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Anyone Encountered a Rogue Wave

By 5waldos , December 8, 2010 in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Another cruise ship has encountered one of these mega- waves (discussion http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1319663 ) and I wondered if any of you have ever seen or encountered one of these while cruising? Fasinating book about them The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey, although probably not great for onboard reading.

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Obviously, they happen and they get much press when they do. Tsunamis happen too, but they are also rare. It certainly would not stop us from cruising, as we have cruised quite a bit and we have never experienced anything more than a good storm with heavy winds and waves (caused a little damage in some falling things and many had motion sickness, but everything went on as usual)

We have also never had anyone we have cruised with tell us that they experienced anything of that nature. There was some pretty dramatic footage from a cruise ship security camera that made us think that if we ever have the ship tip a lot in one direction, we will be fleeing to a stairway or hallway where there is no moving furniture. The video was in a dining area setting and everything and everybody slid back and forth for a bit and you can see where you could be injured. Head for places like hallways without moving chairs/carts etc is what we got out of it, but we would never stop cruising because of the possibility of one.

No and with any luck we never will.

I have heard of larger than typical waves impacting liners on a few occations. None recently. I am from a maritime community where waves, rouge waves, sea smoke, etc etc are a way of life. I have noticed in the past few years that 'rouge waves' have become like a catch phase for people to use, it sounds cool and dangerous and thus popular in media. I've seen all these specials on the discovery channel, etc about them. Probably a few movies like Perfect Storm and Poisidon made them a popular topic as well. There is a real danger, but probably much less than a casual oserver would expect. Rouge waves are not common, and even when they do pop up it's usually a 40 footer in 20 food seas, not a 100 footer on a dead calm.

Rouge waves aside, occationally up here when there is a real howler Noreaster, the weather man will point out little blips on the radar that are giant waves over 100feet so that the radar picks them up way out in the Gulf of Maine. Doesnt' happen often, but not weather anyone wants any part of.

Their existence has only recently been confirmed although I agree- seems to be the danger de jour. But the book is quite interesting.

Ya, seems like it was one of those commonly know, or at least accepted if not proven, phenomenon in a very small segment of the nautical world and pretty much unknown elsewhere, and now being more publicized and making a splash (pardon the pun). It certainly is an interesting topic, the fluid dynamics alone are astonishing to consider.

I don't know if it was considered a "rogue" wave, but on one cruise we were abruptly awakened at 3:00 a.m. by the ship listing severely and stuff sliding off the desk onto the floor.

The next day we received a letter under our door from the captain saying it was an "unusual" wave, but there was never any danger. :eek:

I don't know if it was considered a "rogue" wave, but on one cruise we were abruptly awakened at 3:00 a.m. by the ship listing severely and stuff sliding off the desk onto the floor.   The next day we received a letter under our door from the captain saying it was an "unusual" wave, but there was never any danger. :eek:

I see on your signature that you were on the Destiny in '07; We may have been on the same sailing, as it was exactly, as you stated about the ship listing-there was a big storm off of Haiti, if I remember correctly-I remember waking up, and all my belongings on the nite stand, went sliding off...then it was over. People opened their cabin doors (I was in an inside cabin), and we all looked at each other then went back to sleep. Alot of chatter in the dining room at breakfast.....

i also don't know if it was a rogue wave, but our ship tilted so bad one morning all our stuff in the room, including the beds, with us in it, slid toward the door.

people were running around in their life jackets.

the pools emptied, the gift shops were trashed, and the plates in the mdr were quite smashed.

i also don't know if it was a rogue wave, but our ship tilted so bad one morning all our stuff in the room, including the beds, with us in it, slid toward the door.   people were running around in their life jackets.   the pools emptied, the gift shops were trashed, and the plates in the mdr were quite smashed.

The listing incidents are usually when the ship has to make quick navigation adjustments (like a car swerves) to avoid something at sea. Doesn't have anything to do with waves. A rouge wave would be a giant impact, but not a sharp listing as above.

so I should dismiss what the captain told us and go with your story?

You didn't say what the captain informed you in your post only "I don't know if it was a rouge wave, but......"

So the captain came on and said "Everyone, we've just been hit by a rouge wave?" If not, and it's just fun to tell people how you 'survived' a rouge wave, go for it. But more likely the ship had to quickly turn to avoid a shipping container or a marker buoy that had come un-moored.

You didn't say what the captain informed you in your post only "I don't know if it was a rouge wave, but......"   So the captain came on and said "Everyone, we've just been hit by a rouge wave?" If not, and it's just fun to tell people how you 'survived' a rouge wave, go for it. But more likely the ship had to quickly turn to avoid a shipping container or a marker buoy that had come un-moored.

he didn't describe the wave, nor did i ever think to ask him to describe it.

there was a bunch of speculation all day until the night show,:rolleyes: when he made an appearance. hardly any containers or buoys in the middle of the pacific ocean.

but he certainly never mentioned any color.

Well- I like the story anyway. And if the captain mentioned a wave- go with it.

Stories of rogue waves were often put in the same category as the huge whale and fish that big. And yes- the physics of it all are rather mind boggling. There was an interesting interview recently with one of the members of the research team on the British ship stuck in a series of them which had the appropriate monitoring equipment onboard and thus were able to document a--? 100 ft wave perhaps?

he didn't describe the wave, nor did i ever think to ask him to describe it.   there was a bunch of speculation all day until the night show,:rolleyes: when he made an appearance.   but he certainly never mentioned any color.

Sure, so it could have been anything. The crew/captain/line are purposefully vague about things like that. But you can be pretty sure it was not a rouge wave, they are so rare, the listing is not really symptomatic of a rouge. Many folks work on the ocean their whole life without having any problems with rouge waves, and the Caribbean does not have allot of the tectonic shoals that would cause allot of rouges.

Well- I like the story anyway. And if the captain mentioned a wave- go with it.   Stories of rogue waves were often put in the same category as the huge whale and fish that big. And yes- the physics of it all are rather mind boggling. There was an interesting interview recently with one of the members of the research team on the British ship stuck in a series of them which had the appropriate monitoring equipment onboard and thus were able to document a--? 100 ft wave perhaps?

i'm just sorry i didn't think to make it to the casino to that machine you insert quarters in to make the money fall off the "precipice"!

My understanding is that rogue waves are in fact a lot more common than thought- so not common, but not that rare. And of course, many of the people who have problems with rogue waves aren't back to tell the story.

The one that frightened me was the 1,800 ft one in the bay in Alaska and that not so long ago. Again, another interview with a boy who lived through it. Will have to look carefully in May and see what I can see.

the caribbean is blue, and the pacific is no where near the caribbean.

Now that would have been smart for sure. You need to keep your head in these situations to take advantage of things.

rouge=red the waves are rogue

I think they said in the Pacific, not the Carribean

Oh wait- they mention Haiti- that is not the Pacific. Maybe they are talking 2 incidences. Sorry.

Yes, I'm sure that was the cruise it happened on! It was a rough cruise with lots of folks not making it to dinner several nights. After the incident during the night, I too remember the ship recovered quickly and people were a little unnerved standing in the hallways afterward. And, yes, I still have the letter from the captain explaining that it was a wave. :p

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Do You Need to Worry About Rogue Waves on a Cruise?

There is a saving grace for cruise passengers

On Nov. 29, a suspected rogue wave slammed into the brand-new luxury expedition ship Viking Polaris on the Drake Passage, the infamously rough body of water separating South America and Antarctica. The wall of water blew out windows to cabins, unfortunately killing one passenger and injuring four others.

This is not the first time a cruise ship has been struck by a rogue wave. In 2005, Norwegian Dawn was hit by a rogue wave estimated to be 70 feet tall , flooding a number of cabins. In 1995 Queen Elizabeth 2 encountered a rogue wave estimated to be 95 feet tall . And many a ship is thought to have been sunk by rogue waves, including the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank during a storm on Lake Superior in 1975; all 29 crew perished.

So, are rogue waves something you need to be concerned about on your next cruise? 

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines rogues as "waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves."

Seafarers have reported the phenomenon in their logs for centuries, but rogue waves were not studied in depth until 1995, when a measuring instrument on an oil rig near Norway recorded the first data-based evidence of a rogue wave. The Draupner wave, as it is called, reached a height of 85 feet—what science, at the time, deemed a "1-in-10,000-years" wave.

Since then, data show that rogue waves occur far more frequently than that. In 2004, two European Space Agency radar satellites identified 10 giant waves during a three-week period.

Despite continued research, we've learned very little about rogue waves, and they're still effectively impossible to predict. In a 2021 study, lead author Dion Häfner wrote, "By now, we know several ways to produce truly exceptional waves in wave tanks and simulations. However, things are more difficult in the real ocean, where theoretical assumptions (such as unidirectionality) break down. The causes of real-world rogue waves are therefore still unknown, and heavily debated."

Häfner did note that rogue waves "pose a substantial threat to seafaring vessels and offshore structures." 

The saving grace for cruise passengers, however, is that it's rare to encounter rogue waves at sea. In many cases, rogue waves are relatively short-lived, according to NOAA, unlike a tsunami that may travel around the world.

