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TYPHOON [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61]
“We also have the ability to scan the ocean’s surface with microwave energy from satellites to determine a storm’s position and wind speed. All of this allows for more accurate forecasts out to longer time frames.”
The JTWC’s greatest challenge is keeping pace with forecasting technology evolution. “The JTWC, by and large, can’t keep up with the pace that technology is evolving and changing,” Evans says. “So the challenge is maintaining what I call state-of-the-practice pace with technology and techniques in terms of forecasting. But the JTWC has only so many people and scant resources, so we constantly have to lean forward and look for innovative ways to optimize and improve mission performance.”
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— Don Vaughan is a North Carolina-based freelance writer. His last feature for Military Officer was “A Tale of Two CCRCs,” March 2014.
The Devastating Effects of Typhoons
Tropical cyclones — known as typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic — have wreaked havoc on maritime travel since man first started exploring the seas. Typhoon Cobra, which caused tremendous damage to the U.S. Pacific Fleet in December 1944, is a perfect example. However, that wasn’t the only storm to give Navy Adm. William Halsey headaches. In June 1945, he found himself again in the maw of a horrific typhoon with sustained winds of 115 mph. A total of 33 ships were damaged, 76 planes were lost, and six sailors perished.
Nearly four decades earlier, in 1908, the Navy’s so-called Great White Fleet, sent around the world as a show of strength by President Theodore Roosevelt, almost found itself in a similar predicament as it made its way from the Philippines to Japan. Caught in an unexpected typhoon, the armada struggled to avoid disaster. Several ships experienced storm-related damage, and at least one sailor died.
Because much of the Pacific Island Campaign during World War II was fought during the summer months, tropical cyclones were a common problem for fighting forces. Action reports and letters from servicemembers detail incidents of heavy rain and strong winds — likely from passing tropical cyclones in various stages of development.
Typhoon Haiyan, which caused tremendous damage to the Philippines in November 2013, was one of the largest and most intense typhoons in recent years. Though it resulted in little maritime damage, its effects on the Philippines and other nations in Southeast Asia were catastrophic. But as big as Typhoon Haiyan was, it wasn’t the largest storm on record. That honor goes to Typhoon Tip, which occurred in 1979. Tip was so large it would have extended from Houston to New York City.