Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Dutch East India Company's flagship Batavia was wrecked on Morning Reef after leaving the Cape of Good Hope on 22nd April 1629 and heading for Batavia in Java on its maiden voyage. Off the coast of which Australian state will you find Morning Reef?
2. In 1802, the first recorded shipwreck off the coast of South Australia occurred in a spot near the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, which was subsequently named Cape Catastrophe. A small cutter from HMS Investigator sank, with the loss of 8 crew members. Who was the captain of Investigator, who was in the process of mapping Australia's coastline at the time?
3. On 6th August 1837 a whaler sank after running aground on a rock that was part of a reef along the coast of Lord Howe Island (off the coast of New South Wales). The rock was named after the ship (although an inaccurate spelling from newspaper reports was used). What ship struck what rock?
4. With all the traffic coming through the Heads to bring supplies and passengers to Sydney during the 19th century, it's not surprising that there have been a number of shipwrecks there. On the night of 20th August 1854 the Dunbar ran aground on South Head under conditions of terrible visibility. Of the 63 passengers and 59 crew, how many survived?
5. Wreck Bay, on the southern coast of New South Wales about 180 km (110 miles) south of Sydney, has a name that should have suggested it was a place best avoided by ships. Which Australian Naval Base is located in the immediate vicinity of Wreck Bay?
6. The SS Moltke ran aground near Townsville in 1891, and again, after being salvaged and turned into a coal hulk, in 1895. For what bizarre purpose did Dr. McCabe, a resident of Magnetic Island, purchase Moltke in 1911?
7. The Centaur, built in 1924, was commissioned as a hospital ship in 1943. Two months later she was sunk by torpedoes, with the loss of 268 lives. What nationality was the submarine that sank Centaur?
8. In 1947, HMAS Warrnambool was part of a group of ships working on the Great Barrier Reef. When a cable on HMAS Swan snapped, the Warrnambool swung hard to starboard to move behind the other ship and then ____________ .
9. The Australian navy's HMAS Melbourne is often called a jinx ship, as it has been involved in several high-profile collisions with other ships. What ship was split in two during a collision with HMAS Melbourne on 10th February 1964 near Jervis Bay?
10. The bulk ore carrier MV Lake Illawarra ran into a bridge and sank, bringing the bridge down with it, at 9:27 pm on 5th January 1975. What bridge was involved in this accident?
Source: Author
looney_tunes
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.