degree capsize and survived. Sir Francis continued on to Plymouth after surviving this near catastrophe.

[BluH2o]

Appreciate this timely reminder ... two weeks from today I depart Las Palmas in the Canary Islands for St. Lucia in a 45 ft. sail boat ... a little before Xmas (if all goes well) ... I'll let you know if I experienced any rogue waves or not.

[Jeff Chandler]

I spent (misspent?)countless hours of my youth in the surfline, under the water, and on the shore of the California coast. On many, many occasions I experienced a HUGE wave which would come out of nowhere in the midst of otherwise predictable surf. Nothing ever big enough to do damage like the stories in this post, though. After the first one knocks your tackle box off the jetty into the water and soaks you from head-to-foot, you tend to watch out for them.

[HelgaHawk]

..and as you know...farts can be lit up.

[Jonah Hex]

...he was up to his waste in water...

Scared him that bad, eh? (smile)

By the by, speaking of swamping ships, tomorrow is the 27th anniversery of the Edmmund Fitzgerald sinking with her crew of 29. Rest easy, shipmates....

[MHGinTN]

Helga, one of the men who nailed the existence of huge fields of methane hydrates used to do investigations of oil rig collapses, ocean-going rigs. He found the twisted wreckage of more than one rig to be severely burned and melted due to ignited methane. The hydrates don't release their methane molecules too readily until brought to suface, but below nearly every hydrate field is a gas pocket of anybody's-guess size. [I'm no expert, I use the concept of the surfacing methane in one of my novels so I had to do some research.]

[ExpatGator]

After a life at sea, as a commercial fisherman and a sailor in the U.S. Navy, I beg to differ with your disbelief.

I have seen 10 foot waves pop up out of nowhere on a day that the seas were only 3-4 foot. I've also seen 30 footers on days that the seas were running 10-15 foot. Luckily I have never seen any 80 footers when it was 40+ feet and rougher than a codsack (that's mariner talk for ya landlubbin' beach-huggers).

In my experience and, in relating the experiences of those who I have known (some who lost boats and/or crewmembers), rogues generally appear in areas where there are strong currents like the Gulfstream. A heavy sea running into or quartering into a strong current presents a likely scenario for a rogue. All indications are that the current slows some waves more than others and that two or more waves temporarily "get in step" with each others and significantly increase the energy (SIZE) of the resulting short term wave. Research "The Northwall Effect" for a related topic.

P.S. The Navy may not have "reported" any of these waves but I assure that they accept them as fact. Perhaps the proof needed to convice you does not exist due to the short term nature of the phenomenon, but I am personally convinced, having witnessed rogues up close and personal.

[BluH2o]

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitchigumi
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy

With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the "Gales of November" came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feeling?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave tumbled over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck saying
"Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya."
At seven PM the main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good to know ya"

The captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized;
They may have broke deep and took water.
All that remains are the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her icewater mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
The isles and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral."
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitchigumi
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.

[Edward Watson]

Actually, at a science conference in CA about 5 years ago where the possibility of creating large floating colonies on the equatorial ocean surface were discussed, one of the engineers (Phil) who was previously in the navy aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier (don't remember which one) related an incident that was positively scary. He described a huge wave that crashed into the ship and tilted it at a scary angle. He described the wave of being at least 60 ft tall - it may be more. I'm going to have to ask him if I ever see him again.

[Vinnie]

Incidentally, methane gas is odorless and tasteless and highly flammable.

Really?? Reminds me of a joke. The punch line.

Doctor to patient, "Now that we have your hearing back we'll work on that nose."

My brother was in the Coast Guard. He told me that one night in the Fla. Straits he was lying on deck taking in the starry night. The ship dropped into a trough in an otherwise calm sea. He had never seen anything like it before or since.

[GOPJ]

One person can be kept quiet, maybe 10, but a thousand in the US Navy? It's a stretch. You make a good point.

Strange that the US Navy (who is at sea 24/7/365) hasn't reported any of these.

[glasseye]

Wasn't there a post/ or part of a post here on FR some months ago about a lab working to reproduce a 'rouge wave' artifically. If memory serves me, a huge wave was unexpectedly created in their tank that damaged the roof of the facility. I looked but could not find it....anyone else remember that?

[willyone]

Not true. On two occasions I know of the USS America CV-66 was struck by waves of this type resulting in damage to the ship. Pretty impressive when the starboard catwalk sixty five feet above the water is twisted by a wave.

[willyone]

Those are called sneaker wves up there. Pretty dangerous and not uncommon.