In fact, I happened to be on the Drake Passage at the same time as Viking Polaris, aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages' Atlas World Traveller. While we experienced a moderate swell of about 15 feet, which is a somewhat calm day on the Drake, we did not encounter the rogue wave.

For what it's worth—though this is no consolation to the loved ones of the deceased—cruising is one of the safest modes of transportation. Between 2009 and 2019, only 34 passengers and 31 crew died on cruise ships, per a report by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) . By comparison, 1.35 million people die in car accidents each year.

So while rogue waves are a dangerous and unpredictable force of nature that does threaten cruise ships, they don't need to be at the forefront of your mind when booking a voyage.

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. "What Is A Rogue Wave?" Accessed December 9, 2022.

American Physical Society. "January 1, 1995: Confirmation of the Existence of Rogue Waves." Accessed December 9, 2022.

Scientific Reports. "Real-world Rogue Wave Probabililities." May 12, 2021.

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A rogue wave caused a cruise ship tragedy. They occur more often than you think.

• The Viking Polaris was hit by a rogue wave in the Drake Passage, treacherous waters between Argentina and Antarctica.
• A rogue wave occurs when it's more than two times higher than waves around it. Hundreds of them have occurred over the years.
• But there's a lot to learn about these waves because they've only been confirmed by instruments within the last 30 years.

A possible rogue wave sent headlines around the world last week after it broke windows on a cruise ship off the coast of Argentina, killing a woman and injuring four others. 

Such freak accidents may seem rare, but hundreds have occurred without warning around the world — on cruise ships, cargo vessels, oil platforms and beaches.

Observers often describe them as a “wall of water,” but the size of that wall is relative depending on whether you’re in a fishing boat or a cargo ship. 

The six deck Viking Polaris was sailing back toward Argentina after a trip to Antarctica on Nov. 29 when a massive freak wave struck the ship. Viking Cruises called it a “rogue wave” but researchers said only further investigation will verify if it truly met the definition — more than twice as high as the average of the highest surrounding waves. 

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Monstrous and deadly waves that arrived without warning have been recounted in fishing and sailing lore for more than a century. More modern records show how often they truly occur: Some 432 similar incidents were documented internationally between 2005 and 2021 in a catalog kept on the Russian Academy of Science’ s Institute of Applied Physics website.

Here's what to know about rogue waves.

What is a rogue wave?

Rogue waves are driven by wind. They form when waves coming from multiple directions meet at one point by chance, said Francesco Fedele, an associate professor at Georgia Tech. “It’s the constructive interference of waves coming from multiple directions. They all pile up and form this extreme event.” 

They sometimes occur when waves move into strong opposing currents, such as in the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and off the coast of South Africa, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. It can be a single wave, or a series of three or four.

It's often impossible to know if monster waves are an actual rogue wave.

A rogue wave is defined as 2.2 times higher than the waves around it, said Johannes Gemmrich, a physical oceanographer at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. The waves are measured relative to "significant wave height," determined by averaging the highest one-third of waves.

If the significant wave height is 6 feet, a rogue wave would have to be 13.2 feet. Some freakishly high waves that cause maritime disasters may be enormous, but may only be 1.9 times as high as the surrounding seas, Gemmrich said. “Unless you have measurements for an individual wave, you can’t tell if it was some rogue wave.”

More on the rogue wave off Argentina:

• Kansas residents experience two freak accidents on one cruise
• Giant 'rogue wave' hits cruise ship, leaving one dead and four injured
• Pennsylvania woman describes deadly rogue wave hitting cruise ship

What happened on the Viking Polaris? 

The Polaris was in the Drake Passage , treacherous waters known for rough seas and big waves. Called the "Drake Shake" or the "Drake Lake" depending on the height of the seas, it's where the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans come together between the southern tip of Argentina and Antarctica. 

California sailing enthusiast Ken Spencer was a passenger on deck two, an estimated 25 feet above the water line. He told USA TODAY that waves of 20 to 25 feet were consistent in frequency and direction during the day and then turned less so into the evening, coming from mixed directions. 

As he was preparing for bed, Spencer said, "this wave came directly broadside at the port side,” not from an angle like the previous waves.

“The wave had tremendous volume, and it seems to have risen as high at deck four, which is about 45 feet above the waterline," he said. "The thickness of the wave is what was amazing. The water stayed against my window for what seemed like seconds, but was likely around a second."

At the same time, the Polaris was jolted with a very powerful bump, he said.

Photos of the vessel show windows were broken in several staterooms and several rooms were breached by water. His window was intact but a few gallons of water had seeped in around the perimeter, said Spencer, who praised Viking and the vessel's crew.

How often do rogue waves occur? 

Much more often than many realize.

Gemmrich estimates waves up to twice as high as the surrounding wave heights occur about every 3,000 waves and that a rogue wave may occur every 15,000 waves. 

“The higher the relative wave heights increase, the more unreal the rogue waves become," Gemmrich said. “A wave three times higher than the background, that’s extremely rare.”

It’s those monster waves that occur when the background waves are 30 to 40 feet high that concern the shipping industry. 

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What's the difference between a rogue wave and a tsunami? 

• A tsunami is a very long wave of seismic origin, generated by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. In the open ocean tsunamis have small wave heights, but in shallow water closer to the coast wave height can increase to 30-60 feet. 
• Rogue waves are generated by wind and are shorter waves. Although they often occur in the open ocean, and during stormy conditions, they also occur in coastal waters.
• Meteotsunamis are typically waves smaller than tsunamis caused by air pressure disturbances in fast moving storms. 

Is climate change to blame? 

Some research has suggested warming temperatures are contributing to higher waves and more extreme wave heights in some regions. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded with "high confidence" last year that significant wave heights are projected to increase across the Southern Ocean and tropical eastern Pacific and decrease over much of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

However, in the North Atlantic, the panel found low confidence in projected changes in extreme wave conditions "due to limited evidence" and medium confidence that wave heights already have increased above 45 degrees latitude. Wave heights are projected to increase in the Arctic Ocean because of a reduction in sea ice. 

Gemmrich said it's more likely that locations could change where rogue waves occur more often, because of shifts in storm tracks. 

A lot is still unknown about rogue waves

There's still a lot to learn about rogue waves, in part because they've only been confirmed by instruments within the last 30 years. The first technical confirmation of a rogue wave took place in 1995 during a New Year’s Day storm.

An extremely large wave hit the Draupner Oil rig platform off Norway in the North Sea. The crew didn’t realize they had been hit by a rogue wave until they discovered scaffolding erected under the deck for repairs had been washed away. A laser sensor recorded the 85-foot wave, about the height of a 10-story building. 

Today, satellites, radars and ocean floor sensors all help collect crucial data, but because the waves are unpredictable they're difficult to study. 

Gemmrich recently concluded that the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded took place off Vancouver Island, British Columbia in November 2020.   Gemmrich and a student at the University of Victoria, Leah Cicon, analyzed buoy data and found   the crest measured 57.7 feet high, compared to the surrounding waves averaging 19.6 feet, nearly three times as high. 

Researchers are particularly interested in solving the mysteries surrounding rogue waves, hoping to be able to provide early warnings so that shipping companies could avoid areas where dangerous conditions increase the risk. 

The European Space Agency concluded in 2004 that rogue waves had sunk more than 200 vessels over the previous 20 years.

Infamous incidents likely caused by freak or rogue waves 

Among the rogue wave stories recounted by mariners are two maritime disasters  memorialized in film and song: 

►The George Clooney thriller, “A Perfect Storm,” was based on the disappearance of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail during a nor'easter that absorbed a hurricane off Nova Scotia in 1991. Six men were lost. Canadian officials reported buoys in the area recorded peak waves in excess of 60 feet.

►The 1975 Gordon Lightfoot ballad “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was written after the freighter sank without a distress signal in Lake Superior during a gale on Nov. 10, 1975, killing 29 crew members. 

►In 1942, the Queen Mary was hit by a 75-foot wall of water as it was taking 15,000 U.S. troops to England during World War II. It was one of at least five similar incidents along the route between 1924 and 1966. 

►In August 1905, 20 of 22 crew members perished when the steamer Peconic went down off the Georgia coast.

►One hundred years later, the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, with 3,700 passengers and crew, was headed for New York when it was hit by a series of three waves, with at least one estimated at 69 feet, during a storm off the Georgia/South Carolina coast. The force of the water sheared off aluminum rail supports and sent teak balcony railings and water through the windows of two cabins on decks nine and 10. The ship diverted course to South Carolina and the captain told people he’d never seen anything like it. 

►On July 3, 1992, a wave then estimated at a height of 18 feet, struck Daytona Beach around 10:30 p.m., injuring 20 and tossing cars around. One vacationer described it as a "huge wall of white water." 

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A Norwegian cruise liner carrying hundreds of passengers weathered a “terrifying” storm before a rogue wave temporarily took out its power, stomach-churning footage showed.

