Rough seas wave size how big is rough?

[Queenofthechickens]

What size waves are considered rough seas for a 85,000+ ton ship?

[cb at sea]

Generally, from 0-8 ft...you won't feel much....perhaps some slight movement. When seas get above 10 ft, you WILL feel movement....how much bothers you will depend on you! If seas get above 15 ft....you'll find walking up and down stairs a real feat! I wouldn't want to be on a ship if it gets rougher than that!

 

Of course, the frequency of the waves (how close together they are) will affect the "roughness" as well!

[Hlitner]

The answer is a bit more complicated than wave height. A ship that size can ride quite well in high waves as long as the ship is headed directly into the waves. A bigger issue is something called "long swells" which are somewhat different from waves and have a bigger impact on large vessels. Swells are usually the result of a distant storm and can make even the largest vessels move in an uncomfortable way (for those that do not like motion). And the tonnage of a ship does not always equate to motion. The highest seas we ever encountered was about 45 foot waves (and swells) caused by a hurricane (Hurricane Bob). Our ship, the old Meridian of Celebrity Lines, which was only 28,000 tons but she did fine in those high seas because she was designed with a deep V hull. Most modern cruise ships are somewhat top heavy with shallow drafts that enable them to get into many ports. Hence, in a strong wind they can become a huge wind vane which creates uncomfortable motion. If you want a ship that is designed for high seas you would probably enjoy the Queen Mary 2. As to most cruise ships, if the wind is blowing and the seas are churning you are going to get a good ride...if you like roller coasters. By the way, if you want to know what can happen to an 88000 ton ship in rough seas take a look at what happened to the Brilliance of the Seas (we love this ship) this week.

 

Hank

[jocap]

As Hank says, the QM2 is built for rough seas...she's the only liner sailing these days.

We've gone through the Bay of Biscay in tornado style weather, on a "block of flats", and found it quite exciting.....but I cut my teeth crossing the North Sea on old ferries.....:cool:

Jo.

[kitty9]

Nowadays, in the age of the behemoth ship, 85,000 ton is not all that big of a ship. But, the size of the ship might not make a difference when it comes to waves or swells. I've been on ships smaller than 85,000 ton and they weathered swells of 25 to 30 ft without much movement on the ship. Heck, we saw green water going over the windows on deck 6, but still barely felt nothing. Then I've been on some of the biggest ships out there, and even in relatively low swells, the ship was really rocking and rolling.

 

Like another poster said, it's more the swells and how a ship hits them rather than just waves that make a sea rough. But I would say that anything over 15 ft on a ship that doesn't handle swells, would give you quite a ride.

 

And then you have time of year and the sea/ocean you're sailing on. The far North Atlantic can be horrible in late Fall and all of winter. Sailing Drake's Passage, in South America, can be absolutely awful. But in reality, any open water can be rough at any given moment.

[radsailor]

I agree with all of the other posts. We were in the North Sea one time (Ireland/Scotland Cruise) and in the middle of the night all of the plates, glasses, etc. flew right off the table. I got up to look to see how bad the waves were and had to hold on to the curtains. It was quite a ride. At least we didn't have to make and effort to roll over in bed.

[EnTnSA]

We were in 7 - 10 footers going across the GOM and could feel it quite a bit. We were in 12 to 15 footers leaving Grand Cayman and could REALLY feel it and see it.

 

We were in 3 to 5 footers coming back across the GOM home, and couldnt feel it at all.

 

That was on the Conquest.

[Underwatr]

On the QM2 we were in ~15 foot waves (following a hurricane) and you could sense movement but it was never unpleasant.

[serene56]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJqXBJFrAw&feature=related

[Hlitner]

On the QM2 we were in ~15 foot waves (following a hurricane) and you could sense movement but it was never unpleasant.

 

15 foot waves are not bad on that type of ship. However once you have cruised in 40 foot+ seas than you understand what "rock and roll" really means.

 

Hank