THE WEATHER
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During the winter months the weather in the Arctic Circle and south to the Norwegian Coast can be ferocious with gale force winds whipping up high seas and temperatures often many degrees below freezing.
In these conditions the spray forms ice on the upper deck and continues to build up until ropes and wires become as thick as a man's thigh.This can be a very rapid process, the ship then becomes top-heavy, and if not remedied with steam hoses, and chopped off with axes the inevitable consequence is the capsizing of the ship.
In one particularly violent storm in 1968 three Hull trawlers were lost with all hands within the space of three weeks. They were St. Romanus, Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland, all lost without trace, included in the crew of the St Romanus were two 17 year-old brothers.
Such is the ferocity of the weather in the northern waters off the coast of Norway and Russia.
Ice formed on the upper deck during a storm