Sailors 'R' Us : Fiction's Finest Mariners Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It's probably not a good idea to try to shake hands with someone wielding a sword. It's doubly unfortunate to have a passing aquatic reptile run away with one of them. Which sailor needed to be careful if he had an itch to scratch?

Answer: Captain Hook

Captain James Hook was a character, and a pirate baddie at that, in J. M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. His right hand was cut off by Peter Pan with a sword, and then eaten by a crocodile.

2. If there was anything he loved more than sailing it was cute little girl who always seemed to be in trouble - and at the mercy of a bully. An olive is always tasty, but which sailor found his strength in a can of Spinacia oleracea?

Answer: Popeye

'Popeye The Sailor Man' first appeared in comic strip form in 1929 and went on to become the hero of an animated show. The love of Popeye's life was Olive Oyl, but she was always in peril from the baddie, Bluto. Popeye was no match for the strength of Bluto, until he quickly digested a can of spinach.

3. Independent thought can be a blessing or a curse for a sailor. People like it when things go right, but not when things go wrong. Which sailor went from lowly midshipman to admiral of the fleet, and had a somewhat scandalous affair of the heart along the way?

Answer: Horatio Hornblower

Horatio Hornblower was the creation of C. S. Forester, and so good were the books and so well-rounded the character that virtually every other fictional sailor (of that particular era anyway) has been found wanting by comparison. When his wife died, Hornblower had an affair with the wife of a superior officer, though they later married. Eleven Hornblower novels (one unfinished) were written by Forester between 1937 and his death in 1967.

The character also successfully transferred to the movie and TV screens.

4. Just because he was paranoid didn't mean they were not out to get him. As a sea captain he demanded perfection from his officers and men, but it was a standard he could not keep for himself. Which captain ended up in front of a court martial accused of poor seamanship and unstable behaviour?

Answer: Captain Queeg

Philip Francis Queeg was the chief character in the 1951 novel 'The Caine Mutiny', by Herman Wouk. It was turned into a movie in 1954, and a Broadway play. Queeg was given command of a destroyer in WWII, and quickly showed that despite driving his men hard, he had mental difficulties.

After numerous mishaps, he was replaced at sea by a junior officer and subsequently faced a court-martial. Humphrey Bogarde played Queeg in the movie.

5. To serve on one ship that sank may be considered unfortunate, but to serve on seven that sank in just four years takes some beating. Which former sailor had a post-war knack of falling down pub cellars?

Answer: Uncle Albert

Uncle Albert was played by Buster Merryfield in the British TV comedy 'Only Fools And Horses', joining the cast in Series Four and staying until the end of Series Eight. The show ran from 1981 to 1991, with several one-off Christmas specials following that.

It was one of British TV's most successful comedies. Uncle Albert was an unlucky sailor, but still had a fund of entertaining stories. One trick he learned in the Royal Navy was how to fall down without hurting himself - a skill he used to good effect by continually falling in pubs for the compensation money.

6. When a bunch of terrorists took over a ship, there was only one man who could thwart their plans - the cook. Which former Navy Seal turned ship's cook had a handy way of throwing knives, and not just chopping with them?

Answer: Casey Ryback

Casey Ryback was played by Steven Seagal in the 1992 movie 'Under Siege'. When terrorists seized a US battleship, killed the captain and imprisoned the crew, Ryback, although initially locked away, managed to escape and, with the help of a stripper (played by Erika Eleniak) brought on board for a party, thwarted the plans. Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey also starred.

7. Sailing the seven seas can teach a man many things, including a certain salty language. However there is a need to temper your language when in the company of the young. Which old mariner was a crime-fighting buddy of a young boy and a dog?

Answer: Captain Haddock

Captain Archibald Haddock was an old seafarer in 'The Adventures of Tintin', by the Belgian writer Herg�, the pen name of Georges Remi. Haddock was a late addition to the regular cast of characters, and proved his reliability in helping Tintin and his dog, Snowy. Intead of the coarse expletives that a sailor might be expected to use, Haddock employed misused but otherwise harmless words. "Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles" and "Ten thousand thundering typhoons" were just two of his catch phrases.

8. "I hate the sea and everything in it", was a strange comment for an old seadog, or maybe not given that his exploits included wrecking a cargo ship full of hot pants, fighting an octopus and then marrying a man to a cow in international waters and giving them illegal fireworks as a wedding gift. Which sailor was idolized by a 10 year-old yellow boy with a weird hairstyle? Was he even a proper sailor at all?

Answer: Captain McAllister

Captain McAllister was voiced by Harry Shearer as a recurring character in 'The Simpsons'. He admitted in a court case in one episode that he was not a real sailor at all. Interestingly, this was the only episode in which his name was mentioned. [Source: The Simpsons Archives www.snpp.com] 'The Simpsons' was first broadcast on December 17, 1989, although the weird yellow family first appeared in 'The Tracey Ullman Show' two years earlier.

9. An admiral got used to dealing with all sorts of subordinates, but it could be very trying when one of them ws very insubordinate. Which admiral developed a bond with the wayward character and gave him a lot of licence, as long as he did what was asked of him? (He usually did, and got the girl into the bargain).

Answer: Admiral Sir Miles Messervy

Admiral Sir Miles Messervy was better known as 'M' in the long-running James Bond 007 franchise. 'M' was the director general of 'MI6', the British Secret Intelligence Service and commanded James Bond, 007, who had a licence to kill. M was played by Bernard Lee in 11 Bond movies between 1962 and 1979.

10. Which admiral was a veteran of the Vietnam war and later became a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a US President? Their relationship had a rocky start when the politician blamed the admiral for starting a war, and initially planned on sacking him when moving into his office in the west wing. Eventually, though, he became a trusted adviser to a president the American people might have preferred to the real one they had.

Answer: Admiral Percy Fitzwallace

Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace was played by John Amos in Series 1 to 5 of 'The West Wing'. Before his election, Jed Bartlett (played by Martin Sheen) had accused Fitzwallace of starting a war in the Philippines. On taking office, he realized just how vital an adviser he was.

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Sailors 'R' Us : Fiction's Finest Mariners Quiz

Ahoy there, me hearties! See how many of these fictional seadogs you can identify.

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