These harrowing accounts resulted from the closure of Port of Cork, leaving many ships with nowhere to go.
On Oct. 16, Hurricane Ophelia hit Ireland with the strongest storms the island has experienced in decades, preventing the Port of Cork from taking in any ships due to both safety and logistical concerns. With no refuge available for its intended traffic, ships were forced to weather the storm at sea.
Footage from aboard an Italian tanker shows how rough the water was just offshore from the port. The deck of the ship was consistently hit with water from enormous waves, causing those aboard to abandon the area to find safety elsewhere in covered areas of the ship.
The ship and crew survived the harrowing episode safely and returned to dock on Oct. 17 as Hurricane Ophelia was downgraded in severity and operations resumed at the Port of Cork.
Other videos show similarly terrifying accounts as ships attempted to navigate the waters as the storm took an unexpected path toward the United Kingdom.
Estimates from the encounter indicate that almost a third of all Irish homes suffered damage from the storm, which has reportedly claimed three lives following a state of emergency that saw the closure of schools and public transportation services.
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