Historians have since found still more examples of whales ramming holes in wooden hulls of ships and fishing boats and even a couple modern accounts where sperm whales bumped into steel boats. So, yes, sperm whales did occasionally ram ships, and even sink them on occasion.
Over the last three years, killer whales off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, which consists of countries like Portugal and Spain, sunk three boats. Interestingly, these attacks have not been reported anywhere else in the world. Thankfully, all humans onboard were rescued in all three attacks.
The whaling barque Kathleen, commanded by Capt. Thomas Jenkins, set off on an Atlantic whaling voyage from New Bedford on 22 October 1901. On 17 March the following year it was some 1,000 miles off the northeast Brazilian coast when one whale amongst a pod charged the ship and knocked a hole in the Kathleen's hull.
But in about 250 cases, the Orcas have done actual damage, including serious damage to about 60 vessels and the sinking of three boats, according to John Burbeck, a member of the Cruising Association, an organization that supports sailors.
According to the Atlantic Orca Working Group, which tracks this pod, there were 207 reported interactions in 2022, and at least 20 last month alone. While many interactions were relatively harmless, at least three ships have sunk this year, with no reported injuries to people.
Marine mammals and sea turtles struck by vessels are often seriously injured or killed. Collisions involving larger marine animals can damage vessels and cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries to people.
“We have two theories about why these interactions started,” she said. “The first is that the orcas are just playing, and the other is that one animal suffered an aversive moment and the orcas are trying to stop the boats to prevent it from happening again — but we don't know exactly what happened in the first place.”
A small group of orcas is causing a lot of damage to boats off the Iberian Peninsula. Last month, killer whales rammed a boat continuously for over an hour, managing to remove the rudder. In another incident, three orcas repeatedly struck a yacht causing it to sink.
With advance planning, vessels may avoid whale concentrations with a minimal increase to passage time. If travel through whale aggregations cannot be avoided, plan to reduce speed in areas where whales are likely, especially if sighting conditions are poor.
Large passing ships are unlikely to see a whale, or may be unable to divert course if they do see one. A large ship creates something called a 'bow null effect' blocking the engine noise by the bow, creating a quiet zone in front of the vessel, and leaving a whale unaware of the pending threat.
For cruise ships, avoiding a whales requires that the captain, pilot, or other bridge personnel detect the whale at a sufficiently large enough distance to change course or speed. This often means detecting the whale several kilometers away.
Ships and whales have shared the ocean for hundreds of years and only in the advent of faster ships, larger ships and more ships have we really seen a spike. In fatal ship strikes on these protected species,” said Hastings. The actual number of fatal whale strikes that happen along our coast is really hard to track.
Over three years, more than 500 interactions have been recorded, three boats sunk and dozens of others damaged. Last month, the first instance of this behaviour was recorded in another place, when an orca rammed a boat near Shetland.
Because of their intelligence and social nature, orca whales are unlikely to attack humans out of aggression or hostility. In fact, there have been numerous instances of orca whales coming to the aid of humans who were in danger, such as when a group of orca whales helped a diver escape from a shark attack.
Of the four fatal attacks by orcas in captivity, Tilikum was involved in three: Keltie Byrne, a trainer at the now-defunct Sealand of the Pacific; Daniel P. Dukes, a man trespassing in SeaWorld Orlando; and SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.
Despite their fearsome reputation, orcas are not known to attack humans in the wild. In fact, there have been very few documented cases of orcas attacking humans, and most of these incidents have occurred in captivity.
Orcas are large dolphins, López said. And like dolphins, the events could stem from the orcas' curious and playful behavior, such as trying to race the boats. López, who specializes in orcas, and his team, Grupo de trabajo Orca Atlántica (GOTA), have tracked these encounters since 2020.
Blunt trauma occurs when the vessel hull strikes a marine mammal or sea turtle straight on, resulting in bruising or broken bones or death. Propeller strikes cause deep cuts in the tissue (or flesh) of whales and sea turtles.
Until the late 1970s the whaling industry was the main issue for these majestic sea mammals. Today, the two major causes of whale mortality have to do with irresponsible fishing and ship strikes – each causing approximately 20,000 deaths per year, Bray said.
Radar on boats are currently designed to reflect off solid objects on the surface. While sometimes clusters of birds or even a whale can be detected, it is typically only when they are in close proximity of the vessel, the whale is spending a significant time at the surface, and the sea conditions are ideal.
Sometimes, they'll come very close to the ship or its tenders. If the tail flukes pop up, offering you a superb photo opportunity, it means the whale is about to dive deep, hundreds of feet, and it may not reappear for an hour. Spotting a blue whale is a true privilege.
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that military sonar exercises actually kill marine wildlife? Unfortunately for many whales, dolphins and other marine life, the use of underwater sonar (short for sound navigation and ranging) can lead to injury and even death.
At crush depth, which is the depth at which the external pressure is greater than the internal pressure of the submarine, the submarine's hull can collapse. This can result in the death of the crew and the loss of the submarine.
Yes, unfortunately. The British accidentally torpedoed three whales during the Falklands war.