About noon
This breeze soon freshened into a gale at south-east , and blew with some violence , but after a while it died away to a perfect calm , leaving a heavy swell , in which the ship rolled incessantly . About eleven o'clock the sky began to blacken ; and , before noon , had assumed an appearance of the most dismal and foreboding darkness ; the sea-gulls screamed as they flew distractedly by , warning us to prepare for the approaching hurricane , whose symptoms could hardly be mistaken . The warning was not lost upon us , most of our sails were taken in , and we had , as we thought , so well secured everything , as to bid defiance to the storm . About noon it came with a sudden and terrific violence that astonished the oldest and most experienced seaman among us : the noise it made was horrible , and its ravages inconceivable . The wind was from the north-west -- the water as it blew on board , and all over us , was warm as milk ; the murkiness and close smell of the air was in a short time dispelled ; but such was the violence of the wind , that , on the moment of its striking the ship , she lay over on her side with her lee guns under water . Every article that could move was danced to leeward ; the shot flew out of the lockers , and the greatest confusion and dismay prevailed below , while above deck things went still worse ; the mizen-mast and the fore and main topmast went over the side ; but such was the noise of the wind , that we could not hear them fall ; nor did I , who was standing close to the mizen-mast at the moment , know it was gone , until I turned round and saw the stump of the mast snapped in two like a carrot . The noise of the wind `` waxed louder and louder ; '' it was like one continued peal of thunder ; and the enormous waves as they rose were instantly beheaded by its fury , and sent in foaming spray along the bosom of the deep ; the storm stay-sails flew to atoms ; the captain , officers , and men , stood aghast , looking at each other , and waiting the awful event in utter amazement .