This list of rogue waves compiles incidents of known and likely rogue waves – also known as freak waves, monster waves, killer waves, and extreme waves. These are dangerous and rare ocean surface waves that unexpectedly reach at least twice the height of the tallest waves around them, and are often described by witnesses as "walls of water".[1] They occur in deep water, usually far out at sea, and are a threat even to capital ships, ocean liners and land structures such as lighthouses.
Anecdotal evidence from mariners' testimonies and incidents of wave damage to ships have long suggested rogue waves occurred; however, their scientific measurement was positively confirmed only following measurements of the Draupner wave, a rogue wave at the Draupner platform, in the North Sea on 1 January 1995. During this event, minor damage was inflicted on the platform, confirming that the reading was valid.
In modern oceanography, rogue waves are defined not as the biggest possible waves at sea, but instead as extreme sized waves for a given sea state.
Many of these encounters are only reported in the media, and are not examples of open ocean rogue waves. Often a huge wave is loosely and incorrectly denoted as a rogue wave.[citation needed] Extremely large waves offer an explanation for the otherwise-inexplicable disappearance of many ocean-going vessels. However, the claim is contradicted by information held by Lloyd's Register.[2][3] One of the very few cases where evidence suggests a freak wave incident is the 1978 loss of the freighter MS München. This claim, however, is contradicted by other sources, which maintain that, over a time period from 1969 to 1994 alone, rogue waves were responsible for the complete loss of 22 supertankers, often with their entire crew.[4][5][6] In 2007, researcher Paul C. Liu of NOAA compiled a list of more than 50 incidents likely associated with rogue waves.[7] Some have suggested that, using commercially available data, a large ship completely disappears without a trace once every two years. The cause is never determined.[8]
In addition to the incidents listed below, it has also been suggested that these types of waves may be responsible for the loss of several low-flying United States Coast Guard helicopters on search and rescue missions.[9]
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