Icing on
ships is a serious hazard where cold
temperatures (below about {{convert, -10, C, F, disp=or) combined with high
wind speed (typically force 8 or above on the
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
History
The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort ...
) result in spray blown off the
sea
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
freezing immediately on contact with the ship. If not frequently knocked off, the
ice can soon build up on the ship's superstructure to a sufficient weight to cause the ship to
capsize.
It is typically a problem in
Arctic and
Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
seas, but can also occur in other seas such as the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the
Sea of Japan, the
Baltic Sea, and very rarely, the
North Sea.
See also
*
Shipping Forecast
External links
US Army Engineer Research
Nautical terminology