A crisis was averted after rescuers from the U.S. Coast Guard saved four sailors who were stranded off the coast of New York. Reports indicate that the 39-foot vessel was damaged and the sailors injured after a rare natural phenomenon occurred on the Long Island Sound. Coast Guard members could be seen jumping into very rough waters to help airlift the men to safety. How did this boat suffer so much damage?

How Was the Boat Damaged? 

The New York Post says the four men were on board the vessel Calypso around 80 miles (CBS Boston says it was around 100 miles) south of Montauk Sunday when the incident happened. The Coast Guard says that a "rogue wave" had slammed the vessel, knocking over its mast and injuring the sailors. The rescuers were called from the US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod to assist the crippled vessel.

But it was not easy. See the video posted on the USCG Twitter page.

A Petty Officer told the Boston Globe that the crew had to contend with 16 to 17 foot waves by the time they arrived. After a harrowing rescue, the sailors were lifted into the MH-60 Jayhawk and flown to shore.

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What Are Rogue Waves?

They're known by many names, but a rogue wave is an unusually large wave that appears with little to no warning. They can appear in otherwise calm waters and are sometimes formed when strong wind and currents combine to form a single huge wave that towers at least twice the height of other waves around it. However, there are many factors that can lead to a rogue wave appearing, so that is one of the reasons why they're so dangerous. Some recording platforms out to sea have measured waves as high as 80 to 90 feet.

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Ig0rZh
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Is New York in Danger of Tsunamis? 

Has it ever happened? Read HERE.

WTF is a Meteotsunami?

This actually happened back in 2018. Read HERE.

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