Never saw 80 footers but plenty of 40-50 footers. I was standing lee helm when a greenie broke through the glass on the bridge and soaked the captain from head to foot. He calmly looked down at his soaking clothes and his eyes went immediately to his cigarette which was a goner. He calmly lit another and didn't say a word.
While I wasn’t a WWII tin can sailor, the show did bring back some memories of the sea. The Typhoon Cobra segment was awesome. I have experienced 50 foot seas, but never 80 foot. The first time was in on an Army LCU – 115 foot, 250 tons – in the South China Sea. We saw a destroyer having a hard time of it, with every sea it would bury itself nearly to the bridge, shake like a dog and struggle back up with green water pouring over it. We came up on the radio and offered her aid just as she came up on the light asking if we needed help. We thought we were doing pretty good – except for the green water over the conn on every sea. To the destroyer we must have completely disappeared with every plunge.
The other times were in the area around Okinawa with a 140 foot, 610 ton tug boat and a 74 foot, 105 tons LCM 8.
The tug was (so rumor had it) able to take a 55 degree roll safely. Every time the inclinometer hit 55 I would look away.