The modern aircraft carrier, by almost any standards, is a behemoth. The U.S. Navy’s Ford-Class carriers are massive, with impressive technology and fighting prowess as well. But despite their imposing size and functionality as combat-ready cities at sea, aircraft carriers, like every other ocean-going vessel, can be hit by massive storms as they operate in waters around the world.

With their ability to launch and recover dozens of state-of-the-art fighter planes, we sometimes overlook the fact that these giant, floating air bases can be tossed around the sea quite dramatically. And with their flight decks and hangar bays full of aircraft, how does the Navy ensure that these expensive and vital planes aren’t damaged or washed overboard when their carriers get thrown around in rough seas?

It’s a multi-layered process that begins with high-tech weather models to predict storms, specific plans for arranging and securing the aircraft on the ship, and finally, several systems and navigation techniques to keep aircraft — along with the rest of the carrier’s personnel and equipment — safe during heavy storms.

Carriers are fighting ships first and foremost, but some of the biggest dangers they’ve faced have actually been from Mother Nature. In World War II, Typhoon Cobra wreaked havoc on the carriers and support ships of Admiral Halsey’s Task Force 38 in the Philippines, damaging or destroying nearly 150 aircraft and resulting in the deaths of hundreds of seamen. In 1988, the first of the historic Midway-class carriers famously survived a 26-degree roll during a typhoon in the Sea of Japan.

Modern carriers benefit from the latest in weather-monitoring technology, and that’s the first step in protecting a carrier’s air wing during storms. Carriers rely on aerographers, both shore-based and on board, who monitor weather and ocean patterns to issue accurate forecasts to the bridge. If possible, courses are adjusted for the ships to avoid the worst storms, but there are times — particularly in combat situations — when that isn’t possible.

The next step, then, is to prepare flight decks and hangar bays for the storm. Different plans are put in place depending on the severity of the storm and the size of the swells, but aircraft on the deck will typically be moved from launch-ready positions on the edge to the center, where there is less movement and risk. Each aircraft will be affixed to the deck at multiple points using heavy-duty chains, with wheel chocks to keep them from rolling. Some aircraft are also moved below deck to the hangar bay; the crew also secures these, and the watertight hangar bay doors are closed to the elements.

From there, carriers have any number of systems and procedures to help them navigate through the swells as safely and securely as possible. The carrier’s navigation team and helmsmen adjust the ship’s heading, usually to ensure that it takes the waves at a slight angle. Speeds are adjusted, and the ship adjusts ballast tanks and stabilizers to keep it upright and as stable as possible as it rides through the storm.

Many of these techniques and technologies are not unique to aircraft carriers and are used by all types of large vessels during storms at sea. It’s just that for carriers, there’s the added challenge of securing and protecting dozens of incredibly expensive combat-ready aircraft, all of which have to be locked down and kept safe until the storm passes.

As long as aircraft carriers operate on the ocean, they will have to deal with storms — and the Navy has well-honed procedures for protecting its jets at sea. Still, on rare occasions, accidents that result in damage or loss of carrier aircraft can and do happen. That said, the two American jets that fell off aircraft carriers in 2025 were not actually lost to heavy seas, but to equipment failures and a lack of warning during evasive maneuvers.