Tour operator Thorsten Hansen shared a video of the foamy waves battering the hull of the MS Maud, which made headlines Thursday when its electricity failed mid-voyage.

“A few of my guests are not so happy. But most of them are very brave and find it very interesting,” he wrote on Facebook.

“We’re watching films in our room. Every time we move we nearly go flying,” one passenger commented under Hansen’s post.

Another clip shared on X showed the view of the terrifying swells from the glamorous windows of an on-board suit, which tilted precariously toward the water between each wave.

“No fun on the Maud just now,” the person behind the camera captioned the footage.

The vessel carrying 266 passengers and 131 crew suffered shattered windows on its bridge when it encountered a powerful storm in the North Sea late Thursday, Danish authorities said.

Everyone on board was marked safe, and the ship is being towed to Bremerhaven in Germany, officials with the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said.

The ship’s main engine is still functioning, so the vessel can be steered from the engine room.

One passenger, Elizabeth Lawrence, wrote on X that the storm was a “terrifying experience.”

I’ll be honest, there was about 20 minutes yesterday where I thought the ship might capsize, it was rolling so heavily and we didn’t have any idea what had happened. It really hit home when they started handing out orange survival suits to everyone (2) — Elizabeth Lawrence (@eclairelaw) December 22, 2023

“I’ll be honest, there was about 20 minutes yesterday where I thought the ship might capsize, it was rolling so heavily and we didn’t have any idea what had happened,” she said.

“It really hit home when they started handing out orange survival suits to everyone,” Lawrence explained.

Lawrence said her group took shelter between buffet tables to avoid “flying chairs and furniture.”

The MS Maud, which is run by the cruise company HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was scheduled to arrive in Tilbury in Great Britain on Friday.

The ship was named after a famous polar ship from the 20th century, the cruise line’s website explained .

The MS Maud’s on-board technology makes her “exceptionally well-suited” to trips through Norway and the British Isles, the company boasted.

A trip on the Maud can cost up to $10,000, according to the website.

With Post wires

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Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship, Killing a Passenger and Injuring 4 Others

The passengers were hurt after a large, unpredictable wave hit the ship, which was traveling toward the Antarctic, Viking Cruises said.

By Amanda Holpuch

A passenger died and four others were injured after a large, unexpected wave hit a cruise ship traveling toward a popular launching point for expeditions to Antarctica, Viking Cruises said.

The ship, the Viking Polaris, was struck by a “rogue wave” on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time while traveling toward Ushuaia, Argentina, which is on the southern tip of South America, Viking Cruises said in a statement .

Viking Cruises did not say how the passenger was killed or provide the passenger’s name. The four passengers who were injured were treated by onboard medical staff and had non-life-threatening injuries, Viking Cruises said.

A State Department official said that a U.S. citizen died and that the department was offering consular assistance to the person’s family.

Rogue waves are unpredictable, typically twice the size of surrounding waves and often come from a different direction than the surrounding wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Scientists are still trying to figure out how and when these uncommon waves form.

Ann Mah, of Topeka, Kan., told the news station WIBW that she and her husband were on the ship when it was hit by the wave and that it was “just like your whole house got shook really hard.”

“I mean, it was just a thud,” Ms. Mah said.

The Viking Polaris was launched this year and was designed for travel to remote destinations such as the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship is 665 feet long and can carry 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The ship sustained “limited damage” from the wave and arrived in Ushuaia the day after it was struck, Viking Cruises said.

The cruise company canceled the Viking Polaris’s next scheduled trip, a 13-day cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said.

Tourism to the Antarctic has steadily increased in the last 30 years, with 74,401 people traveling there in the 2019-20 season, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Roughly 6,700 people traveled there in the 1992-93 season, according to the association.

In recent years, some observers have warned that the increase in tourism may not be sustainable and that it could threaten visitor safety or disrupt the fragile environment, which is already straining under the effects of climate change.

It is the beginning of the Antarctic tourism season, which coincides with its summer, beginning in late October or early November and usually lasting until March.

The death on the Viking Cruises ship this week comes after the death of two other cruise ship passengers in the Antarctic last month. Two Quark Expeditions cruise ship passengers died after one of the ship’s heavy duty inflatable Zodiac boats overturned near shore, Seatrade Cruise News reported .

Amanda Holpuch is a general assignment reporter. More about Amanda Holpuch

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Norwegian cruise ship loses ability to navigate after rogue wave hits

A Norwegian cruise ship lost the ability to navigate after a rogue wave crashed into it Thursday, the cruise company HX said.

The MS Maud lost power after the wave hit as the ship was sailing toward Tilbury, England, from Florø, Norway, HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, said in a statement.

None of the 266 passengers or 131 crew members were seriously injured, HX said.

"The situation is stable, the ship has propulsion and they are able to navigate the ship manually via emergency systems," the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said in a statement Friday local time.

The rogue wave shattered windows on the ship's bridge, which caused water to enter the vessel and resulted in a power outage, Reuters reported.

The ship was in the North Sea at the time, in an area hit by a storm late Thursday with hurricane-force gusts forecast to continue Friday, the Danish Meteorological Institute said according to Reuters.

One passenger posted a video on Facebook showing the view from her room's window Thursday with the cruise ship bobbing up and down and creaking in the throes of high waves. 

Because of a lack of navigational abilities, the ship had to be steered manually from the engine room, per the news agency.

Two civilian support vessels are aiding the ship in its journey to port, Danish rescue authorities said.

The ship, traveling under its own power, is currently sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany, for disembarkation, HX said in an updated statement Friday.

“Following ongoing safety checks and technical assessments, given the weather conditions, we decided to amend the planned sailing route. Across the fleet, there are thorough operational protocols in place and we always prioritize the safety of those onboard,” HX said.

"Our team are working to arrange onward travel back home for guests onboard," the statement added.

Irene Byon is a booking producer for NBC News.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Has a Rogue Wave Ever Hit a Cruise Ship? (Can it Survive?)

Rogue waves can be huge and appear out of nowhere.   If you are new to cruising or have any concerns after hearing about these freak waves, you may wonder if a rogue wave has ever hit a cruise ship.  And if so, what happened?  Did it survive or capsize?

We look at some of the most famous interactions between rogue waves and cruise ships, discover just how big they can be, and find out what happens if and when they ever hit a cruise ship.

What is a Rogue Wave?

A rogue wave is a rare extra-large wave appearing on the ocean surface without warning.  They are not restricted to the seas and can occur on large open-water bodies such as lakes.

Rogue waves are defined as waves that are at least two times the significant wave height of the area.

The significant wave height is the average of the largest third of waves over a given period.

This makes rogue waves significantly larger than other waves in the area.

Rogue waves can be extremely dangerous for small and large vessels such as cruise ships and even oil rigs.

Rogue waves are also known by many other names that signify huge waves, including:

• Abnormal waves
• Episodic waves
• Extreme waves
• Freak waves
• Killer waves
• Monster waves

If a rogue wave is seen on the coastline, they are sometimes called a “sneaker wave” or a “king wave” in Australia.

How Large Can Rogue Waves Be?

The rogue way that hit Queen Elizabeth 2 was estimated to be up to 96ft in height, possibly the largest rogue wave ever witnessed.

Beating that was when a fishing boat was hit in 1991, and a series of buoys in the area recorded a rogue wave at 100.7 feet .

Other accounts of rogue waves report them to be over 50ft to 70ft.

It’s quite possible more rogue ways have reached more than 100 ft in size but the odds of them ever being in the vicinity of a cruise ship are very low.

What Causes a Rogue Wave?

The causes of rogue waves are still largely unknown, but scientists believe they are caused by a combination of factors.

One theory is that rogue waves are created when two different ocean swells combine to create a larger wave. This can happen when two weather systems with different wind speeds and directions interact.

Another theory is that rogue waves can be created due to strong winds blowing over a long fetch of water. For example, if a low-pressure system moved across the ocean with high winds.  The long fetch of water will create large swells which can combine to form a rogue wave.

Rogue waves aren’t just found in rough seas, they have also been known to occur in relatively calm sea conditions.

Can a Rogue Wave Sink a Cruise Ship (Or Capsize)?

Given that we have highlighted rogue waves can reach 100ft, it is entirely plausible that a rogue wave could capsize or sink a cruise ship, although the likelihood of this happening is extremely small.

The force of the water hitting the ship’s side at high speed would be enough to cause the cruise ship to tip over .

The weight of the water would also cause the ship’s hull to buckle and possibly break apart.

The pressure from the rogue wave could also cause severe damage to any windows and external features of the ship.

Inside the ship, passengers could be injured or even killed if thrown around by the force of the wave and hit by any internal objects.

Has a Rogue Wave hit a Cruise Ship?

There have been five recorded instances of a rogue wave hitting cruise ships or passengers carrying ocean liners (QE2).  There were no reported casualties, and all five ships survived to sail for many more years after.

Viking Polaris 

In December 2022, an expedition cruise ship sailing on the Antarctic was hit by a rogue wave. Windows were smashed on deck 2 on the port side of the ship.

A 62-year-old passenger has died after sustaining injuries from the broken glass. 4 other passengers were treated for injuries sustained from the accident.

