alm had set in; the great waves rose to an astonishing
height, and, although at a time of wind and full sail, the vibrations of
the ships are lessened by the quick forward motion, yet in calm the
opposite is true, for the ships were heaving and pitching, so that there
seemed to be danger of complete capsizing, or at any rate of the loss of
the masts. In the darkness of night the foam sparkled on the ships and
at times the lightning flashed and quivered on the waves. Several ships
had already met with accidents, in getting badly damaged by running
against each other, and in some the constant pumping out of water was
made necessary. The ship Good Intent ran with its prow into the stern of
the Claudina, on which there was a company of the regiment von
Knyphausen under Lieutenant Baum, and to the great anguish and cry of
the crew and troops made a great hole over the cabin. The ship
Speedwell, on which there was Lieutenant-Colonel Block with the
Grenadier-Company of the Prince Karl regiment drew so much water that it
seemed doomed to sink. Accordingly signals of distress were hoisted, the
Commodore signaled the fleet to halt and by means of several boats had
the ship thoroughly investigated. It became evident that there was no
immediate danger, and that, with constant use of the pumps, the
Speedwell could continue the voyage.

On the 20th of May a strong wind suddenly arose (simply good fresh air
as the sailors said), but the water became rough, the waves struck over
the decks, and all fires were ordered to be put out; porpoises made
their appearance in great numbers, the sight of which was cheering
especially to the officers who shot at them; little was it supposed by
them then that these porpoises were but the forerunners of an
approaching storm. On the 25th the whole sky became clouded over with
dark and heavy clouds, the air became close and sultry, and the
Commodore had shots fired frequently as a signal to prevent the
scattering of the ships. The wind and waves became more violent from
hour to hour during the night of the 25th to the 26th, and on Whitsunday
the full force of the storm was felt. The Commodore gave the signal to
draw in all sails except one and to remove the uppermost parts of the
masts. The ships were being scattered far apart. In the cabins all
articles, though tied fast, were broken loose and were thrown
helter-skelter, the occupants likewise, many with bruised limbs, and
there was no end to the spel