 Josephine also caused major effects to marine interests . High waves , estimated to have exceeded 15 ft ( 4 @.@ 6 m ) , disabled a sailboat with a crew of six on it . They were quickly rescued after issuing a distress signal to a nearby tanker vessel . The storm caused the loss of 1 @,@ 799 bags of sorghum from water damage when a freighter encountered Josephine en route to Baltimore , Maryland . The major shipping lanes of North America were severely impacted , with more than 25 ships reporting winds of at least 58 mph ( 93 km / h ) over a period of nine days . Furthermore , at least five of those ships reported hurricane force winds during a period of six days . The highest wind speed reported from a ship was 92 mph ( 148 km / h ) , which was observed on October 16 . 