One of the passengers reported how the rogue wave hits the cruise ship and that it took the brunt of the wave without it rocking the ship back and forth. She was surprised at how stable it remained.

You can watch the NBC news report here:

Holland America’s MS Prinsendam 

In 2007 the Holland America cruise ship MS Prinsendam (now MS Amera ) was hit by a rogue wave estimated to be 39ft high .

The ship, which at the time had a capacity of 835, was struck by a freak wave in Cape Horn, Chile.  Approximately 40 people were injured, with some requiring hospitalization.

MS Bremen and MS Caledonian Star 

In 2001 Bahamian-registered cruise ships  MS Bremen and MS Caledonian Star were both caught in a rogue wave in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Both were hit by a rogue wave around 98 feet high .  Both ships suffered damage, including smashed bridge windows and destroyed navigation and communications equipment.

The Bremen was adrift for 2 hours with no propulsion, while the Caledonian Star had to be tugged by the Argentinian Navy at the Argentine port of Ushuaia.

Both ships served many more years as sea vessels, and the Bremen is still sailing.

Queen Elizabeth 2

In September of 1995, the Cunard line Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner was hit by an estimated 92 to 96-foot high rogue wave caused by Hurricane Luis while crossing North Atlantic Ocean.

Although not technically cruise ships, ocean liners like the Titanic was , are built even more robustly to cope with the roughest seas on transatlantic crossings.

The freak wave hit the ship in the early hours, 200 miles off Newfoundland, as it was carrying almost 3000 passengers.   The cruise captain had previously requested all passengers stay in their quarters due to the hurricane conditions, and many would have been in their beds.

The ship took an almighty hit over the bow and subsequent hits by two more large waves.  Amazingly no one was injured.

Some photos of the damage, as well as first-hand experiences, can be read here .

On the page, someone who claimed to be “Chief Cashier on that Voyage” stated:

” If you saw the film The Perfect Storm and the scene with the fishing boat climbing up this enormous wave then that was us. “

Here’s a clip of the Giant wave to give you an idea of the experience that he was referring to:

MV Explorer

On the 26th of January 2005, the cruise ship MV Explorer, part of the Semester at Sea program, was hit by a 50ft rogue wave that smashed windows on the bridge, shorted navigational systems, and resulted in two engines failing.

The mid-sized cruise ship had approximately 700 students onboard at the time.

You can see a video of the aftermath and an example in our post of how a cruise ship does not tip over. Let’s just say even the aftermath was a scary experience, let alone being hit by the freak wave.

Further below, we have a video with footage the students filmed while in the ship after being hit by the freak wave.

Has a Rogue Wave Sunk a Cruise Ship?

While rogue waves are undoubtedly responsible for the sinking of smaller ships over the years, it’s very hard to know for certain if a rogue wave was the cause in many cases.

There are many accounts of ships going missing in the past without a trace, and it’s possible that some of these were due to rogue waves.

However, there have been no recorded cases of a rogue wave sinking a cruise ship.

The most likely reason for this is that technology has improved greatly over the years, and we are now better able to forecast weather and wave conditions in a way that would enable the crew and captain to take appropriate action to position the ship.

This means that cruise ships can avoid ocean areas where rogue waves are more likely to occur.

Albeit the real danger of rogue waves is that they are such sudden and unpredictable events that can appear without warning, there is only so much action a crew can take to avoid them.

Remember, in the event of a ship being damaged by a hit, cruise ships are equipped with enough liferafts and lifeboats for everyone .

Rest assured, cruise ship captains are some of the best ship captains in the world and your safety is paramount.

What Would Happen if a Rogue Wave Hit a Large Cruise Ship?

Many people wonder what would happen if a cruise ship was hit by one of the largest ever rogue waves.

There are many videos online of large waves hitting cruise ships, but they are just that large waves, nothing like being hit by a true rogue wave.

While there is no video evidence of a rogue wave hitting a cruise ship, the scenario has been played out on the big screen with huge modern-day cruise ships like those built by Royal Caribbean, such as Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.

Rogue Waves Hitting Cruises Ships

For those curious this clip from the movie Poseidon shows a rogue wave hitting a cruise ship and causing it to capsize.

Although it’s worth noting, this is pure fiction, and the size of the rogue wave is highly exaggerated in relation to the size of the ship.  In reality, a rogue wave has never capsized a modern cruise ship.

A  huge rogue wave has hit a passenger ocean liner (Queen Elizabeth 2), which came away relatively unscathed.

What Happens After Being Hit By a Rogue Wave?

Although the video below doesn’t show the cruise ship being hit by the rogue wave, it does re-enact the moment and includes real video footage of passengers dealing with the aftermath.

How Big of a Wave can a Cruise Ship Handle?

Modern cruise ships typically handle waves of up to 50 feet.

Cruise ships typically encounter waves of 10 to 15ft without most passengers barely realizing it. 

What Are the Chances of a Rogue Wave Hitting a Ship 

There are typically over 310 cruise ships sailing at any given time, with an estimated 25 million people taking a cruise each year.

The odds of a rogue wave hitting a cruise ship are extremely low, which is why we never hear of the event occurring.

Rogue wave events are relatively rare given the size of the oceans combined, and when they do happen often, there are no ships within the vicinity, let alone a cruise ship.

Can a Cruise Ship Survive a Rogue Wave?

While it’s very unlikely a rogue wave will hit a cruise ship, if one did, the chances are that the ship would survive as has been the case in the real-life examples we covered above.

The design of the cruise ships keeps them afloat in the roughest of seas would see them through, although a rogue wave far exceeds the usual expectations a cruise ship is expected to encounter.

How to Survive a Rogue Wave on a Cruise Ship?

As a passenger on a cruise ship potentially being hit by a rogue wave, the safest place to be would be your stateroom, this will help protect you from being thrown around or hit by flying debris, falling decor, or sliding furniture.

Stairwells and hallways are also safer locations to gather as there is less chance of being thrown larger distances and being hit by falling or moving objects. This is where students were told to gather on the MV Explorer after it was hit by a rogue wave and the ship lost propulsion amidst very stormy seas.

If you are on deck, hold on to something sturdy and stay low to the ground.

Pay close attention to listening out for any instructions from the captain over the loudspeakers. Passengers may be asked to put on lifevests and possibly make their way to the deck with the lifeboats if abandoning the ship is a possibility.

What Size Rogue Wave can Sink a Cruise Ship?

Cruise ships come in all sizes, from carrying just a few hundred passengers to those that can accommodate over 6,000 guests.

The chance of a rogue wave sinking any size cruise ship is highly remote.  The size of the rogue wave would have to be more than 70-100ft and hit the cruise at precisely the right angle.  Even then, it’s possible the ship would remain afloat as they are designed to do so.

The larger the cruise ship, the more stable it is in the water and the less chance of it being sunk by a rogue wave.

The main cruise lines, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, and even Disney, have never had a ship even hit by a rogue wave and are of such sizes they should cope well if ever they were to encounter one.

However, as we covered above, one of Holland America’s cruise ships, the MS Prinsendam, was hit in 2007.

How is a Rogue Wave Different from a Tsunami?

A rogue wave is a one-off, large ocean wave that is not caused by an earthquake like a tsunami.   They can appear out of nowhere and without warning but only last briefly.

Tsunamis are often caused by the movement of land, usually an ocean floor, that leads to a massive displacement of water and causes the seas to move at high speeds over a large area.

Unlike rogue waves, tsunamis can be barely noticeable on the surfaces of the seas.  This makes them no threat to ships out at sea but can cause devastation to coastal areas as the waves increase in size as they come ashore.

Any cruise ships in ports or harbors would be at risk of being damaged in the path of a tsunami reaching land.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do rogue waves occur most often.

Rogue waves are known to occur in the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the southeast coast of South Africa.

How Many Ships Have Sunk Because of Rogue Waves?

While no cruise ships have been sunk by rogue waves, other types of ships have.

One of them was the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald which is thought to have been hit by a rogues wave on Lake Superior, one of the more expensive Lakes cruises . Although thankfully, not caused any cruise ships to sink on the Great lakes.

This also highlights that rogue waves don’t just pose a risk at sea but on any open body of water.

The only other instance of a rogue wave sinking a ship was when the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat, sank on the coast of  Nova Scotia in 1991 where a series of buoys reported a wave 100.7 feet high !

You can find a full list of ship and rogue events here , the vast majority of which did not sink.

How Many Ships Have Capsized Due to Rogue Waves?

Since the year 2000, they have only been a couple of reports of boats and ships capsizing by rogue waves, and neither were cruise ships.

The only ship was in November 2000 when a 56ft research vessel, the R/V Ballena, was struck by a rogue wave near Point Conception off Santa Barbara, California.   The ship was destroyed, but all the crew managed to survive.

Related Posts

• How do Cruise Ships Get Into the Water – Find out how cruise ships are launched.
• Can You Fish off a Cruise Ship?

While rogue waves are an interesting topic, the chance of one hitting a cruise ship is so remote it’s not something to be of concern.

