I was actually looking into booking a vacation with the Bounty as a working tourist back in 1986 for what was at that time, the upcoming 200 anniversary of the mutiny. The price for going from England to Pitcairn island if you did the whole thing was pretty outrageous but I could of managed one of the cheaper legs of the voyage. One of the biggest regrets of my life was not going through with it. It was a sad day to hear of the replicas sinking and loss of life.
In 1993, Our Ship (USS Halsey CG23) pulled in for a 3 day liberty port visit to Tahiti.
I've stood on the very beach where they made landfall.
Very beautiful, Very Friendly, But Very VERY expensive.
The Crew is divided up into three Duty Sections so out of three days in port, you had duty one day, leaving two days for liberty. Tahiti was so expensive that you would blow your whole Paycheck in a few hours ashore. Unless you were lucky enough to get a limited seat on the couple of free tours they provided, you spent your second day of liberty aboard ship, dead broke.
A typical 12.0z can of beer was about US$30
So were the storm scenes in the Perfect Storm accurate for a cat 1 hurricane or were they exaggerated?
VERY exaggerated.
And as mentioned, the scenes in the vessel itself, the deck motion was not realistic either.
Remember, as far as the story goes in "The Perfect Storm" these guys went out and never came back, there was no survivor to tell what actually happened on the Vessel Andrea Gale. Other than a couple of Marine Radio calls telling of their position and intentions... No word was ever heard from them.
The Ship was lost, but was it lost due to a giant wave, or did a series of events cause lesser waves to overpower the small vessel?
What is fact is that a Wave recording buoy off sable Island DID record a single Rogue wave that was nearly 100 feet in height. But most waves were no where near as big as depicted in the film. Even SuperTyphoon Yuri was not that massive, and it was far greater than the 1991 Halloween Storm.
Storm Lowest Pressure Highest Winds Significant Wave Height
1991 SuperTyphoon Yuri: 26.43 inHg 175 mph 57 ft
11th most powerful storm in Western Pacific
1991 Perfect Storm: 28.70 inHg 75 mph 39 ft
Not even an honorable mention and would be forgotten but for a book written about the loss of Andrea Gale
The Term "Perfect Storm" has nothing to do with the size nor power of what was actually a pretty weak and short lived Hurricane. So weak in fact it was never even officially named. The name was coined by Sebastian Junger in writing his book (self aggrandizing salesmanship), He came up with the name after he had a discussion with an area meteorologist who described how the storm came to be, because of a
perfect confluence of events. Those events being a Cold Front (Nor'easter), a High Pressure System, and the remnants of Hurricane Grace... just happened to perfectly come together to create an unexpected, but short lived extratropical cyclone that barely made category 1.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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boutetr
8 years ago
Remember, as far as the story goes in "The Perfect Storm" these guys went out and never came back, there was no survivor to tell what actually happened on the Vessel Andrea Gale. Other than a couple of Marine Radio calls telling of their position and intentions... No word was ever heard from them.
Yes, I've seen a few threads on the Perfect Storm forum complaining about how could they know what actually happened. That kind of stuff doesn't usually bother me. I was pretty familiar with the story about Memphis Belle that I knew her last mission was comparatively uneventful but I still enjoyed the movie which really got across the hazards those crew faced every time they flew a mission. While the Andrea Gale was the main focus of the movie I actually found myself more interested with the Coast Guard side of it. It really brought home just how dedicated and willing they are to put their lives on the line. I guess I just assumed that if they suffered casualties, then the storm must of been stronger then they usually encountered.
In 1993, Our Ship (USS Halsey CG23) pulled in for a 3 day liberty port visit to Tahiti.
I've stood on the very beach where they made landfall.
Very beautiful, Very Friendly, But Very VERY expensive.
The Crew is divided up into three Duty Sections so out of three days in port, you had duty one day, leaving two days for liberty. Tahiti was so expensive that you would blow your whole Paycheck in a few hours ashore. Unless you were lucky enough to get a limited seat on the couple of free tours they provided, you spent your second day of liberty aboard ship, dead broke.
A typical 12.0z can of beer was about US$30
While I guess we wont't be going there unless we win the lottery. That's crazy! So how much would that same beer go for 22 years later?
The Term "Perfect Storm" has nothing to do with the size nor power of what was actually a pretty weak and short lived Hurricane. So weak in fact it was never even officially named. The name was coined by Sebastian Junger in writing his book (self aggrandizing salesmanship), He came up with the name after he had a discussion with an area meteorologist who described how the storm came to be, because of a perfect confluence of events. Those events being a Cold Front (Nor'easter), a High Pressure System, and the remnants of Hurricane Grace... just happened to perfectly come together to create an unexpected, but short lived extratropical cyclone that barely made category 1.
