This carrier is 90,000 tons. Imagine what this is like on a 2,200 ton destroyer escorting this carrier? The aircraft seen in the video is a helicopter from a deployed helicopter squadron (HS-14) based at the U.S. Naval Air Facility in Atsugi , Japan. The carrier is the USS Kitty Hawk, based in Yokosuka , Japan .
The 'Hawk' was underway for CQ (Air Wing Carrier Qualifications) in the Sea of Japan during the week of March 22, 2008.
The chopper seen on the ship's bow, tied down at Spot 2, is a Sikorsky SH-60F from HS-14. The pilot had just landed on deck, and his helicopter was tied down on Spot 2 because the seas were too rough to move it to a safer place. Fortunately, it only suffered some minor damage and a lot of salt water intrusion from the sea to the electronics.
While viewing the video, please remember that the carrier's flight deck is approximately
60' above the ship's normal water line.
http://learnabit.homeserver.com/lab/USSKittyHawkRoughSeas.wmv
FYI - there is no sound track; just video only.