Cruise ships are designed to withstand huge waves and the roughest seas in storms, so even if a rogue wave did hit, the ship would remain afloat, and damage would be minimal.

What is the Draft of a Cruise Ship? (and Why Does it Matter?)

How Many Doors on a Cruise Ship? (Yes, I Counted)

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Cruise passenger describes the moment their ship was hit by a rogue wave: 'You could just see a wall of water, no sky or anything'

A rogue wave smashed into a cruise ship on Thursday, causing it to lose power, Reuters reported .

The wave struck the Norwegian ship, the MS Maud, and knocked out its navigation abilities.

A passenger on board said that at one point, she could just see "a wall of water, no sky or anything."

The MS Maud, a Norwegian cruise ship, lost its ability to navigate after a rogue wave knocked out its power on Thursday.

The ship, operated by HX, a cruise company owned by Norway's Hurtigruten Group, was about 120 miles from Denmark's west coast when the wave struck, Reuters reported . The wave's force shattered some of the ship's windows and caused it to tilt "pretty violently," passenger Elizabeth Lawrence told Business Insider. She was one of 266 passengers and 131 crew members.

Lawrence, who had picked the cruise to see the Northern Lights, said the day started out with fairly big waves but that the captain had let passengers know to expect that. But as the day went on, the waves got bigger until they were large enough to spray her window on the sixth deck, she said.

"The situation started with the ship's horn sounding for an extremely long time, then the PA system came on, and we just heard scuffling and general moving around noises," Lawrence said. Then, passengers heard the alarm that meant they should head to their muster stations — the place on board where guests gather in case of an emergency.

"I only had to go down a nearby flight of stairs to get to my muster station in the main restaurant, but the ship was tilting pretty violently. When it was all the way over to one side, you could just see a wall of water, no sky or anything," she told BI.

Even in moments of sheer fear, our fellow passengers found levity from the destruction of the Gingerbread Town that collapsed, fragmented & slid around us in Muster Station A Deck 5 18.19 21.12.23 #Hurtigruten #MSMaud whilst #StormPia raged around us. https://t.co/vBjwTDa3v1 pic.twitter.com/iqRkGdZGTG — Oscar Dog (@OscarWoofs) December 23, 2023

Lawrence added that while in their muster stations, passengers were given "survival suits" — or suits that "dramatically extend survival times" with insulation, per the Coast Guard .

She said they didn't get an update for about 20 minutes but that, during that time, crew members helped guests put on their suits, reassured nervous passengers, and brought out water and snacks once things had calmed down.

According to Reuters, a tow boat arrived to help the ship Thursday night. Hurtigruten told the outlet in a statement that no serious injuries resulted from the rogue wave.

"At this time, the ship has confirmed that no serious passenger or crew injuries have been sustained as a result of the incident and the condition of the ship remains stable," the statement said.

Lawrence told BI that while she probably won't head to the North Sea in the winter again, she would still cruise with HX in the future.

"The whole thing was very scary at the time, but I think everything was handled as well as possible, considering the circumstances," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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'Rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship, leaves 1 dead and 4 injured

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the time.

An American passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four other guests were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a "rogue wave," officials said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

MORE: Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving

A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim's family has been notified, the company said.

The passenger killed was a U.S. citizen, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News Friday.

"We are offering all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment," the spokesperson said.

The victim was confirmed as Sheri Zhu, 62, by Secretary of the Ushuaia Federal Court Melina Rodriguez.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," Viking said in a statement Thursday. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The ship sustained "limited damage" from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday "without further incident," Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of her and her husband's cabin caused her window frame to break.

"Clearly something big had happened," she said. "A lot of water came shooting in."

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"Luckily, our windows did hold," she added, though said other rooms on their side of the ship were "washed out."

Spiker's cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, "which is well-known for having turbulent seas."

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking "horrible," the inside was "like a normal cruise ship" leading up to the incident. She said she felt a "sudden shudder" that caused cabinets to open.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren't by any icebergs, but it's like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden."

Spiker said she and other passengers were "shook up" afterward.

"No matter what side of the boat you're on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened," she said. "So everybody was pretty shook up."

MORE: Passengers hurt aboard Norwegian cruise ship after unexpected wind strikes: I felt 'like we're going to die'

The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rogue waves.

The Viking Polaris ship's next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled "after careful consideration," the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm, waves are "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves" and are "very unpredictable," according to the National Ocean Service .

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

ABC News' Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.

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Norwegian cruise ship loses power after it was hit by rogue wave in North Sea

A Norwegian cruise ship with more than 250 passengers on board lost power on Thursday, Dec. 21, after the vessel encountered a rogue wave during a storm, the cruise company HX said.

The MS Maud sustained a temporary loss of power while sailing to Tilbury, England, from Florø, Norway, HX said in a statement to NBC News. No serious injuries were reported among the 266 passengers and 131 crew members, according to HX.

"The condition of the ship remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power," a spokesperson for HX said.

The Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said in a statement to NBC News the ship's crew is navigating the vessel manually via emergency systems, and that two civilian support ships are helping to navigate the waters in the North Sea .

HX said after following ongoing safety checks and technical assessments, the company amended the ship's planned route to sail to Bremerhaven, Germany, for disembarkation.

"Our team are working to arrange onward travel back home for guests onboard," a spokesperson for the company said.

The storm's hurricane-force winds smashed windows on the MS Maud, and passengers aboard described the frightening situation.

Dorothy Hallam, a passenger on board, wrote on social media, "We've been sat on the floor in our muster stations for hours wearing our safety suits and life jackets and there's no sign of us being allowed up any time soon. We were thrown about a lot."

Ian Roberts, another passenger, wrote on Facebook about the unexpected change in holiday plans.

"Sorry for those whose Christmas treat has been spoiled. However, crew on board Maud have been exemplary in looking after us in what was initially quite a tricky situation," Roberts said.

The MS Maud isn't the first ship to encounter rough seas in the North Sea — dramatic videos of huge waves crashing in the area have become a source of fascination on TikTok.

While the waters of the North Sea can be turbulent, marine experts said it's generally safe for the hundreds of thousands of ships that pass through every year.

Anna Kaplan is a news and trending reporter for TODAY.com.

Why You Shouldn't Worry About Rogue Waves During Your Next Cruise

S o, you've booked your next cruise and it looks like an absolute paradise. But, rather than daydreaming about how amazing it will be, your brain suggests that you instead consider every possible thing that could go wrong. "What if a travel delay causes you to miss your cruise ?" "Should you be nervous about rough seas on your cruise ?" The list of worse-case scenarios can go on and on. This anxiety is natural and simply your brain's effort to keep you protected. But, with today's technology, safety measures, and more, traveling via cruise has never been more worry-free.

And while things can go wrong, there's a small chance that they actually will. Encountering rogue waves while at sea is a common fear that can arrive pre-departure. It is a terrifying thought that an enormous tidal wave could come out of nowhere and swallow your ship. But, science shows that this is a very unlikely reality.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide To Perfectly Packing For Your Cruise Vacation

Rogue Waves Explained

For a long time, rogue waves weren't considered anything more than an old legend rumored by sailors. However, today, they are recognized and studied by the scientific community. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines rogue waves as " ...waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves." In 1995, scientists were able to measure their first rogue wave off the coast of Norway. In this instance, an 80-foot tall wave smacked into the side of an oil rig and was captured digitally. Scientists today still don't know exactly how these mega waves form, making them highly unpredictable.

At the moment, the scientific community has hypothesized two possible causes for rogue waves. One is that swells pass over one another, coinciding and multiplying in size. Another is that storm-related water currents intersect with waves that are going in a divergent direction. Whatever the reason that rogue waves come into being, you can rest assured knowing that it is very rare that they do.

The Likelihood Of Encountering A Rogue Wave

There have been occasions in which rogue waves have actually come in contact with commercial cruise ships. In fact, this happened just in 2022. On the coast of Argentina, a cruise ship with the company Viking Polaris was hit by an enormous, powerful rogue wave. Although the ship remained afloat, the wave crashed through a series of windows. In the event, an older passenger's life was lost. In 2007, a cruise ship off the coast of Georgia in the U.S. was hit by a rogue wave seven stories high, resulting in the injury of four passengers.

In a 2019 study published by Scientific Reports, researchers found that rogue waves are becoming decreasingly common but increasingly severe. Scientists estimate that every one out of 10,000 waves is a rogue wave. Though it is a travesty that this natural phenomenon has injured and even killed cruise ship passengers, you do not have to live in fear that your cruise will have a similar fate. But, if you do want to be extra cautious, you should know that they are most common on the coast of South Africa and occur most frequently during the winter season. If you avoid cruises in that location and at that time of year, you'll have an even more minuscule chance of hitting a rogue wave.

Read the original article on Explore

Rogue waves in the ocean are much more common than anyone suspected, says new study

Professor in Ocean Engineering, The University of Melbourne

Disclosure statement

Alessandro Toffoli receives funding from the Australia Research Council.

University of Melbourne provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.

