Any Storm in a Port Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mallorca

"Ses Llumetes" was a 30-metre long Roman merchant vessel that sank off the coast of Mallorca (Majorca). It carried the goods required to assist in construction - and it seems that this cargo aided its conservation. The recently uncovered vessel is the first wreck ever documented transporting volcanic tephra - fragments of rock thrown into the air by an erupting volcano. It's possible the particular pumice was pozzolanic ash, a naturally-occurring active component that creates a kind of volcanic glass in the presence of calcium hydroxide in room-temperature water. It appears that this substance, along with other goods it carries, produced a kind of Roman marine concrete that led to the ship's preservation in the waters off Porto Cristo since the 1st century AD - the time of Nero! Archaeologists have created a 3D scanned image, and with this information, have identified Caivs Ivlivs as the shipwright who built the ship.

Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid took a deep dive into the sea to come up with this question.

Answer: Richard the Lionheart

One of the most prominent seaports in the Mediterranean, Dubrovnik lies on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, a part of Croatia. Famed for its medieval architecture and fortified old town, the city is both a tourist hub and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Within the bay of Dubrovnik is the little island of Lokrum. Legend says that King Richard was shipwrecked near here and then cast upon the shores of the island in 1192, while making his way to the Crusades. Thankful to have survived the ordeal he then promised to build two churches - one on the island and a sister church in England. The people of Dubrovnik pleaded for the church to be built within their city instead and so it came to pass.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who once likened his school grades to a shipwreck because they were below C level.

Answer: Scuttling of ships during WWII

Marseille and Toulon are in the southern part of France which was initially unoccupied by the terms of the Armistice signed with Vichy France in 1940. Another favourable outcome of the armistice was the French were able to retain the French naval fleet which was housed at Toulon. After the Normandy landings were successful in June 1944, the US and British armies needed French ports to convey supplies to the ever increasing number of allies, liberating France then marching on to Berlin. Northern ports were considered unsuitable or too badly damaged so Marseille and Toulon were chosen. The German realized this and sank all ships in the Port of Marseille. These included one tanker, one cable ship, three passenger ships, and 20 cargo ships, all civilian. However, the Germans were not fast enough in Toulon and American bombers sank the battleship Strasbourg and the cruiser La Galissonniere. The Germans scuttled some before being driven back. The ensuing land battle sank the rest. The Allies freed both ports and despite the major damage of both land and water infrastructure. The two ports were repaired enough for supplies to be unloaded and trucked/railed to the Allies in the north of France. Many of the scuttled ships are still on the seabed of both ports.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising Team member 1nn1.

Answer: Thessaloniki

Although Ephesus has New Testament connections, it is in modern day Turkey not Greece. Thessaloniki is also known as Thessalonica and has two books of the New Testament named after it, I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians.

The wreck lies off the Halkidiki peninsula. It is a cargo ship that was transferring soil in the winter of 1970 when it hit a sandbank and was abandoned. The wreck has been there ever since. Because of its proximity to Thessaloniki, the beautiful beach it is next to, and the clear blue-green water it has become a favorite tourist destination both for snorkelers and day cruises. The ship is mostly submerged with just part of it still visible above the sea.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 who enjoys the pictures of the wreck but has no desire to see it in person.

Answer: Alexandria

Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, noted as the home of one of the Seven Ancient Wonders - the Pharos Lighthouse - and its wonderful library, was a wonder in its own right. It produced a skyline of temples and palaces that was not rivalled until the city of Rome was developed. The city's eastern harbour was known as the Portus Magnus (Great Port) and it was home to the royal quarters and gardens. A series of earthquakes and tidal waves caused this area to sink beneath the ocean where it sat for over 1,200 years, untouched, under thick layers of sediment.

In 1992, a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), headed by Franck Goddio uncovered the site using a range of electronic detection systems, over an area in excess of 400 hectares. This enabled them to create topographical maps that showed significant differences to those previously imagined from ancient texts.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who pondered whether a crew that was wrecked on a deserted island and then created buildings from the destroyed galleon, should call their site a township. (Yes, they're getting worse).

