Maximum significant and extreme wave heights are given in Table 7. The highest 

 seas are at OWS P where the maximum significant wave heights for 5- and 25-year intervals 

 are 15 and 20 meters and the extreme wave heights for the same periods are 27 and 35 

 meters. OWS N has the least severe seas in the northwest area with 1 1- to 14-meter maxi- 

 mum significant wave heights and 20- to 26-meter extreme wave heights for 5- and 25-year 

 intervals. Again, because of the many years of data collected in bad as well as good weather, 

 the Ocean Weather Station extreme data are probably the most accurate available for open 

 ocean areas. 



As a note of interest, probably the largest wave ever observed and accurately meas- 

 ured was in the general vicinity of the study area, at 34°N, 167°W. The wave was approxi- 

 mately 34 meters high and was geometrically measured by personnel aboard the USS 

 RAMAPO, 7 February 1933 (Ref. 39). 



Extreme current data are also very important to the Ocean Farm. Current measure- 

 ments in severe weather are extremely rare, and generally only theoretical data exists. A 

 brief discussion of this topic is given in Appendix E. A further discussion of extreme me- 

 teorological data is given in Refs. 40 through 44. 



33 