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We used three-dimensional imaging of ocean waves to capture freakish seas that produce a notorious phenomenon known as rogue waves. Our results are now published in Physical Review Letters*.

Rogue waves are giant colossi of the sea – twice as high as neighbouring waves – that appear seemingly out of nowhere. Stories of unimaginable mountains of water as tall as ten-storey buildings have populated maritime folklore and literature for centuries.

Recent technology has allowed scientists to spot rogue waves out at sea , making legend become reality. The first and most famous measurement was of the Draupner wave , a 25.6-metre monster recorded in the North Sea on January 1 1995.

Despite observations, we still don’t know how often rogue waves occur, or if we can predict them. A record of a rogue wave doesn’t include specific features that distinguish the sea around it, so we can’t make comparisons or predict the conditions needed.

Our team set sail on the South African icebreaker S.A. Agulhas-II to chase rogue waves across the Southern Ocean, where mighty winds shape Earth’s fiercest waves .

Read more: The South African ship that found Antarctica's Endurance wreck is vital for climate science

What creates rogue waves?

In the random environment of ocean waves, several mechanisms give rise to rogue ones. One primary source involves the overlap of multiple waves at the same location and time. This results in concentrated energy, leading to tall waves.

Under consistent ocean conditions, rogue waves generated this way may occur once every two days at a set location. But the ocean is dynamic, so conditions are rarely consistent for long – making it less likely for rogue waves to occur. The overlap of waves may be minimal or non-existent even during prolonged and intense storms.

Numerical and laboratory studies suggest strong winds also contribute to the development of rogue waves, because they push harder on some already tall wave forms. But wind has seldom been considered in rogue wave analysis.

Wind prompts ocean waves to grow progressively higher, longer and faster. During this stage, waves are “young” and hungry for wind input. When waves go faster than wind, they stop being accelerated by it and reach a “mature” stage of full development.

Through this process, the wind creates a chaotic situation where waves of different dimensions and directions coexist.

Our recent observations show that unique sea conditions with rogue waves can arise during the “young” stage – when waves are particularly responsive to the wind. This suggests wind parameters could be the missing link. However, there’s even more to consider.

Powerful waves amplify each other

Ocean waves are one of the most powerful natural forces on Earth and could become even more powerful in the future due to climate change. If the wave field possesses an extreme amount of energy – when waves are steep and most of them have a similar amplitude, length and direction – another mechanism can trigger the formation of rogue waves.

This mechanism involves an exchange of energy between waves that produces a “self-amplification”, where one wave grows disproportionately at the expense of its neighbours. Theoretically, studies show this could increase the likelihood of rogue waves ten-fold.

While self-amplification manifests as whitecaps – frothy, aerated crests of choppy waves – until now there has been no evidence it can make rogue waves more likely in the ocean.

Recent experiments suggest wind can make extreme events like rogue waves more common. But this aspect has not been thoroughly explored.

What did we find in the Southern Ocean?

We used a new three-dimensional imaging method for scanning the ocean surface throughout the expedition. It mimics human vision: closely located sensors record sequences of simultaneous images. Computer algorithms then match pairs of them to reconstruct the three-dimensional depths – the wavy surface.

As our ship passed through several storms, the sensors captured data during various phases of wave growth – from the early stages of young waves fuelled by the wind, to mature waves that aren’t influenced by it.

Our results show young waves display signs of self-amplification and an increased likelihood of rogue waves. We recorded waves twice as high as their neighbours once every six hours.

This mirrors what lab models have reported: sea conditions theoretically more prone to self-amplification would produce more rogue waves.

In contrast, mature seas don’t show an increased probability of rogue waves. We detected none under those conditions.

Our findings challenge previous thinking: that self-amplification doesn’t change the likelihood of rogue waves in the ocean. We have also shown that when developing tools for predicting rogue waves, we need to take wind into thorough consideration. After all, it’s a natural feature of the open sea.

• Southern ocean
• Oceanography
• Ocean science

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7 rogue wave disasters, from Columbus to cruise ships

By Stephen Ornes

29 July 2014

(Image: A First rate Man-of-War driven onto a reef of rocks, floundering in a gale, Reinagle, George Philip/Royal Albert Memorial Museum/Bridgeman Images)

In 2007,  Paul Liu  at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compiled a catalogue of  more than 50 historical incidents probably associated with rogue waves . Here are some of the most significant

1498  Columbus recounts how, on his third expedition to the Americas, a giant wave lifts up his boats during the night as they pass through a strait near Trinidad. Supposedly using Columbus’s words, to this day this area of sea is called the  Bocas del Dragón  – the Mouths of the Dragon.

1853  The Annie Jane, a ship carrying 500 emigrants from England to Canada, is hit. Only about 100 make it to shore alive, to Vatersay, an island in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

1884  A rogue wave off West Africa sinks the Mignonette, a yacht sailing from England to Australia. The crew of four escape in a dinghy. After 19 days adrift, the captain kills the teenage cabin boy to provide food for the other three survivors.

1909  The steamship SS Waratah disappears without trace with over 200 people on board off the coast of South Africa – a swathe of sea now known for its high incidence of rogue waves.

1943  Two monster waves in quick succession pummel the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner as it crosses the North Atlantic, breaking windows 28 metres above the waterline.

1978  The German merchant navy supertanker MS München disappears in the stormy North Atlantic en route from Bremerhaven to Savannah, Georgia, leaving only a scattering of life rafts and emergency buoys.

2001  Just days apart, two cruise ships – the Bremen and the Caledonian Star – have their bridge windows smashed by waves estimated to be 30 metres tall in the South Atlantic.

Read more about rogue waves, 9 modern ships they have smashed since 2006, and how we’re fighting to predict them: “ Rogue waves: The real monsters of the deep “

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How Will Israel Respond to the Iranian Attack?

The answer could determine whether the region is heading for all-out war..

• Middle East and North Africa

The latest Iranian salvo against Israel is raising fears that a regional war will engulf the Middle East. On Saturday, Iran launched a large drone and missile attack against Israel and seized an Israeli-linked container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. These attacks followed the Israeli assassination of several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders in Syria.

The Iranian assault on Israel included more than 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. This is obviously quite a bit more than the 15 ballistic missiles Iran fired at Ayn al-Asad Air Base and Erbil International Airport in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Qassem Suleimani, who led the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, in January 2020. The difference speaks to several points worth considering.

First, the retaliation for Suleimani’s death was about nothing more than restoring Iranian honor. Brazenly killing so important and popular a figure as Suleimani demanded some Iranian response, but Tehran was cautious because it feared an escalatory war with the United States.

Those killed by the Israeli attack on Iran’s Damascus embassy complex on April 1 were not as famous or as powerful as Suleimani, but the retaliation was larger and more sophisticated. The difference suggests that this response was about more than just honor: It was about some element of deterrence.

Iran is well aware of the extent and capability of Israel’s air defenses. The scale of the strike was almost certainly designed to enable at least some of the attacking munitions to penetrate those defenses and cause some degree of damage. Their inability to do so was doubtless a disappointment to Tehran, but the Iranians can probably still console themselves that the attack was frightening for the Israeli people and alarming to their government. Iran probably hopes that it was unpleasant enough to give Israeli leaders pause the next time they consider an operation like the embassy strike.

Nevertheless, while 300 or more attacking munitions certainly sounds like a lot, it also shows signs of restraint that signal Tehran’s own concerns about further escalation. First, Iran could have launched considerably more—not orders of magnitude more but probably at least double what it did without badly depleting stockpiles of its longest-range assets. Second, initial reporting indicates that the attack reportedly focused on one or more military targets, including an Israeli air force base outside Beersheba. That, too, suggests an important degree of caution on Iran’s part. It could have launched at Tel Aviv or Haifa, where any impact would have been far more likely to kill Israeli civilians.

Third, Hezbollah did not participate. Hezbollah is Iran’s ace in the hole. With more than 150,000 rockets and missiles, the Lebanese militant group could overwhelm Israeli air defenses. But Hezbollah is an Iranian ally, not a puppet, and a massive Hezbollah strike could have provoked an all-out war with Israel, something Hezbollah has been trying to avoid . Tehran would only play the Hezbollah card if what it is doing is critically important to it.

All of this reinforces the strategic assessment that Iran is not looking to escalate with Israel and is, in fact, working very hard to avoid escalation. Although Israel has hit Iran’s ally Hamas hard, the war in Gaza has gone very well for Tehran so far. Israel was badly wounded in Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, plans for Israeli-Saudi normalization have been put on ice, and much of the Middle East and the wider world is blaming Israel and the United States for all of it. There is no reason for the Iranian leadership to jeopardize all that by giving Israel (or the United States) a justification to do massive damage to Iran, which could snatch defeat from the jaws of their victory.

Moreover, the clerical regime faces significant economic challenges, widespread protests , and violence from ethnic Balochis . In addition, Iran’s military is weak, and it would be on the losing end if there were an all-out confrontation with Israeli military forces, let alone if the United States came to Israel’s aid, as it likely would (and as Iran certainly believes it would). A regional war where Iran might be on the losing end is a risky proposition for a regime already in a difficult position.

