Massive 26-foot waves slammed into a cruise ship in the Mediterranean yesterday near Barcelona, Spain, killing two people and injuring several more.
The huge waves smashed through windows sending water gushing into the public areas on the forward bow of the Greece-based Louis Cruise Lines ship, the Louis Majesty.
The abnormally high waves have been called “rogue waves” by some, but did they really come out of nowhere? And is this something that could happen on your next cruise?
By definition, “rogue” waves are at least twice as tall as the “significant wave” height, which is the average of the largest one-third of waves over a period of 20 minutes.
At the time of the incident, a strong storm was tearing through the Mediterranean with winds gusting well over 60 mph. The 26-foot waves that struck the ship are unusual for the Mediterranean, but not unusual for strong storms.
Learn more in our Cruises & Cruise Travel section.
Nearby buoys recorded significant wave heights of roughly 20 feet during the storm, which means that the waves were not rogue.
Although cruise ships often encounter big waves, they rarely see any this huge. That’s because ships typically do everything they can to avoid sailing through storms and choppy seas. This includes setting new courses, moving back departure dates, or sometimes even canceling trips altogether.
While incidents like this are rare, they’re not entirely unheard of. In April of 2005, a 70-foot rogue wave pummeled the Norwegian Dawn, smashing windows, flooding cabins and injuring four people. In September of 1995, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 was hit by a 90-foot rogue wave, an event that, amazingly, most passengers slept through.
Meteorologists say that there is likely no link between the large waves and the recent earthquake in Chile.
The Louis Majesty was carrying 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members. Investigators are expected to arrive Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Majesty’s next cruise has been canceled while the ship undergoes repairs.
By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Links: Cruise Critic, CNN, USA Today
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