I'm thinking Typhoon...

I've seen a lot of articles on 'rough' water, but have read even more acocunts of ships being damaged or caught in a Typhoon. (USS Mason, USS Pittsburgh, etc).

Has anyone tried to replicate this kind of thing before? Or are there pictoral references on how a ship would react to those kind of conditions?

Do a google search using Halsey's Typhoon.

I found a few good pictures doing that.

As for methods of replicating that, I am not sure. But I would say either JBA or Rui could give you some ideas.

Which scale ???
I think that for this kind of rough seas, you will have to sculpt some high waves. For a Typhoon (12 in Beaufort scale) we are talking about waves bigger than 52´ (16 meters). And a lot of spray on top of the waves (wind speed over 64 Kts).

Rusty White from Flagship models has a CD on making water:
http://www.flagshipmodels.com/xoops/modules/osC/product_info.php?cPath=3&products_id=39
While I don't think the one posted on the cover is his best effort, he's had some great ones in Fine Scale Modeler and the CD is well worth checking out.

One of my local (Seattle) modelers did one of DD-673 Hickox at the start of the great typhoon... I think it was one of the best ship models and dioramas I'd seen:
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude01.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude02.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude03.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude04.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude05.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude06.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude07.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude08.jpg
http://www.specwarnet.net/MW/Prelude/Prelude09.jpg

Ahoy, Steve-o!

Mike Taylor has an excellent SBS article for making rough water on MSW, in case that you missed it...

Making Rough Water