White squall

[1] The name refers to the white-capped waves and broken water, its meager warning to any unlucky seaman caught in its path.

[citation needed] White squalls are rare at sea, but common on the Great Lakes of North America.

A white squall was the reported cause of the loss of the schooner Paul Pry off Cape Schanck, Australia, on September 3, 1841.

The 121-ton vessel sank about 240 miles (390 km) north of Puerto Rico, casting the surviving crew members adrift for five days.

An eyewitness account described it as follows: "A tremendous whistling sound suddenly roared through the rigging and a wall of wind hit us in the back.