An attack by killer whales in the Mediterranean has left everyone speechless, after a yacht was subjected to a terrifying assault by these majestic predators last week for at least two hours, an attack that culminated in the sinking of the ship, valued at more than 128 thousand dollars.
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The sinister man-versus-nature episode occurred when Robert Powell, 59, and his crew were on their second day of a 10-day voyage from Vilamoura, Portugalheading to Greece when they found themselves in the crosshairs of a deadly pod of killer whales. The boat was unable to withstand the ferocious attack.
Powell, who was traveling on the boat to celebrate his birthday, He described how the attack occurred, which he described as terrifying, and stated that the orcas were definitely not playing or passing the time, but that their intentions were perverse.
THAT’S A BIT ORCS
A British yacht captain has told how a pod of killer whales sunk his £100,000 boat during a “terrifying” two-hour attack – in the Mediterranean Sea.
Robert Powell, 59, said the five orcas encircled his 39ft sailing boat ‘like wolves’.
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“They weren’t playing around at all. They knew exactly what to do. They knew the weak points of the ship and they knew how to sink it. Their only intention was to destroy the sailboat, and they succeeded,” he said.
The five orcas surrounded the sailboat and took turns tearing it to pieces around 8 p.m. in a coordinated assault that Powell compared to the carnage of wolves. and described that at first he felt the first blow on the bottom of the ship, and supposed that they had passed over a rock.
“As I looked around the boat to see if I could see anything, it was hit again. On the second impact, I looked towards the stern of the boat and could see the dark shape of an orca in the water.”
He recalled how the orcas hit the rudder, which left the sailboat out of control after about 15 hits. That’s when The orcas separated and each concentrated on its own section of the boat’s exterior, including the keel and stern.
“They were circling around. It was like watching wolves hunt. They took turns coming in, sometimes two would come in at the same time and hit him. Obviously, it was quite scary.”
After an hour and a half of the attack, the ship’s hull finally buckled under the pressure of the whales and broke apart, causing water to gush out and flood the entire sailboat.
The crew radioed for help as soon as the attack began, it took two hours before help arrived, until A rescue ship from Spain helped them abandon the stricken vessel minutes before it sank beneath the surface of the Mediterranean.
You can also read: Fun or instinct? Scientists reveal mystery of killer whale attacks on boats
Last year, orcas also got into trouble during a race. A ship en route from the Netherlands to Italy found itself in the middle of a 15-minute standoff with these majestic mammals. The desperate crew had to lower their sails and make a great racket to scare them away.
Some studies suggest that these orcas may be attacking boats simply for fun.
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2024-07-30 04:13:45