Rogue Waves. Are We At Risk?

[Shellie1964]

Hi All

I have been cruising the web and I came across the phenomena of 'Rogue Waves'. I have read that they are thought to be responsible for the sinking of 200 supertankers during the last 20 years.

My question is .......... How much at risk are you on a transatlantic crossing or similiar of being hit by one? Also if they do exist, is there any photographic evidence in support of them?

Many Thanks

Shellie

[Peter_LT]

Hello Shellie,

 

Yes rogue waves do exist, and some dramatic pictures of when the Michelangelo

met one can be found here...

 

Regards,

Steve (Peter S.)

Caronia II Timeline Webmaster

< http://www.*****.info/ >

[Shellie1964]

Hello Peter

Wow, your link took my breath away. The photographs are awesome, though the outcome for the lost passengers and crew was very unfortunate; God Rest Their Souls.

It just prooves there is no defence when Mother Nature chooses to strike!!!:eek:

Shellie x

[greydog]

News report last week said there are thought to average 10 rogue waves around the world at any time, with certain areas particularly possible due to current pattern. QE2 hit one in 1995 but had minor damage since was able to turn head-on in time. Captain said it was 30 meters hi. Bremen hit one in 80's around Falklands and ship lost power for 30 minutes and was at mercy of 40+ ft waves.

 

Here's website with many 'heavy-seas' pix to fuel your nightmares::eek:

http://www.tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/

 

At bottom of webpage there are links to addiditional high-seas pix pages.

[Bramcruiser]

Yes, rogue waves can occur but lets not scare each other either. Chances of being sunk by one while on a cruise is about the same as being hit by a meteor I would think.

 

Reading that article on the Michaelangelo I gathered the wave was a result of stormy weather. That is something which ships usually account for and most ships will try to sail around or away from storms thus lessening the chances. Thus the wave from nowhere (ala Poseidon) seems to be even rarer.

 

Bottom line, I wouldn't worry much about it.

[guernseyguy]

Bottom line, I wouldn't worry much about it.

 

And if you DO want to worry about it - there's no safer ships on the sea when encountering such waves as a modern Transatlantic liner - such as the QM2 or QE2.

 

Peter

[Peter_LT]

Hello Folks,

 

Peter is right - the words Transatlantic Liner being the operative words...

Some people book their transats in the hope of stormy weather, because

it _is_ quite an experience!

 

In 1965 I was on board the RMS Caronia when we caught the tail end of a

hurricane. OK, she was half the size of QE2 and only a third of the size of

QM2, and even though she was over 34,000 tons, the size of the waves and

swell were something to make you feel like you were riding a matchstick in a

very angry puddle.

 

The comforting factor was that these ships were designed to ride the Atlantic.

If you do get to encounter a storm, then some very stringent safety practices

are enforced. Just enjoy the ride, it may be quite scary, but won't you have

a story to tell afterwards?

 

Regards,

Steve (Peter S.)

Caronia II Timeline Webmaster

< http://www.*****.info/ >

[travel-to-go]

I'm certain it is quite safe for me to hazard a guess that there are many people on these boards with a lot more cruises than me. And yet, I dare say that I have many more cruises under my belt than the average Joe. And I also dare say that few if any of us have expereinced a true rogue wave. A few of us have sailed in some rough water- I have sailed in some, though not so much so that it bothered me (other than being a bit embarrassed that my sealegs weren't quite what I thought they should be, and that I was a bit stumbling, clumsily weaving side to side down the long straight corridors, the walls coming in to meet me as I swayed... or maybe that was the champagne since I don't think we'd loft the docks yet! <G>)

 

I think it is one thing you needn't worry about. It sounds exciting and we love to scare ourselves silly and worry about nothing. It's just part of human nature. We love the dramatic. But the truth is, I worry more about tripping while trying to walk elegantly (as if I were simply born elegant, and ever so used to dining in long gowns) into the dining room on a formal night, or my boob slipping out of my strapless bra! Try and right THAT inside your bodice without being noticed while dining with the Commodore! (Do not ask me how I know!!!!!)

 

No, I have worse things to worry about than rogue waves.

 

Now here is a re-a-a-l-l-l-y scary thought! Walking out of the ladies room on formal night with a long trail of toilet papaer stuck to your elegant shoe as you haughtily hold your head erect and pretend not to notice the whispers around you as you fantasize they are saying." Who IS that fabulous woman! She MUST be some sort of celebrity!" (No I haven't, but it is 100% me. It's just bound to happen sooner or later!!!<G>)

 

Karie,

Who was not to the manner, or the manor born!

[Shellie1964]

Thank you all for your replies. I do think there is something wrong with me as I feel a sense of perverse enjoyment and excitement when I view the 'evidence'. Perhaps one day I will experience a choppy sea for myself. That would be scary and awesome.

LOL Karie, but I am sure your dealt with your 'boob' incident with the grace and sophistication I understand you have (through reading these great boards).

