The water element can be truly formidable! Just imagine how a person, on whom a wave is approaching, will feel, 30 meters high (about the size of a 9-storey building). This unusual and rather rare natural phenomenon is called "killer wave". More recently, oceanologists attributed it to marine superstitions, but today scientists have irrefutable evidence of the existence of super-waves.
The killer wave, also called the wandering or white wave, appears out of nowhere. It is absolutely impossible to predict the time and place of its formation. The huge mass of water, the size of which reaches 20..30 meters or more, poses a threat even to modern liners. A ship hit by a killer wave will sink much faster than the legendary Titanic. This will take no more than a few minutes.
Neptune's Terrible Revenge
Among the navigators of the Middle Ages, the element of water caused awe and fear. There were numerous rituals designed to appease Neptune, the ruler of the seas and oceans. The Vikings carved ash wood monsters into the bow of their Drakkar boats. The brigands believed that the noble tree had the ability to “ward off” storms and storms.
Of course, modern sailors no longer show honors to Neptune. But this does not mean that some natural phenomena cannot instill superstitious horror even in an inveterate skeptic. People who are fortunate enough to survive after meeting the killer wave say that it "appeared as if from nowhere and disappeared into nowhere."
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Why do they appear?
One of the most popular hypotheses about the causes of the rogue wave is based on the superposition of waves of different lengths. In simple terms, several relatively small shafts “merge” into one huge wave, which “lives” for some time, and then disappears. However, the calculations performed showed that the plausibility of this hypothesis is negligible.
Interesting is the fact that the killer wave can be not only a crest, but also a trough. However, it will not be any easier for a ship that has collided with a natural trap. Just imagine an unexpected fall into the sea abyss to the depth of a nine-story building!
Paranormal researchers have also become interested in a phenomenon that scientists cannot explain. According to one of the advanced versions, the anomalous activity of the sunken Atlantis may become the cause of the appearance of superwaves. Some even suggest that the Atlantean race is still living at the bottom and is developing new technologies. Ufologists hypothesize that the appearance of killer waves is associated with UFO experiments.
Colliding with waves of killers
The first documented case of a ship colliding with a killer wave occurred on February 7, 1933. The ship "Ramapo", which belonged to the US Navy, became a victim of the raging elements. A shaft of incredible height trapped the ship in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. People who were lucky enough to survive recorded a wave of 34 meters moving at a speed of about 85 km / h.
In April 1966, the Michelangelo liner became another victim of the water element, which was hit by a wandering wave in the mid-Atlantic. One of the sides and the bow of the vessel was seriously damaged, 50 people were injured, and two passengers were washed into the sea.
The last time a sea "killer" was observed was in September 1995. This case was recorded by the personnel of the ship "Queen Elizabeth 2". Brave sailors tried to "straddle" a huge shaft, 29 meters high. The place of collision with a natural phenomenon was the North Atlantic.
We suggest you watch the movie "Killer Wave" online. This short ten-minute video is sure to arouse the interest of fans of mysticism and marine themes.