While I was killing a little time I decide to look up what my name meant - while browsing I came across this.. err.. scale.
The Douglas Scale is two series of numbers, from 0-9, used together or seperately, to define what degree by which the ocean surface is disturbed by new waves generated by local winds, and swell (old waves).
It was invented in 1921 by captain H.P. Douglas and adopted by the International Meteorological Conference in 1929.