While large cruise ships are generally too big to be sunk by whales, whales, especially orcas and sperm whales, have caused significant damage to smaller vessels, sinking some yachts and disabling others through rudder damage, and collisions with large ships do happen, often resulting in whale injury or death, though less reported due to less reporting from large vessels. Orcas in Spain/Portugal have sunk several sailboats by attacking rudders, while historical accounts show sperm whales sinking sailing ships like the Essex.
Whales and sea turtles are often unable to avoid ships, because many species move slowly in the water. Collisions often go unnoticed or unreported by the vessel's captain, which means the deaths of whales and sea turtles are far higher than figures suggest.
While an accidental collision with a sperm whale at night accounted for sinking of the Union in 1807, the Essex incident some 30 years beforehand was the only other documented case of a whale deliberately attacking, holing, and sinking a ship.
A whale isn't likely to be chopped up into a thousand pieces, but it may die on impact, or may sustain a long term injury and die eventually at sea. Sometimes they can get caught on the ship and dragged into port, in which case they're removed and (I guess depending on where it occurs) investigated.
One of the key elements for avoiding ship strikes that is covered in the training course is the reduction of vessel speed. As well as minimising the risk of collision with whales, reducing vessel speed has several additional benefits for the climate and marine environment.
Roughest Areas on a Cruise Ship:
If the whale is within 400 yards of your vessel, immediately disengage the transmission until the whales have moved out of the area, if it's safe to do so. Sailors should luff sails and wait for the whales to move on, and kayakers, group together out of the path of the whales.
For the last five-plus years, killer whales have been ramming – and in some cases sinking – expensive yachts, sailboats and fishing boats in the crystalline waters off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco. On Sept. 13, two more incidents were reported off Portugal.
Scientists love to speculate as to why whales breach. Some say it's a social behavior, on par with an excited exclamation or a loud "hey!" When there's no other whales around, we like to mention that whales can generally hear about 10 miles away, so potentially they are still communicating with a distant associate.
The Costa Concordia disaster occurred in 2012 when the ship, carrying over 3,200 passengers, struck a reef off the coast of Italy. The ship ultimately tipped over and partially sank, resulting in 32 deaths, 64 injuries, and one missing passenger.
The science is clear: the *VAST* majority of whale deaths – especially those of North Atlantic right whales – is from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements. Ocean noise is indeed a serious issue that causes harm to whales.
History of interactions. Between 2020 and 2023, there were approximately 500 recorded interactions between orcas and vessels. Over 250 boats have been damaged by the orcas and four vessels have sunk. The frequency of attacks has increased over time.
Karen Harris orcas are one of the most vicious ocean predators, they don't just kill for food, they also kill for pleasure and they torture their prey. If you want to call them killer dolphin instead of killer whale, by all means go ahead, but they're the humans of the ocean.
2025 at 1500 LT 3-4 killer whales attacked our vessel, a 30-meter tallship STS Kapitan Głowacki The attack lasted about 40 minutes. Speed: 2.5 knots, heading: 030, engine only. The killer whales were striking the rudder blade.
A history of orca boat encounters
At least seven boats have been sunk by orcas around the Iberian Peninsula since reports of attacks first surfaced in 2020. More than 250 boats were reported to have been damaged between 2020 and 2023.
No, Captain Edward Smith's body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery, though he perished in the sinking along with over 1500 others in April 1912; while some bodies were found in the immediate aftermath, none of the senior officers, including the Captain, were among the roughly 337 recovered remains.
Life span. Blue whales live around 80–90 years or more.
Eliza Gladys Dean (2 February 1912 – 31 May 2009), known as Millvina Dean, was a British civil servant, cartographer, and the last living survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912. At two months old, she was also the youngest passenger aboard.
Titanic: The Unsinkable One (1912)
This single catastrophe still holds the attention of historians, media outlets, and others. This iconic vessel struck an iceberg, killing 1,503 people. There were enough lifejackets, but not nearly enough lifeboats.
Cruise ships use secret codes like "Code Alpha" (medical emergency), "Code Bravo" (fire), "Code Oscar" or "Mr. Mob" (man overboard), and "Code Charlie" (security threat) to alert crew without alarming passengers, with variations between lines like Disney's "Code Mufasa" for a lost child. Passengers should remain calm if they hear a code, as it often signals a crew-only drill or a situation requiring crew action, not necessarily a full-blown emergency.
Unlike raw cannabis, which has a strong and recognizable scent, edibles are mixed with sugars, oils, and flavors that hide the smell — but dogs aren't smelling the brownie. They're trained to detect the chemical compounds in marijuana, including THC, even when it's baked, blended, or covered up.