The Big Boat Quiz

Answer: Noah's Ark

Mentioned in both the Bible and the Qur'an, Noah's Ark was said to carry his family and two of each living creature when the Earth was flooded. It was 300 cubits long, which we would now call either 450 feet or 137 meters, certainly the largest boat of its time.

Answer: Edmund Fitzgerald

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, at 729 ft/222 m, was one of the biggest ships on the Great Lakes. On November 10, 1975, while carrying 26,000 U.S. tons of iron ore, it sank during a storm on Lake Superior; all 29 crew members were lost. Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot wrote a memorable song about it in 1976.

Answer: Enterprise

The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name. Launched in 1960 and deactivated in 2012, she was the longest ship in any of the world's navies. In the TV series "Star Trek" the name of the starship is Enterprise.

Answer: Titanic

Perhaps the most famous ship to be lost at sea, the RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, on her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City. After hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, she sunk in less than three hours. Over 1,500 people died as a result of the sinking.

Answer: Bismarck

Early in World War II the German navy (Kriegsmarine) launched the Bismarck, named for former German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. it was the largest ship ever built by Germany. Attacked by the British navy in the Denmark Strait on May 24, 1941, Bismarck sunk the battlecruiser HMS Hood and crippled the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. On May 27, a task force of almost a dozen British and Polish ships hit the Bismarck with more than 400 shells; it was finally sunk by its crew to avoid capture.

Answer: Victory

The 'winning' answer is Victory. HMS Victory was built in 1765 and was armed with 104 cannons. She was victorious in many battles, finally being put in dry dock in 1922 as a museum ship; she is still commissioned in the Royal Navy and is the oldest remaining ship of the line of any navy.

Answer: Victoria

Magellan's ship was the Victoria. Spanish King Charles I financed the voyage in hopes that Magellan could find an easier route to the Spice Islands. Five ships departed, some were lost at sea and some deserted the little fleet. Magellan was killed in a fight with natives in the Philippine Islands.

The Victoria returned to Spain after being gone three years, the first ship to sail around the world, and certainly the biggest ship most of the Pacific islanders had ever seen.

Answer: Queen Mary

The Cunard-White Star line (White Star had also owned the Titanic) had Queen Mary built in Scotland and launched in 1934. She was named for Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of King George V. Besides being the height of luxury, the ship set several speed records. She is now berthed in Long Beach, California as a tourist attraction which includes a hotel.

Answer: Missouri

The battleship Missouri (BB-63) was the last U.S. battleship built, entering World War II in 1944. When the end of the war came she was chosen for the surrender signing because she was near Japan, but the biggest reason was because President Harry Truman was from the state of Missouri and directed that "Mighty Mo" be the one.

Answer: Disney Dream

The Disney Cruise Line owns four ships with the Disney Dream (and her sister ship Disney Fantasy) being the biggest at 1,115 ft/315 m. You can meet Mickey, Minnie and their friends and there's room to bring along 3,999 of your friends!