Freak wave

[John Pruden]

anyone who can get catch up on tv watch EDEN CHANNEL power of the freak waves and the fate of the munchen a very interesting program wave with the pressure of 100ton per square mtr on the plating and some good pics of the damage done in the storms waves some 30mtr high?jp

[Ivan Cloherty]

Just watched 'Raging Planet' (Quest) all about the sea and storms as well as freak waves, but doubt it was of any interest to landlubbers, but brought back a lot of memories, especially when like me, some have experienced those freak waves but nobody ever believed you, but are now a proven fact. My wife thinks we were all mad, perhaps we were, but beats the sh*t out of 9 to 5

[leratty]

The freak waves of the African coast were considered a myth until less than 100 years ago. I think it was when someone photographed them that it was understood not to be.
Thank God I did not to my knowledge ever experience one, though had some very rough weather experience. There are some amazing U-tube videos of freak waves & serious heavy weather worth viewing.

[Chris Isaac]

For me this programme made me recall the incident off Port St Johns involving Edinburgh Castle when considerable damage was done by one of these waves.
Here you can find the strory of the event as told by the master Capt Billy Byles: http://www.bandcstaffregister.co.uk/page149.html
I wonder what he would have made of last night's terrific programme, it may have explained a lot to him.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Thanks for that Chris, an interesting read.

[Captain Kong]

The `hole in the sea` phenomenom is quite a common occurrence off that coast around the 100 fathom line. It is where the warm Aghulas and cold Benguela currents meet, one folding on top of the other.
On the run around the Cape to the Gulf we were always told to be aware of it. Many big Tankers have been badly damaged, there was also the case of the Ben boat that was almost torn into two. the bow facing about 30 degrees to port from the rest of the ship. she had to be towed stern first into Durban.
Also the theory of the loss of the Waratah on her maiden voyage.
We had diagrams on the bridge showing it. A long slope that the ship runs down, no way of getting away, and at the bottom of the slope a huge wall of water almost verticle then crashes down on top of the ship crushing it down beneath the sea.
This effect also takes place off Cape Leuuwin in W.A.
I joined the QE2 in New York in October1995, she had been hit by the 100 foot wave, in the tail end of a Hurricane, Capt. Ron Warwick described it as like hitting the white cliffs of Dover. The fore deck was crushed down a couple of feet and it looked like a swim pool when full of water

Cheers
Brian