Rogue Giants at Sea

NYT ^

[Grendel9]

The storm was nothing special. Its waves rocked the Norwegian Dawn just enough so that bartenders on the cruise ship turned to the usual palliative — free drinks.

Ten, off the coast of Georgia, early on Saturday, April 16, 2005, a giant, seven-story wave appeared out of nowhere. It crashed into the bow, sent deck chairs flying, smashed windows, raced as high as the 10th deck, flooded 62 cabins, injured 4 passengers and sowed widespread fear and panic.

“The ship was like a cork in a bathtub,” recalled Celestine Mcelhatton, a passenger who, along with 2,000 others, eventually made it back to Pier 88 on the Hudson River in Manhattan. Some vowed never to sail again.

Enormous waves that sweep the ocean are traditionally called rogue waves, implying that they have a kind of freakish rarity. Over the decades, skeptical oceanographers have doubted their existence and tended to lump them together with sightings of mermaids and sea monsters.

[finnman69]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/602470/posts
Mystery of monster waves solved

[SE Mom]

I've been in 20 foot seas in a 35 ft sailboat- that was MORE than enough weather to last me a lifetime.

I know some sailors who've seen a couple of monsters..out of nowhere -but these are people who live on their boats and sail around the world- I guess while rare, these events are well-documented over the years.

[RightWhale]

It's kind of interesting that all in all nothing moves in waves. Things go around in little circles, and over time they go nowhere.

[okie01]

One would expect more from someone who makes their living with words. Or maybe not, these days.

See tagline.

[okie01]

One would expect more from someone who makes their living with words. Or maybe not, these days.

See tagline.

[finnman69]

more pics

Preincess Italia

QE2

[finnman69]

then there are these crazies

[Joan912]

Thanks for the awesome pics - wow!

[Grendel9]

Interesting read. Thanks.