Okay, thanks again for the info. I take it that the Perfect Storm weather effects were shown for what one would expect for a category 4 or 5 storm? Quite the exaggeration indeed. That must of been one hell of an experience you went through with Yuri back in 1991. I watched a youtube video of the USS Pittsburgh losing her bow during a typhoon that was a mild one in comparison. .
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CGSailor
8 years ago
Yes, I've seen a few threads on the Perfect Storm forum complaining about how could they know what actually happened. That kind of stuff doesn't usually bother me. I was pretty familiar with the story about Memphis Belle that I knew her last mission was comparatively uneventful but I still enjoyed the movie which really got across the hazards those crew faced every time they flew a mission.
And that's what they Did for the Andrea Gale as well. the individual events, such as the Shark getting swept aboard, the small rogue wave, the Crewman getting his hand caught in a hook and yanked overboard... Are all things that do happen to Fishing Crews on a not infrequent basis. While it is almost certain that these events did not actually happen to the Andrea Gale's crew on that specific trip... they do illustrate the dangers associated with the profession. Same as what they did to Memphis Belle's final mission on film.
While the Andrea Gale was the main focus of the movie I actually found myself more interested with the Coast Guard side of it. It really brought home just how dedicated and willing they are to put their lives on the line. I guess I just assumed that if they suffered casualties, then the storm must of been stronger then they usually encountered.
There was a lot of Hollywood liberties taken with the film. For example, the Helo that was lost was not the same Helo that rescued the crew of the sailing vessel. But for brevity's sake, they condensed the two separate Helo events into a single crew for the sake of time and pacing for the film. The Novel (despite the misleading name intended to upsell the story for book sales) is much more accurate and is a very good read, going into much greater detail about the Coast Guards role during the Storm.
I cannot wait for a New film due out very soon, "The Finest Hours", About the greatest Coast Guard Rescue in history.
https://youtu.be/BQmllwTKtqUSo how much would that same beer go for 22 years later?
No Idea. I got out a year later.
We were the First US Navy ship to pull in there in over 8 years. we rarely go that route and the only reason we did was because our captain wanted to go via the Solomon Island Chain and "The Slot" Normally from Hawaii we go via Guam, Hong Kong, Singapore, and thus on... But we went South to Tahiti, Fiji, Solomons, and then to Singapore.
That must of been one hell of an experience you went through with Yuri back in 1991.
Quite a ride I tell you. We had Heavy Following seas for most of the time and that made for an easier ride for the most part. The Ship would be overtaken from behind by one of the towering swells and the entire Ship, A Guided Missile Cruiser, not some little Fishing vessel... would be sledding down the front face of the wave, like a surfboard, until the swell overtook us and we crested and pitched backwards and down with the motion.
During the few times we were head on into the seas was the roughest. The ship would crest a swell and the bow would come completely out of the water then slam down into the next trough. Talk about getting slammed about. You knew when the Sonar Dome underneath came clear of the water because when the bow slammed back down, there was the most God Awful and sickening wallowing from side to side as the bow and her dome fought her way back into the water. As we Crested the waves the Engineers were fighting a battle with the engine throttle controls. Trying to maintain requested Shaft RPM's from the Bridge while fighting to prevent the Screws from racing as they came clear of the water astern, which could seriously damage the drive train and reduction gears.
My Division's workcenter was the highest compartment on the ship. Nothing higher but the Masts, radars, and the stacks. That far above the center of gravity, the rolling motion is actually circumscribing a massive Arc, not just a tilting deck, but being bodily moved through an arc for 30-40 feet... side to side. Like the tip of the arm in a giant metronome. You had to hang on not just to keep you from sliding back and forth on a tilting deck, but to keep you from being thrown across the room.
There is no video of our ship in the storm, But the best comparative video I have found that shows the same seas as we were in is this one...
Our ship was a bit larger than the one in the video, but we were tossed about in the same manner....
https://youtu.be/Sx57-LnuuFs I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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boutetr
8 years ago
There is no video of our ship in the storm, But the best comparative video I have found that shows the same seas as we were in is this one...
Our ship was a bit larger than the one in the video, but we were tossed about in the same manner....
https://youtu.be/Sx57-LnuuFs
That's a great video. Watched it about a half dozen times in a row. Any idea how tall the watch tower at the beginning is?
My Division's workcenter was the highest compartment on the ship. Nothing higher but the Masts, radars, and the stacks. That far above the center of gravity, the rolling motion is actually circumscribing a massive Arc, not just a tilting deck, but being bodily moved through an arc for 30-40 feet... side to side. Like the tip of the arm in a giant metronome. You had to hang on not just to keep you from sliding back and forth on a tilting deck, but to keep you from being thrown across the room.
