Kaproller ( eng. Cape roller - the shaft at the cape ) is a kind of single, anomalously large sea waves up to 15 - 20 meters high, which are distinguished by the steepness of its front and sloping hollows. In oceanology, this phenomenon is called a solitary or episodic wave , the physical mechanism of the formation of which is associated with the phenomenon of interference [1] .
This type of wave formation is characteristic of the southeastern coast of Africa , between the Mozambique Channel and the Cape of Good Hope at the end of the Indian and Atlantic oceans . Caprollers tend to occur suddenly with the spread of local wind waves and a large southwestern swell towards the strong Agulhas flow . Similar phenomena with the formation of large waves are observed in other areas of the oceans (near Bermuda , Cape Horn , the Newfoundland banks , the Greek coast [1] ), but their result, as a rule, does not reach such enormous sizes.
Kaproller can carry a significant threat to navigation, they are particularly dangerous to shipping in the area between East London and Durban . For example, the unexpected hit of such a wave is attributed to the traceless disappearance of the cruise steamer “Varata” of the shipping company Blue Anchor Line during the coastal transition from Durban to Cape Town in 1908. However, it is worth noting that the unequivocal reason for the fate of the vessel and 211 people from its crew has not been precisely established. Nevertheless, it is reliably known that in June 1968, the American supertanker "World Glory" was sunk by a rolled keyproller, which broke it in half. Having gone to the bottom, the ship claimed 22 human lives with it; and the entire cargo (49 thousand tons of crude oil) was in the marine environment [2] [3] [4] .
See also
- Killer waves
- Tsunami
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 A. Petrochenkov. Trivet shaft: Killer Waves (rus.) // Popular Mechanics: Journal. - 2004. - June ( No. 6 ).
- ↑ Keyproller // Marine encyclopedic dictionary / V. V. Dmitriev. - SPb. : "Shipbuilding", 1993. - T. 2. - p. 48. - 584 p. - ISBN 5-7355-0281-6 .
- ↑ Keyproller // Marine Encyclopedic Reference / Ed. N. N. Isanina. - Leningrad: “Shipbuilding”, 1987. - T. 1. - p. 305. - 512 p. - 30 000 copies
- ↑ R. Petrow. World Glory (Eng.) // Popular Mechanics: Journal. - 1969. - July. - P. 107 .