Still, Iran has crossed a Rubicon, although it may not recognize it. Iran had never struck Israel directly from its own territory before Saturday. Israel has never openly hit Iranian territory either—all of its attacks on Iran have either been military attacks on Iranians in Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere or covert attacks on Iranian territory, therefore invoking plausible deniability. This was an acknowledged, indeed trumpeted, military strike on Israel from Iran. It opens the door to Israel now doing the same, and Israel can do far more damage to Iran than Iran can to Israel.

Yet Israel’s calculations are also complex. Iran arms, funds, and trains an array of Israel’s regional foes, including Hamas and Hezbollah. Israeli leaders are preparing for a conflict with Hezbollah, and some even see it as inevitable. Iran also backs the Houthis in Yemen, who are attacking international shipping in the name of striking Israel. Not surprisingly, Israeli leaders believe stopping Iranian influence in the region is perhaps the country’s top priority.

Moreover, Israel has always believed that the sanctity of its deterrent was vital to the survival of the state and the safety of its citizens. Time and again, Israel has responded to any attack guided by the most fundamental logic of deterrence theory: When someone hits you, if you want to make sure they will never do it again, you hit them back 10 times harder. Oct. 7 revived Israel’s commitment to this approach, after years when the country felt safe enough to pull some of its punches to solicit greater international support.

Despite the abject failure of the Iranian attack, Israel might still feel the need to hit Iran somewhere to demonstrate that it will never itself be deterred from responding to restore its deterrent.

The failure of the Iranian attack, however, makes such an Israeli response less likely, and Israel and its military already have their hands full. The war with Hamas is ongoing , and Israel has signaled it intends to clear Rafah despite widespread international resistance, including from Washington. As a result of the war, Israel’s international reputation has plummeted , support has fallen in the United States, and its rapprochement with the Gulf Arab states is on pause. Ordinary Israelis understandably want to return to a more normal life, and the Israeli economy has taken a major hit from both the war and the massive mobilization of reservists. Right now, the Israeli army and most of the Israeli government are looking to shed military problems, not proliferate them.

There are military technical considerations as well. A small but important point is Jordan’s stakes in all of this. The Royal Jordanian Air Force gamely supported Israel not just by shooting down Iranian drones and cruise missiles crossing Jordanian territory but also reportedly opening Jordanian airspace to Israeli fighters to do the same. Although any self-respecting country would have done the former, the latter was exceptional. The Israelis probably won’t forget it—they certainly shouldn’t. Israel should be reticent to launch strikes of its own that violate Jordanian airspace—and the same should be its view toward Saudi airspace for fear of further undermining its desired normalization with Riyadh.

That leaves only a Syria-Iraq or a Turkey-Iraq route for Israeli aircraft and missiles to fly to strike Iranian targets, neither of which is ideal. They are longer legs to many key Iranian targets than the flights across Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Turkey is a NATO ally with some formidable air defenses of its own. There are still Russian air and air defense assets in Syria.

Israel has a quintet of German-made submarines capable of firing cruise missiles of their own. These can be deployed in the Indian Ocean, where their missiles would overfly only international water and Iran itself. But they have only the five, with limited numbers of cruise missiles.

None of that precludes an Israeli counterstrike on Iran, now or in the future, but it certainly complicates it. It suggests that Israel may be more likely to just go back to targeting Iranian personnel and military assets in Syria and Lebanon, and probably Iraq and Yemen, to a greater and greater extent in the future. In other words, Israel won’t be deterred by the Iranian strike, but it probably won’t be provoked by it either.

Finally, the U.S. position is simple. The United States wants to avoid a regional war that could drag in U.S. forces, roil international markets, and complicate the position of Washington’s Arab allies. It wants to protect Israel, but it also wants Israel to wrap up its operations in Gaza . The biggest sighs of relief were probably those in the White House Situation Room overnight, in the belief that neither Israel nor Iran is likely to do much more.

Nevertheless, although both Iran and Israel have strong reasons to de-escalate, politics in both countries are messy, and fear and uncertainty are running high. A simple miscalculation, such as the belief that the enemy will inevitably escalate, could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What Saturday’s fireworks hopefully also illustrated is the danger of U.S. disengagement from the Middle East. The region is not better without the United States ; it is far more dangerous, unpredictable, explosive, and threatening to America’s own interests. U.S. diplomacy has helped reassure Israel and makes it less likely that Israel will escalate, while U.S. military forces are part of why Tehran hesitated to do more. The latest round of violence shows why it is important for the United States to take the lead on pushing back on Iran and its proxies and bolstering U.S. allies.

Daniel Byman is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. His latest book is Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism . Twitter:  @dbyman

Kenneth M. Pollack is a senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and a former Middle East military analyst for the CIA. He has written extensively on Arab military history, including the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, most recently in Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness .

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Iran launches hundreds of drones and cruise missiles at Israel in unprecedented attack

Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on Jewish state involved more than 300 drones and missiles, and raises the risk of a broader regional conflagration

• Iran launches attack against Israel – live updates
• Iran missile and drone attack on Israel – what we know so far

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night, in the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, bringing a years-long shadow war into the open and threatening to draw the region into a broader conflagration.

Israel, with the help of key western allies including the US, UK and Jordan, claimed to have intercepted some 99% of the launches during the mass strike, but added that some ballistic missiles had reached Israel, damaging the key Nevatim air base in southern Israel which remained operational.

As the UN security council prepared to convene an emergency session, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 350 missiles were launched during the attack from Iran , Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, and called the interception rate a “significant strategic success”.

Commenting on Israel’s response to the attack, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, posted on X: “We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win.”

“The Iranian attack was foiled,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement adding that no drones or cruise missiles that had entered Israeli territory, and “only a few” ballistic missiles reached Israel.

Although Israel moved to reopen its air space, officials said the incident was not yet over.

As of Sunday morning, Israeli officials indicated no decision had been made about an Israeli response to the Iranian attack, as an official said any potential response would be discussed at the war cabinet meeting.

Israeli war planes, however, were reported to be bombing Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

On the Gaza front of the fast expanding regional war, Netanyahu said Hamas had rejected a ceasefire proposal and that Israel would continue pursue its conflict there with “full force”.

While many of the missiles and drones were brought down outside Israel’s airspace others were intercepted over Israeli territory by the Iron Dome air defence interceptor system, which lit up the night sky with multiple detonations, while air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities.

The roar of Israeli air force jets could be heard across the country in the early hours of Sunday.

Some projectiles penetrated the defensive shield. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed a direct hit on an airbase in southern Israel that caused “minor damage to infrastructure” though the base remains fully operational.

One young girl is in emergency care after the attack, he said.

When asked about possible retaliation by Israel, Hagari said: “We have plans, the situation is still ongoing, we are assessing the situation, we are showing the cabinet the plans, and we are ready to do what is necessary for the defence of Israel.”

The New York Times cited Israeli intelligence sources as saying the main targets appeared to be Israeli military installations in the occupied Golan Heights, in the far north, and the Negev desert, in the far south. Tehran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, fired volleys of rockets at the Golan at the same time as the Iranian bombardment, and the Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, claimed they had also joined the attack.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had boarded a ship in the Strait of Hormuz by helicopter assault and taken it into Iranian waters. The cargo ship, the MSC Aries, is Portugese-flagged but linked to an Israeli company.

Through its mission at the UN, Iran declared the mass aerial attack, which Tehran dubbed “Operation True Promise” was a retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on 1 April, and that it now considered the matter closed, unless there was further action by Israel.

“The matter can be deemed concluded, the statement said. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the statement on the X social media platform said. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the US must stay away!”

Netanyahu spoke by phone for 25 minutes with US president Joe Biden at 4am Israeli time, as the aerial attack appeared to peter out.

After the call, Biden said he had reaffirmed to Netanyahu “America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel”.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Biden said, adding that on Sunday he would convene G7 leaders “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack”.

“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders,” Biden said. “And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”

An IDF officer said the Israeli leadership would consider its response early on Sunday, and meanwhile Israel called for an emergency session of the UN security council to condemn the attack. The meeting is expected at 4pm on Sunday (9pm BST).

In the days leading up to the assault, US officials had predicted it would be an unprecedented operation launched from Iran on Israeli territory. They said that if it did not cause mass casualties, Washington would urge Israel to moderate its own response, to prevent tit-for-tat escalation spiralling out of control, drawing in other countries and the US itself.

Biden interrupted a weekend break at his house on Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and arrived back at the White House just after the first drones had been launched, and met his top security officials in the underground situation room. US surveillance planes in the region tracked the incoming attack, and US fighter jets shot down incoming drones and missiles.

The Jordanian air force was also reported to have intercepted some of the projectiles over its territory, and the UK’s Royal Air Force said it was contributing fighters and refuelling planes, mostly to fill in for the US in conducting aerial patrols over Iraq and Syria as part of its campaign against the Islamic State, but the defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said British planes could also “intercept airborne attacks within range of our existing missions”.

There had been nearly two weeks of speculation about when, where and how Tehran or its proxy forces would respond to the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital of Damascus which killed Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and eight other officers.

