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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Blank on November 10, 2006, 02:48:55 AM

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Blank on November 10, 2006, 02:48:55 AM

quick question guys, here at work we are having a dissagreement about the beaufort scale so i'd like to hear it from the horses mouth as it were.

The question:

what scale does the US Navy use to describe seastates?

a beaufort scale 0-12 or some other scale with only 0-9 steps and if so whats it called.

can any of you us navy types help please.

thanks in advance :-)

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: straffo on November 10, 2006, 04:39:02 AM

beaufort  is for wind not , sea state

the scale is this one :

Degrés   Termes descriptifs français (anglais)   Hauteur des vagues
0 Calme (calm-glassy) 0
1 ridée (calm - rippled) 0 à 0,1 m
2 belle ( smooth) 0,1 à 0,5 m
3 peu agitée (slight) 0,5 à 1,25 m
4 agitée (moderate) 1,25 à 2,5 m
5 forte (rough) 2,5 à 4 m
6 très forte (very rough) 4 à 6 m
7 grosse (high) 6 à 9 m
8 très grosse (very high) 9 à 14 m
9 énorme (phenomenal) „ 14 m

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: rpm on November 10, 2006, 04:52:35 AM

When I was in the Coast Guard this was how we described sea states:
10-20 ft swells - Calm

20-30 ft swells - Smooth

30+ ft swells - Just another day in Paradise.

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Blank on November 10, 2006, 05:25:49 AM

cheers guys

Doh!! the answer was just staring us right in the face and it took Straffo to point it out.

another 'couldn't see the wood for the trees moment'

:D

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: john9001 on November 10, 2006, 07:13:21 AM

the question was "does the US navy use the beaufort scale 0-12 or some other scale "

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Hawklore on November 10, 2006, 07:30:16 AM

Quote

Originally posted by straffo
beaufort  is for wind not , sea state

the scale is this one :

Degrés   Termes descriptifs français (anglais)   Hauteur des vagues
0 Calme (calm-glassy) 0
1 ridée (calm - rippled) 0 à 0,1 m
2 belle ( smooth) 0,1 à 0,5 m
3 peu agitée (slight) 0,5 à 1,25 m
4 agitée (moderate) 1,25 à 2,5 m
5 forte (rough) 2,5 à 4 m
6 très forte (very rough) 4 à 6 m
7 grosse (high) 6 à 9 m
8 très grosse (very high) 9 à 14 m
9 énorme (phenomenal) „ 14 m

[/B]

Yo Frenchy..

Wind directly affects sea state!

:confused: :huh

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Blank on November 10, 2006, 07:47:32 AM

Yeah hawklore this is where our confusion came from also, but what straffo says is correct:

the beaufort scale is a way to describe the wind useing visual clues, so if you look out your porthole and see:

"High waves. Dense streaks of foam along the direction of the wind. Crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over, Spray may affect visibility."

then you know is a force 9 Severe Gale  outside.

Whereas the 'sea state' numbers and definitions directly describe the sea, totally ignoring what the wind is doing.

then I suppose swell confuses it even more as when does a 'wave' become 'swell' as thats gonna effect the numbers also.

all so confusing think rpm's describe it best :D

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: straffo on November 10, 2006, 07:48:36 AM

Quote

Originally posted by Hawklore
Yo Frenchy..

Wind directly affects sea state!

:confused: :huh

Certainly but it was not the question, the question was : wich scale is used for sea state.

Btw in the case of the freak waves ... what is the wind influence ?

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: straffo on November 10, 2006, 07:52:39 AM

Quote

Originally posted by Blank
Yeah hawklore this is where our confusion came from also, but what straffo says is correct:

the beaufort scale is a way to describe the wind useing visual clues, so if you look out your porthole and see:

"High waves. Dense streaks of foam along the direction of the wind. Crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over, Spray may affect visibility."

then you know is a force 9 Severe Gale  outside.

Whereas the 'sea state' numbers and definitions directly describe the sea, totally ignoring what the wind is doing.

then I suppose swell confuses it even more as when does a 'wave' become 'swell' as thats gonna effect the numbers also.

all so confusing think rpm's describe it best :D

Swell can be seen even with no wind at all :)

As it can be generated  far away from the region where it's observed.

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Blank on November 10, 2006, 07:54:44 AM

As for the original question, the reason I asked is i work for a company that makes military training sims and our company has been using the beaufort scale for the weather whilst the system that ours is talking too uses sea states.

and as they are american and we are english and as the people in charge here are all retards its up to us poor 3D Artists to inform them of what they should already know or why stuff isn't working properly.

and what better place for euro/usa military information from people that are actually part of it and know then the Aces High BB.

is a life saver here really is.

now we can get on modelling the sea states properly :D

ta

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Masherbrum on November 10, 2006, 08:45:14 AM

Quote

Originally posted by Hawklore
Yo Frenchy..

Wind directly affects sea state!

:confused: :huh

Rogue Waves?   Tsunami's?  

"Directly"?  No.   "Enhanced" would be better.

Title: How does US Navy describe sea states?
Post by: Mace2004 on November 10, 2006, 09:56:27 AM

Naval Aviator sea state scale:

Deck movement greater than +/- 50 feet = Bad
Deck movement less than +/- 50 = Good

Nothing else much matters.