Revealed: the freak waves that eat ships
Published: July 31, 2005
SCIENTISTS have explained for the first time how giant freak waves of 100ft or more can suddenly appear at sea with the potential to snap ships in two.
The scientists who carried out the research have also warned that the waves, which may be common around the British coast, are far more widespread than ever realised.
Such waves have often been reported by sailors but many scientists have found these stories implausible.
A series of studies, however, has now established that such waves can arise without warning, sometimes even in calm seas, and that they may then vanish after just a few minutes.
The findings follow a surge of interest in such events. A generation of “wave chasers” have emerged because of new technology such as mobile radar and satellites, which enable them to study the phenomena as they happen.
Professor Efim Pelinovsky of the Russian Institute of Applied Physics, a world expert on the subject, said the waves were so common that marine architects might need to rethink ship designs. “They can occur anywhere in the oceans and even in apparently calm water,” said Pelinovsky. “There seem to be several causes, not just storms.”
Giant waves are caused by wind, weather and currents, distinguishing them from tsunamis which originate with geological events such as earthquakes.
Pelinovsky’s study used a network of buoys to lie in wait for rogue waves around the North Sea and found six of them within a few days of each other.
Some occurred alone while others came in groups. Some lasted several minutes, others just a few seconds.
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Unsolved Mysteries:LegendsSuch findings, published at a recent conference, are particularly important in the North Sea because it is one of the busiest shipping areas in Europe and has a large number of oil rigs.
North Sea oil workers already know the danger. In 1995 the Norwegian floating oil rig Veslefrikk B was severely damaged by a rogue wave.
Despite such experiences, scientists and marine architects continued to regard the risk as small because their mathematical equations said giant waves could only happen once every few years or even decades.
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