Overview

• In a Channel 5 documentary, University of Southampton oceanographer Simon Boxall argues converging storm systems can generate 100-foot (30-meter) rogue waves capable of breaking ships within minutes.
• Boxall’s team used scale-model tests, including of the U.S. Navy collier USS Cyclops, to demonstrate how a vessel could be lifted between steep wave peaks and snap in two.
• He says the same dynamics could plausibly explain some aircraft losses, citing cases like the 1945 Flight 19 training mission and the subsequent missing rescue plane.
• Boxall acknowledges rogue waves are rare and maintains that many incidents are more likely due to navigational errors or severe weather.
• NOAA and the U.S. Navy/Coast Guard emphasize that disappearance rates in the region match other busy sea lanes and reject supernatural explanations.