The ship was caught in the tempest and all but the captain were drowned.

Weather : the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
Storm : a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow.
Typhoon : a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
Whirlpool : a quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea into which objects may be drawn, typically caused by the meeting of conflicting currents.
Tempest : a violent windy storm.

Synonym of Tempest is Storm