Hurricane (Image courtesy of NASA) The true value of logbook data lies in the careful accumulation of data covering many years. This allows us to see trends and changes in climate. Logbooks also provide detailed descriptions of individual weather events. Of these, few are more stunning or dangerous than the tropical cyclone. Inevitably, many ships foundered on encountering these weather systems, but many sailed through them and survived.

Below is a description of one such encounter. It describes not only the fearsome nature of the storm and the damage that it caused, but it also provides an account of the ship's passage through the calm 'eye' at the hurricane’s centre. The vessel in this example was HMS Andromache, a 32-gun frigate and not therefore one of the Navy's largest ships. She left Portsmouth under Commander Charles Mansfield on 24 May 1795 and arrived in Barbados on 27 June.

HMS Andromache remained cruising in the West Indies until 24 July when she left St Kitts en-route for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fresh breezes hastened her on her way until 29 July when the logbook notes strong gales from the north-east, with a heavy sea from the same direction. Within hours this gale had intensified to a full hurricane. Note the degree of detail that officers would employ when describing such events. This was not unusual. The original spelling and punctuation (such as it is) have been retained.

Strong gales with squalls at 5 O Clock found the Main mast badly sprung in two places 12 feet from the deck lowered down the main yard and sent down the Main top Gallant Mast Ship carpenter preparing a fish for the main mast At 8 O Clock very heavy gales with squalls and rain At 9 the gale still increasing at 11 it blew a perfect Hurricane of wind and rain the Mizen & Mizen staysail blown quite to ribbons ½ past 11 the Main Top Mast blew over the side with the top Sail Yard and Mizen Top Mast Staysail sent the Seamen aloft to cut away the rigging & clear the wreck at 12 quite Calm with a very heavy sea from the SW and the Ship labouring much ½ past Twelve the wind freshened up and blew with great Violence from all the points of the Compass At 1 O Clock a savage Hurricane with incessant hard Rain ½ past 1 the Mizen Sheet, Mizen Top Sheet lost and spanker blew over Board about 5 minutes after the Foremast went the fall of which carried away the bowsprit spare Bower & stream anchor together with the Bumpkins headrails on both sides and all its furniture People employ'd cutting away the rigging and clearing the Wreck ¼ before 2 found the Bowsprit and fore Mast across the Cutwater at 4 veer’d out the best bower Cable to bring the Ships head to the Sea ½ past 4 found the bowsprit hook the Cable at 5 cut it away by which means carried the wreck clear of the Ship at Day Light saw nothing of wreck At 8 O Clock more moderate found in the course of the Night the Gangway Rail stantions & Gangway Boards & 2 Lower Steering sails blown over Board the Boats coverings blown to pieces.

The Andromache survived this storm, albeit with damage. Her crew quickly rigged 'jury' masts and she continued her passage to Halifax, where she arrived on 11 August 1795.

In addition to the intrinsic interest excited by such first-hand descriptions, this information can when assembled with other such accounts, provide a clearer picture of the frequency and character of hurricanes in those years before the national meteorological services were founded. This particular event for example, seems not to have made any landfall and was not therefore included in lists of hurricanes in America or Central America.