Israeli officials almost never claim responsibility for attacks carried out on foreign soil. Tehran has blamed Israel for the strike.

Since the war in Gaza began six months ago, there have been near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border that have threatened to escalate into full-blown conflict.

A direct attack by Iran on Israel, however, was not believed to be on the cards: Tehran’s leaders have previously made clear that they are not seeking a war with Israel, which could also draw in the US.

Iran has never responded with such force to previous attacks, including many covert Israeli operations on its soil, or the US assassination of the powerful Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020.

• Middle East and north Africa
• US foreign policy
• US military

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Jordan faces difficult balancing act amid row over role in downing Iranian drones

Iran attack shows Israeli deterrence policy ‘shattered’, Netanyahu critics say

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Israeli war cabinet to meet again to consider response to Iran’s attack

How will Israel respond to Iran’s attack and could it cope with a war?

Cameron urges Israel to be ‘smart’ by not escalating tensions with Iran

Israel on high alert as it weighs response to Iranian attack

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After Iran’s attack on Israel, the world must act: this is a crisis that threatens us all

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Israel says Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles, 99% of which were intercepted

Loud booms were heard in Jerusalem after Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel.

Sirens and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem on Sunday after Iran fired drones and missiles towards Israel.

The Israeli military said it would do everything to defend Israel, as Iran launched a first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday, sending drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel. Iran’s state-run media reported that dozens of drones had been fired.

Iran launched a first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday, sending drones and cruise and ballistic missiles toward Israel.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that Iran has launched drones from its territory at Israel. Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran and is ready “for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday.

A group of hardliners gathered outside the British embassy in Tehran early Sunday to celebrate missile and drone attacks on Israel. Protesters chanted “Death to Israel” and thanked the revolutionary guard for the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s defenses are ready after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel on Saturday

Iran’s state TV confirmed early on Sunday that the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard had launched drones and missiles at Israel. Iran launched drones toward Israel late Saturday, the Israeli military also announced, and Iran’s state-run media reported that dozens had been fired.

Iranian missiles or drones were intercepted in the sky above the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Sunday.

Objects flying over the sky were seen from the West Bank, while booms and air raid sirens have sounded in Jerusalem after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushes the Middle East closer to a regionwide war.

A group of hardline supporters of the Iranian government gathered overnight in central Tehran to celebrate the country’s missile and drone attacks against Israel.

Missiles could be seen in the night sky over the West Bank early on Sunday as Iran launched a first direct military attack against Israel, sending drones and cruise and ballistic missiles toward Israel.

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday. The Israeli military says Iran fired more than 100 bomb-carrying drones toward Israel. Hours later, Iran announced it had also launched much more destructive ballistic missiles. (AP Photo/Tomer Neuberg)

• Copy Link copied

Interceptors missiles are launched into the sky early Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

An Iranian cleric chants slogans while attending an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel Saturday. The Israeli military says Iran fired more than 100 bomb-carrying drones toward Israel. Hours later, Iran announced it had also launched much more destructive ballistic missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian demonstrators wave a Palestinian flag during their anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian demonstrator chants slogans while attending an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel Saturday. The Israeli military says Iran fired more than 100 bomb-carrying drones toward Israel. Hours later, Iran announced it had also launched much more destructive ballistic missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A demonstrator waves Iranian and Palestinian flags during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel Saturday. The Israeli military says Iran fired more than 100 bomb-carrying drones toward Israel. Hours later, Iran announced it had also launched much more destructive ballistic missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

This image made from a video provided to The Associated Press by a Mideast defense official shows a helicopter raid targeting a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 13, 2024. A video seen by The Associated Press shows commandos raiding a ship near the Strait of Hormuz by helicopter Saturday, an attack a Mideast defense official attributed to Iran amid wider tensions between Tehran and the West. The Mideast defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. (AP Photo)

An Iranian demonstrator holds a poster of the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, who was killed in an airstrike widely attributed to Israel that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in Syria on April 1, during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian demonstrators flash the victory sign as they hold an Iranian flag and a model of a bullet during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian demonstrator flashes a victory sign as he holds a model of a bullet during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian demonstrator ignites a flare as others carry a Palestinian flag during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this image provided by the White House, President Joe Biden, along with members of his national security team, receive an update on an ongoing airborne attack on Israel from Iran, as they meet in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, April 13, 2024. From left to right, facing Biden are, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns; Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence; Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Some papers on the desk have been blurred by the source for national security reasons. (Adam Schultz/The White House via AP)

Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during their anti-Israeli gathering in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, April 14, 2024. Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel on Saturday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Follow AP’s live updates on Iran’s attack against Israel .

JERUSALEM (AP) — Booms and air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Sunday after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. A military spokesman said the launches numbered more than 300 but 99% of them were intercepted.

Calling the outcome “a very significant strategic success,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Iran fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Of those, several ballistic missiles reached Israeli territory, causing minor damage to an air base.

Rescuers said a 7-year-old girl in a Bedouin Arab town was seriously wounded in southern Israel, apparently in a missile strike, though they said police were still investigating the circumstances of her injuries.

In Washington, President Joe Biden said U.S. forces helped Israel down “nearly all” the drones and missiles and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.

The Iranian attack, less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building, marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Condemnation from the United Nations chief and others was swift, with France saying Iran “is risking a potential military escalation,” Britain calling the attack “reckless” and Germany saying Iran and its proxies “must stop it immediately.”

Hagari said the vast majority of the intercepts came outside Israel’s borders, including 10 cruise missiles that were intercepted by warplanes.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomer Neuberg)

“A wide-scale attack by Iran is a major escalation,” he said. Asked whether Israel would respond, Hagari said only that the army “does and will do whatever is required to protect the security of the state of Israel.” He said the incident was not over, and dozens of Israeli warplanes remained in the skies.

Israel’s military said its Arrow system, which shoots down ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, handled most interceptions and noted that “strategic partners” were involved.

“At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said in a statement. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our service members, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement that U.S. forces “intercepted dozens of missiles and UAVs en route to Israel, launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.”

Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke early Sunday, Israeli time, their governments said. Biden said in his statement that he reaffirmed “America’s ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security — a departure from his growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Iran had vowed revenge since the April 1 airstrike in Syria , which Tehran accused Israel of being responsible for. Israel hasn’t commented on it.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

Almost immediately after the war erupted, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon, began attacking Israel’s northern border. The two sides have been involved in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles toward Israel.

In a statement carried late Saturday by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged launching “dozens of drones and missiles towards the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime.”

In a later statement, the Revolutionary Guard issued a direct warning to the U.S.: “The terrorist U.S. government is warned any support or participation in harming Iran’s interests will be followed by decisive and regretting response by Iran’s armed forces.”

IRNA also quoted an anonymous official saying ballistic missiles were part of the attack. A ballistic missile moves on an arch trajectory, heading up into space before gravity brings the weapon down at a speed several times faster than the speed of sound.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s defenses are ready after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday.

Israel has a multilayered air-defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher.

Iran has a vast arsenal of drones and missiles. Online videos shared by Iranian state television purported to show delta-wing-style drones resembling the Iranian Shahed-136s long used by Russia in its war on Ukraine. The slow-flying drones carry bombs. Ukraine has successfully used both surface-to-air missiles and ground fire to target them.

Some Israelis watched the interceptions light up the night sky.

Air raid sirens were reported in numerous places including northern Israel, southern Israel, the northern West Bank and the Dead Sea near the Jordanian border.

Israel’s army ordered residents in the Golan Heights — near the Syrian and Lebanese borders — as well as the southern towns of Nevatim and Dimona and the Red Sea resort of Eilat into protective spaces. Dimona is home to Israel’s main nuclear facility, and Nevatim has a major air base. Loud booms were heard in Jerusalem and northern and southern Israel.

The army’s Home Front Command canceled school Sunday and limited public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people. Israel and some other countries in the region closed their airspace.

Earlier, Netanyahu warned: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them.”

In Washington, Biden convened a principals meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the attack.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, was in Israel over the weekend consulting with Israeli defense officials. The Central Command oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations issued a warning to both Israel and the U.S. “Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” it wrote online. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!”

For days, Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had threatened to “slap” Israel for the Syria strike.

In Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnesses saw long lines at gas stations early Sunday as people appeared worried about what may come next. Dozens of hard-liners demonstrated in support of the attack at Palestine Square.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling on multiple locations in south Lebanon following Iran’s launch of drones. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched “dozens” of Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military site in the Golan Heights early Sunday. It was not immediately clear if there was any damage.

Iranian missiles or drones were intercepted in the sky above the Jordanian capital, Amman. In Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, and elsewhere in the country, residents reported seeing missiles in the sky and hearing explosions, likely from interceptions. In Syria, explosions were heard in the capital, Damascus, and elsewhere. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian air defenses tried to shoot down Israeli attempts to intercept Iranian missiles.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AP correspondents Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Michael Balsamo in New York, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi, Stephen Graham in Berlin, Thomas Adamson in Paris, and Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.