 

Yes you are right, there are other things to worry about; for me that means at the moment it is about integrating within a new team at work!!

 

Thanks again all

 

Shellie x

[JAMESCC]

Anyone read Captian Warwicks account of the QE2's encounter with the rogue wave in 95'? I did and whoa that sounds scary. A wall of water 95 feet high:eek:Yikes thats scary. Thank goodness they were on a great OCEANLINER not a cruiseship and they had a great,great captain like Ronald Warwick. Could not have asked for a better captian or ship to survive something like that.

[Spike_Spiegel]

Shellie:

 

I haven't done much more than casual reading on the subject, but from what I understand, "rogue waves" were still considered near-myth until the very recent past. Although they have now been scientifically validated, the phenomenon is not well-understood ... no one knows "why" they happen. (Theories abound, of course.)

 

*HOWEVER* - more relevant to your original question, is some news that can allay most of your fears. The story about "200 vessels lost at sea by rogue waves" is in fact a myth. From Wikipedia:

 

"The story that '200 large ships lost to freak waves in the past two decades' was published in The Times (May 2006). The earliest reference seems to be in the press release by the European Space Agency, and first quoted as '200 large ships of 600ft long or more in the past two decades sunk without trace'. At the time the claim was made, there had only been 142 ships of that size lost at sea in the time frame, *ALL WITH CLEAR, KNOWN CAUSES* (source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay). The main culprits were the Iranian and Iraqi air forces in the 1980s."

 

Hope this helps!

 

- Spike

[Shellie1964]

Thank You all for your replies!

Your link was very interesting Tanefar, cheers.

So that explains it Spike!! I thought 200 ships was a large amount, especially when you have not heard anything in the news.

James, I agree with you, Captain Warwicks account is very evocotive.

Happy Cruising Everyone

Shelly x

[travel-to-go]

Yes you are right, there are other things to worry about; for me that means at the moment it is about integrating within a new team at work!!

Shellie x

 

:eek::eek::eek:

 

Now THAT IS scary!

 

(And thanks for your vote of confidence (After "righting myself" once, the second time, I decided to just not swing that arm too greatly until I could repair to the ladies room. This was after the "Stolen Bras Debacle" chronicled elsewhere in these boards, and the reason I was wearing ill-fitting foundations to begin with! <LOL>)

 

Good luck with the integration! Remember to stress to the group that each of us has our unique contributions to make, and that opening oneself to a different way of thinking can lead one to marvelous discoveries. The need to always be right can lead us to stubbornly refuse to see "other realities!"

(Easier in the speaking than in the acting, I might add!)

 

I, too, work in an eclectic atmosphere of people of various origins who might not get along if not looking towards a shared goal.

 

Karie,

Who loves to share a laugh with others, even if it sometimes involves my own foibles. And who also shares the sense of adventure and excitement that scary events provoke

[Shellie1964]

Thank you Karie

I think my expectations were to high when I started last week; I assumed mutual respect and common curtesy were the norm. I have retrained and changed my career and In my first few days a team member blatantly laughed in my face on hearing what I did previously; I was mortified.

I have got it in perspective now and feel it was just rude on her part. I have not allowed it to be a barrier in establishing a professional working relationship.

Sorry for going off post

Have a nice day Karie

Shellie x

[travel-to-go]

Thank you Karie

 

I think my expectations were to high when I started last week; I assumed mutual respect and common curtesy were the norm. I have retrained and changed my career and In my first few days a team member blatantly laughed in my face on hearing what I did previously; I was mortified.

 

I have got it in perspective now and feel it was just rude on her part. I have not allowed it to be a barrier in establishing a professional working relationship.

 

Sorry for going off post

 

Have a nice day Karie

 

Shellie x

 

Shellie,

 

This group has saved my sanity so much. Yes we are folks who love cruising, and especially the special type of cruising which is Cunard. However, these people, many of whom I have never met, and may never meet, have helped me thorugh a very very trying time of my life. My father recently became sick and eventually died, coincident with my being threatened with being laid off from a 27 year long job which I love. I was saved at the last minute by the very highest level of executives in my company, by people who felt it was their duty (and honor) to help someone they felt worthy. These people went to the highest level to convince the execs that it would be a bad business move to let me go. (trust me, it wasn't charitable notions! Not in business!) I can only hope to live up to their confidence in me and their support of me in a working world where often the first duty is to protect yourself and your uniqueness (read: knowledge) to the company.

 

This is a very caring group we have here, and they likely will be gracious and will certainly brook an occasional detour from the ordinary. That is what we are here. We have pride, loyalty, and a sense of adventure. We know quality when we see it. We bicker and whine occasionally, and tease relentlessly, but never with true rancor. These are the kind of people who travel with the queens.

