As Hawaii and the U.S. west coast prepares for a tsunami following the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan early this morning,  it’s natural to wonder about the safety of cruise ships sailing in the region.   According to CNN, boat owners are moving their vessels out to sea where they’ll be safe and I’m sure the same is true of cruise ships sailing in the area.

A cruise ship docked in port is in potential danger when a tsunami strikes because enormous waves could smash it against the pier.

But a ship at sea, even small ones, should be perfectly safe since, before it strikes land, the wave is only a few meters high.

The Real Threat to Cruise Ships

Think Poseidon, a dreadful but memorable movie about a passenger ship hit by a freak  wave that comes out of nowhere.    A rogue wave is virtually impossible to detect.   Imagine being at sea in perfect weather when a wave the size of a ten story building appears on the horizon.

In 1942, the original Queen Mary was broadsided by a 92 ft. rogue wave and listed 52 degrees before righting herself.   Queen Elizabeth 2 was struck by a 95 ft. wave in September, 1995.   In 2005, NCL’s Norwegian Dawn was hit by three 70 ft. rogue waves while sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off Georgia.  According to Wikipedia, several decks were flooded, a few passengers slightly hurt.

While a tsunami is terrifying to those potentially in the path of the enormous sea surge, if you’re at sea aboard a cruise ship you’ll be fine.   Fortunately rogue waves are rare, certainly nothing I want to encounter.