Whirlpool

A whirlpool is a body of swirling water produced by the meeting of opposing currents. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones in seas or oceans may be termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft.

Very small whirlpools can easily be seen when a bath or a sink is draining. In oceans, whirlpools are normally caused by tides; there are few stories of large ships ever being sucked into such a maelstrom, although smaller craft are in danger. Smaller whirlpools also appear at the base of many waterfalls. In the case of powerful waterfalls, like Niagara Falls, these whirlpools can be quite strong. The most powerful whirlpools are created in narrow, shallow straits with fast flowing water.

Notable whirlpools

Moskstraumen

The original Maelstrom (described by Poe and others) is the Moskstraumen, a powerful tidal current in the Lofoten Islands off the Norwegian coast. The Maelstrom is formed by the conjunction of the strong currents that cross the straits (Moskenstraumen) between the islands and the great amplitude of the tides, and reaches speeds of 27.8 km/h (17.3 mph)

Maelstrom (Destroyermen novel)

Maelstrom is the third book of the Destroyermen series by author Taylor Anderson.

Plot synopsis

Captain Matthew Reddy's ship 'Walker,' and his Lemurian allies, have won several battles against the cannibalistic lizard race, the Grik, who are waging a war of genocide against the sea-going Lemurians. The Grik sent a large force of 500 ships carrying 150,000-200,000 soldiers to destroy the Captain's crew and base at Baalkpaan. The Japanese heavy cruiser, the 'Amagi,' will be supporting the Grik lizard army. The 'Amagi' is a more powerful vessel than Reddy's antique, battered destroyers. With these odds, how will the Captain and his allies fare? Can the ship 'Walker' under Captain Reddy and his Lemurian allies prevail against the Grik and their allied ship the 'Amagi'? Will the Grik destroy the Captain's crew and base at Baalkpaan?

See also

Destroyermen (book series)

Taylor Anderson

References

Pacific Rim (film)

Pacific Rim is a 2013 science fiction film directed by Guillermo del Toro, and starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, and Ron Perlman. The screenplay is by Travis Beacham and del Toro, with a story by Beacham.

The film is set in the 2020s, when Earth is at war with the Kaijus, colossal monsters which have emerged from an interdimensional portal on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To combat the monsters, humanity unites to create the Jaegers, gigantic humanoid mechas each controlled by at least two pilots, whose minds are joined by a neural bridge. Focusing on the war's later days, the story follows Raleigh Becket, a washed-up Jaeger pilot called out of retirement and teamed with rookie pilot Mako Mori as part of a last-ditch effort to defeat the Kaijus.

Principal photography began on November 14, 2011 in Toronto and lasted through April 2012. The film was produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was released on July 12, 2013 including releases in 3-D and IMAX 3D, receiving generally positive reviews; the visual effects and action sequences were highly praised. While the film was a box office disappointment in the United States, it was highly successful in other territories. It earned a worldwide total of more than $411 million, including $114 million in China, its largest market, becoming Del Toro's most commercially successful film to date. A sequel with the working title Maelstrom was announced in 2014, and was scheduled to be released by Universal Studios on August 4, 2017. In September 2015, the sequel was reported to have been "halted indefinitely" however, Del Toro and Universal Pictures confirmed that the sequel has only been delayed and will continue to proceed forward.