 

As for your new work situation, new situations are always scary. The unknown, the areas in which you don't have a natural comfort level and ease, including new people and environments, will always challenge. And yet it is challenge which keeps us alive. When you no longer have challenge, you become somnolent. You just drift off into nowhere and nothingness. Embrace the challenge, take joy in it. The challenge is what makes me gulp a big lungful of glorious life! Hold your head high. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. Instead, know who you are, and what you stand for, and know that sometimes others cannot live up to those same standards, because of petty jealousies and fears. Help to ease thier fears, that you are there to share, and help, not to take or be the star. Sure, some may take advantage of you, and not give in return, but the ones who matter, those whose opinions you would respect, will know. They will see, and eventually, it will come back to you. Maybe not now- maybe not for years. But I have always lived by the rule that I have to like (And be proud of the values of) the person I see every morning in the mirror. Sometimes, that is a thin meal. But I guarantee you, it will get you through.

It, along with the gracious, caring, and marvelous Cunard Cruise Critics on this board, got me through (and continue to get me through) my challenges. My first speical Job assigened to me on being assigned to my new group (some of whom resent the living hell out of me-) is something which they might consider beneath them. It is something that in my 27 years I have aboslutely NO familiarity with. It is a technology which is a dinosaur and going away. But I am attacking it with gusto, and the joy of learning something new. (Even a 52 year old can learn new tricks!) I hold my head proud, and know that there are those who are happy to be working with me. I am learning fast, and I may be the queen of a dying technology, but damn it. I will do so with pride and bearing!

 

There is a wise saying in Latin.

Illigitimus No-Carborundum.

It translates (roughly) to "Don't let the B@$ta@rds wear you down!"

 

You'll make it.

And you'll have a marvelous time on your special crossing (may it be a challenge- and a satisfying one)- Or as the Chinese "Curse" goes, "May you live in interesting times!"

 

Karie,

Who lives in, and relishes, these most challenging times!

 

P.S. Good luck. Though I know you won't need it!

[HeelMD]

Holy cow! First there were Snakes on a Plane and now Rogue Waves! What is a traveler to do?;)

[patwell]

Holy cow! First there were Snakes on a Plane and now Rogue Waves! What is a traveler to do?;)

 

Don't fly...and wear a life jacket at all times??? ;)

 

Since I don't fly the first isn't a problem....beside, I have plenty of the poisonous variety right in my own yard...makes gardening interesting!! Not to mention dog walking.:eek: Who needs to fly to get their excitement quotient???

 

As to the rogue waves....does a lifejacket go with a slinky black gown? :D

Cheers, Penny

[FuranzuMaru]

An interesting account can be found here

 

http://www.roblightbody.com/liners/qe-2/qe2crossing.htm

[mtbny7]

There was a HUGE article in the NY Times recently about Rogue Waves....

 

http://www.nytimes.com and then search.

 

They are all too real; but chances are running into one: very slim.

 

-Michael

[pnhmrk]

Does a lifejacket go with a slinky black gown? :D

 

Penny - anything will go with black (except denim:D ). A dayglo orange lifejacket (with embroidered gold QE2/QM2 motifs) would be spectacular!

[Shellie1964]

Hello Karie

Thank you so much for your wonderful, insightful and very much appriciated thoughts Karie.

I know I don't know you in a physical sense; but your positive presence and the spirit you possess is tangible over the ether. If I gain half the positive regard you elicit from fellow colleagues I will consider myself blessed. You are one in a million and I do beleive they broke the mold when God created you. Thank You Again

 

Shellie x

[Shellie1964]

Thank you for the links Fur and Michael, they hit just the right spot. I think if I was flung out of bed by a big one I would be feel a fully fledged member of the exclusive 'Rogue' Club.

Shellie x

[patwell]

Penny - anything will go with black (except denim:D ). A dayglo orange lifejacket (with embroidered gold QE2/QM2 motifs) would be spectacular!

 

Thank goodness...and thanks Malcolm...never having seen the lifejackets it's a comfort to know that they'll go with the dress and the gold jewelry I had planned for it. :rolleyes: Cheers, Penny

[Shipping Out]

I was on the Maiden Transatlantic Voyage of the QM2, when we encountred very rough weather for three days running. The waves were 30 to 40 feet and we experienced gale force winds of 70 mph. Late in the afternoon of the third day, we ran into a rogue wave which brought the ship to a shuddering stop. I was in the gift shop at the time - everything came flying off the shelves and a display manaquin toppled over with a loud thud. The captain, Captain Warwick, called down to the shop to ask if everything was okay and confirmed that a rogue wave of 70 feet had just come over the bow and dashed against the bridge.

 

Apart from things falling off the shelves, there was no damage to the ship or any injuries to the passengers. The QM2 was built to withstand a North Atlantic Storm - and if you are sailing on her, you need have no fear.

[Shellie1964]

Wow Shipping Out

How awesome; what an exciting experience to have.

Do you have any footage of the aforementioned waves please?

Shellie x