Answer: Izmir housed the Ottoman Empire Fleet

Izmir was not the biggest city but it had two major advantages over other major Ottoman Empire cities: It was on the eastern coast of the country on the Mediterranean coast and it had a natural harbour. It was the obvious choice to house the Ottoman Empire fleet which, in its golden period between 1450-1680, was the third biggest fleet in Europe behind England and Spain. The first victory of the empire was in 1308 when it claimed the Sea of Marmara followed soon after by Thrace (European Turkey) in 1321. Its golden period was between 1450 and 1683 where the empire stretched westward along the Mediterranean African coast and battles with European neighbours were frequent, fierce, and enduring. During this time the fleet was always housed at Izmir and whilst many of the shipwrecks were of Turkish origin, some were from neighbouring countries. Shipwrecks are still being found even in the 21st Century. In 2020, a 35-40 metre warship was uncovered off the coast near Izmir.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising Team member 1nn1.

Answer: USS Philadelphia

The Barbary pirates posed the first major test of the newly formed United States government. The pirates were impeding American commerce in the Mediterranean and it was becoming a serious issue. Congress appropriated enough funds to build warships for the navy to fight the pirates and the USS Philadelphia was one of these ships.

The USS Philadelphia ran aground on October 31, 1803 when it hit an unmarked reef. Unable to free the ship, the captain attempted to scuttle it before surrendering. The Barbary pirates were able to refloat the ship and moved it into Tripoli Harbor. In a daring raid Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and a crew of 83 volunteers sailed a captured Tripolitan ketch into the harbor and up to the captured US ship. They retook the ship by surprise and made sure she was not sea-worthy before burning and thereby destroying the ship. Because the USS Philadelphia was a wooden ship, there was nothing but the anchor left after its burning and this was returned to the US in 1871. The US Marine Hymn mentions "the shores of Tripoli" because of the role the Marines played in the Barbary Wars.

This question was lit on fire by Phoenix Rising member and amateur pyromaniac tazman6619.

Answer: SS Lesbian

The SS Lesbian was built in 1923 and was the third ship built by Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson Ltd to bear that name. Used as a cargo ship, her history shows that, in 1925, she ran aground off the shores of Turkey and was re-floated after two days. During World War II she was a member of several convoys carting cargo to various areas of the Mediterranean. In 1940, she was captured by the French Vichy forces. When the Allied campaign began to invade Syria and Lebanon in 1941, Beirut became the target of some heavy bombing and, fearing that the ship would be sunk and end up blocking the port, it was taken out of the harbour a short distance and scuttled.

Beirut, indeed Lebanon, has become an area with a variety of wrecks off its coastline and they have become somewhat of a beacon to scuba divers and adventurers. The SS Lesbian has become one of those popular sites, having been re-discovered in 2000 by the National Institute for Scuba Diving (NISD) and the Abyss Dive Centre. It lies at a depth of 67 metres and is said to be in a well preserved state. This area is one of historical significance with items of pottery found on wrecks that date back more than 2,000 years. Some of the finds indicate they could be from the time of Alexander the Great who made an attempt to capture the city of Tyre in 332 BC. UNESCO has responded by making the area a World Heritage Site in 1979.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who hopes it turns into a best sailer.

Answer: World War II

The Liberty Ship SS Charles Henderson exploded at Bari on April 9, 1945 sinking the ship and closing the port for more than one month. 542 people were killed and 1800 wounded in the explosion. The ship was carrying aerial bombs for use by the Allies in the Italian Campaign of World War II. Approximately half of its ordinance had been unloaded when the accident happened. Buildings along the waterfront were destroyed for a distance of 2000 ft (640 m) and ships were severely damaged in the area. The wreck stayed in place until 1948 when it was sold for scrap and removed.

This question was accidentally detonated into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Greek works of art

Uncovered in 1907 by sponge fisherman from Greece, and later the subject of a salvage effort by French archaeologist Alfred Merlin, it is thought that the ship was headed from the port of Athens to Italy but was blown off course by a huge storm. This saw the ship wrecked off the coast of Tunisia. Salvage work has meant that the artefacts recovered can now be viewed in the Bardo National Museum, Tunis. It is conjectured that the cargo of sculptures, furnishings, several dozen marble columns, busts, and other goods might have been destined to adorn the home of a rich Roman businessman.

VegemiteKid of team Phoenix Rising paddled fearlessly into the shallows to retrieve this question.