Sounds like a few circus rides combined together. How many hours did you have to endure the worst of it?
I cannot wait for a New film due out very soon, "The Finest Hours", About the greatest Coast Guard Rescue in history.
https://youtu.be/BQmllwTKtqU
I seen the trailer for this in the theater a while ago. Completely forgot about it. Definitely have to check it out.
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CGSailor
8 years ago
Any idea how tall the watch tower at the beginning is?
No idea what lighthouse (not watch tower) that is so can't say.
On the other hand.. Kitty Hawk's Flight deck is 64 feet above waterline.
https://youtu.be/5AGEpBjcZ4sI served aboard Kitty Hawk (though this video is long after I was aboard her) and went through a few storms with her as well, but nothing like Yuri.
Sounds like a few circus rides combined together. How many hours did you have to endure the worst of it?
The worst of it lasted about 10 hours, but we had heavy storm conditions for about 36 hours total.
To get from anywhere else on the ship to my workcenter you could not do so without going outside the ship.
The 03 Level is the Bridge, behind it is the CIC and Aft Radar Switchboard)
I've marked CIC and Aft Radar on the photo.
The Hatch out of the Aft Radar lightlocker is on the opposite side of the ship from this photo. On the 03 level catwalk connecting the Bridge wing to the Signal Bridge (Low area on superstructure between the two Mast/Stacks)
Walking aft towards the signal Bridge, I take a vertical ladder to the 04 Level.
The 04 level is the large open deck that is the roof of the Bridge and CIC/Aft Radar
Once on the 04 level I had to walk across the deck behind the forward mast/Stack and around to the Port side, There I took an inclined ladder (seen in the photo) to the 05 level and to the hatch into my workcenter.
All of this is done exposed to the storm and in absolute pitch black conditions, not even starlight during a storm. The biggest danger was climbing the vertical ladder from the 03 to 04 level and crossing the open deck behind the mast on the 04 level.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/63358607@N00/24402851295/in/photostream/ I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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boutetr
8 years ago
I cannot wait for a New film due out very soon, "The Finest Hours", About the greatest Coast Guard Rescue in history.
https://youtu.be/BQmllwTKtqU
Got sidetracked for a bit. We just came back from watching this. Pretty solid film and the storm effects are well done. Seeing as it's based on a true story, I had to check out what they changed to make it more dramatic. It was great to see the major story about the rescue is very close to the actual events. The main differences have more to do with the love story side of the movie which is quite understandable for the most part. I have the book now so looking forward to reading it.
I should mention that my wife is notorious for falling asleep during movies but she was wide awake throughout the entire film so that says something about it's entertainment value. Once you've seen it, it would be interesting to hear your point of view regarding the special effects and rough seas motion in a boat compared to others in the same genre.
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CGSailor
8 years ago
I am going to try to see it this week, likely tomorrow.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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CGSailor
8 years ago
Once you've seen it, it would be interesting to hear your point of view regarding the special effects and rough seas motion in a boat compared to others in the same genre.
Well I saw it yesterday finally.
The look of the waves and ocean was good.
But again... the movie fails when it comes to the motion of the vessels ON the ocean. Namely from the point of view of being on the ships, not the exterior shots of the ships on the water.
Actors walk about like men on a gimballed set on land, not an actual ship at sea in a storm.
The biggest flub of all concerning motion of a ship in waves is the scenes of the flooding in the engine room. That sort of free surface of water would be slamming back and forth from one side of the compartment to the other, not simply rising on a level as shown. Several times you could see they used the old trick of tilting the camera and having the actors lean to simulate the rolling of the vessel but the water remains level with the tilt of the camera.
Overall though, a Good film. Just... no better than any other film at depicting what it's like onboard a ship in a storm and it's motion.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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boutetr
8 years ago
Thanks for getting back to me about it. I think what it boils down to is they probably know the rough weather motion isn't right but the cost to do it properly outweighs the visual benefit gained. Aside from navy and merchant personnel who can tell the difference, the average viewer wouldn't. Much like the type of tanks used in most war movies being inappropriate but not very many people in the theater would know. It's great when productions do go the extra mile for authenticity such as Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
I lent out my copy of Away All Boats but finally got it back. Hope to watch it this weekend. It's been awhile but I loved that film. It was great to see the focus of a Navy movie centered on a type of ship I was only vaguely familiar with. Also the damage control and battle scenes were pretty good as far as my limited knowledge could tell. Just curious if you have seen this and also what is your favorite film for this genre?
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CGSailor
8 years ago
I think what it boils down to is they probably know the rough weather motion isn't right but the cost to do it properly outweighs the visual benefit gained.
And for the same reason films like "The Martian" have Mark Watney walking around on Mars in a full 1G of gravity rather than the 0.37G of Mars surface gravity.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
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