Related Resources:
US Navy Ships
lost in selected storm-related incidents
Storm at Apia,
Samoa, March 1889
Pacific Typhoon,
December 1944
Pacific Typhoon,
June 1945
Okinawa Typhoon,
October 1945
Seafarers have always respected the power of wind and water. This
is especially the case during storms at sea, where ships run the
risk of damage or sinking from strong winds and high seas. Large
and powerful storms, referred to as "closed cyclonic circulations,"
are especially dangerous and have caused massive destruction throughout
all of recorded history.
Cyclonic storms develop when an advancing cold front pushes into
a region of lighter, warmer air. As the warm air is pushed away,
the resulting low atmospheric pressure will sometimes create complex
wind storms that spiral in toward the center of the disturbance.
These storms primarily develop in low pressure areas over tropical
or sub-tropical waters. The warm temperatures and the spiraling
effects of the winds combine to create the huge storms that periodically
sweep the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They generally develop
in different regions only at certain times of the year: in the
northern hemisphere, tropical cyclones--with winds that spin counterclockwise--develop
between May and November, while in the southern hemisphere-- where
the winds spin clockwise--they are generally found between December
and June.
When wind speeds are below 34 knots (a knot is a unit of speed
equal to one nautical mile or approximately 1.15 statute miles
per hour), these cyclonic circulations are called "tropical
depressions." When sustained winds reach between 34 and 63
knots, the resulting wave, cloud, and wave conditions become more
threatening and are called "tropical storms." If the
atmospheric pressure at the center of these storms continues to
drop, the cloud and rain patterns form into narrow bands, and
wind speeds can increase to 64 knots or greater. This pattern
often spawns pounding rain, violent thunder, and terrific lightning.
These tremendously powerful storms, which develop within a small
50-mile radius, can mature into tropical cyclones with winds of
150 miles per hour and a diameter of 400 miles or more.
In the Atlantic basin, large storms of this type are called "hurricanes,"
a term that echoes Spanish and Caribbean Indian words for evil
spirits and huge winds. In the eastern Pacific off Central and
South America the storms are often referred to as "cordonazos"--meaning
to strike with a cord or rope. In Hawaii, they are called "tainos,"
in the Philippines they are "baguios," the Australians
call them "willy-willy's," and in the Indian Ocean they
are referred to as "cyclones." Their most famous name
is found across the western Pacific, where these awesome storms
are called "typhoons."
The Navy's experience with these and similar storms is as old
as the service itself. The Continental sloop Saratoga was
probably the first ship lost to a storm, destroyed off the Bahamas
with all her crew on 18 March 1781. The old adage, "Red sky
at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in morning, sailors take warning;"
was as common as it was true. Before the civil war, the Navy lost
at least fourteen ships--usually with their entire crews--to weather
disasters on the open ocean. Bad weather and rough seas could
strike anywhere, with the fledgling Navy losing three gunboats
in the Chesapeake Bay, and a schooner in Lake Ontario, between
1810 and 1813. As the Navy began sailing into the Pacific Ocean,
warships began encountering dangerous typhoons. These storms were
especially dangerous because, in the days before the telegraph,
radio, or radar, sailors did not know a storm was nearby until
it appeared on the horizon. It was often then too late, as when
brig USS Porpoise, and at least 62 sailors, disappeared
during a typhoon somewhere between Formosa and China in September
1854.
Although the advent of steam power, by enabling the warship to
head into the wind, helped reduce the danger these storms posed,
losses still occurred. In addition to storm losses, such as the wrecking of three Navy ships at Apia,
Samoa, during a powerful storm on 15-16 March 1889, huge destructive
waves (called tsunamis) caused by storms or undersea earthquakes
could also sink ships.
Even with the advent of wireless (radio) communications, and the
weather warning advantage this technology conferred, disasters
could still strike without warning. Armored cruiser No. 10 USS
Memphis (ex-USS Tennessee) was driven ashore and
totally wrecked by a tidal wave at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
on 29 August 1916, killing 41 and leaving 204 injured. The loss
of the collier USS Cyclops, which vanished with all 306
on board after departing Barbados on 4 March 1918, remains a mystery
to this day. Some have speculated that a storm might have sunk
her. No specific proof for her loss has ever been found. Patrol
vessel USS Eagle, while making passage up the Delaware
River on 11 June 1920, was struck by a squall and capsized, drowning
nine sailors.
By the time of the Second World War, the Navy relied on a system
of ground observers, aircraft patrols, and aereological reports
to provide weather and storm warnings. Still, the conflict between
military necessity and possible weather damage to ships trying
to carry out operations, meant storm losses were unavoidable.
In addition to storms that sank merchant ships, scattered convoys,
and damaged service craft off ports and beaches, the Navy lost
three ships to storms in the Atlantic--on 18 February 1942, destroyer
USS Truxtun (DD-229) and stores issue ship USS Pollux
(AKS-2) were driven ashore during a storm in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland--killing
204 sailors--and the destroyer USS Warrington (DD-383)
sank off Florida--drowning 248--during a great Atlantic hurricane
on 13 September 1944.
Even more dramatic were the three great typhoons that struck the
Pacific Fleet in December 1944, and
June and October 1945. The first two typhoons illustrate the dangers
inherent in trying to carry out military operations. On 18 December
1944, numerous ships of the Pacific Fleet were caught by a typhoon
of extreme violence while operating in support of the invasion
of the Philippines. Three destroyers capsized with the loss of
almost all hands and nine other warships were seriously damaged.
Approximately 790 officers and men were killed and 146 planes
were smashed, burned, or swept overboard. On 5 June 1945, during
operations against Japanese airfields on Kyushu, Task Groups 30.8
and 38.1 passed through a typhoon southeast of Okinawa. Seven
ships suffered severe injury, including heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh
(CA-72) which lost her bow and major flight deck damage to four
aircraft carriers. Remarkably, although 76 aircraft were lost,
only six men were killed.
Perhaps the most intriguing storm occurred on 9
October, when a typhoon veered north from Formosa and passed very
near Okinawa and the major fleet anchorage at Buckner Bay
[Nakagusuku Wan]. The sudden shift in the storm's direction caught
the bay full of amphibious shipping, ranging in size from large
cargo ships to very small landing craft. Heavy seas sank 12 ships
and drove 222 others ashore, almost three dozen more were damaged
by collisions. The hurricane force winds also savaged installations
ashore, wiping out tent camps, blowing down Quonset huts, destroying
food stocks and other supplies. By 18 October, casualty estimates
put the toll at 36 dead and 47 missing. If the war in the Pacific
had not ended the previous month, this storm would have had dramatic
effects on the planned invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.
Although cyclonic storms continue to effect Navy operations to
this day, advances in satellite imagery, radar mapping, and communications
have reduced the risks to ships at sea. A description of Navy
readiness policies during severe storms is contained in OPNAV
INSTRUCTION 3140.24E. (available in PDF format at the Navy's Instructions and Directives
website) The instruction contains information on types of
storms and the action required by commanders in response to storms
in their area. As of 2000, the Navy relies on a series of eight
Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Ocean Meteorology
and Oceanography Centers (METOC) to provide timely weather information
to the fleet. Ships at sea can therefore be given ample warning
to avoid severe weather while ships in port can put to sea if
surge conditions become too dangerous. The Naval
Meteorology and Oceanography Command is also a good source
on Navy-related weather information.