Massive wave threatens to bury tanker in Pacific storm

A massive wave, captured by the camera of a crewmember of the Exxon/SeaRiver tanker Puget Sound, loomed over the laden tanker as it was transiting the North Pacific in October 2001. The wave then smashed over the port side of the ship, burying the decks in green water. The vessel recovered its stability but had little to no success making way against the storm, as the writing on the photograph indicates: "Northbound to Valdez, Alaska, wind 88 knots, prop 65 rpm’s [sic], hard left rudder for seven hours. Ship still moving backwards!"

Images provided courtesy Naval.com, a communications supply company based in Tampa, Fla.

By Ocean Navigator