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Massachusetts Maritime Lore Trivia Quiz

Massachusetts is not only by the sea it has depended on it as a workplace and playground. How much do you know about the sixth state's relationship with the Atlantic Ocean?

A multiple-choice quiz by CmdrK. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
CmdrK

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
320,702

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
631

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is Massachusetts's nickname? Hint

The Ocean State

The Bay State

The Constitution State

The Empire State

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In a certain old seafaring song, the girls from this locale "don't use no sleds ... They slide down the hills on the codfish heads." Where are they from? Hint

Gloucester

Cape Ann

Cape Cod

Fall River

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. In "Moby Dick", Captain Ahab's ship, the Pequod, left which Massachusetts port on its ill-fated journey?
Hint

Fall River

New Bedford

Gloucester

Nantucket

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. What happened to the battleship USS Massachusetts when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941?
Hint

She was not at Pearl Harbor

She was run aground

She was sunk

She escaped to open waters

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. The fishing boat "Andrea Gail," lost during the so-called "perfect storm" in 1991, was based in which town?
Hint

New Bedford

Gloucester

Newburyport

Hull

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. When cod fishing in Massachusetts was at its zenith, how many tons were caught each year?
Hint

100,000 tons

89,000 tons

Over 155,000 tons

82,000 tons

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Where is the frigate USS Constitution docked?
Hint

Peabody Essex Museum

Battleship Cove in Fall River

Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown

Essex Shipbuilding Museum

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which Massachusetts town has as its motto: "America's Oldest Seaport"?
Hint

Fall River

Rockport

Gloucester

Nantucket

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In the 19th or 20th centuries, if you were sailing at night off Surfside, Massachusetts and became disoriented, what would you look for to reestablish your position? Hint

The Lightship Nantucket

The Deer Island light

The Portland Head light

The Plum Island light

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. There is a marine sciences institute in Massachusetts that has contributed much to our understanding of oceans and climate. What is it's name? Hint

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is Massachusetts's nickname?

Answer: The Bay State

Massachusetts was originally called the Massachusetts Bay Colony when it was an English possession. Rhode Island is the "Ocean State", Connecticut is the "Constitution State" and New York is the "Empire State."

2. In a certain old seafaring song, the girls from this locale "don't use no sleds ... They slide down the hills on the codfish heads." Where are they from?

Answer: Cape Cod

This song, "Cape Cod Girls" is an example of a sea shanty (or chanty), songs containing insulting or inane lyrics used to establish a cadence so deckhands would work in unison while raising or repositioning sails.

3. In "Moby Dick", Captain Ahab's ship, the Pequod, left which Massachusetts port on its ill-fated journey?

Answer: Nantucket

Nantucket was once one of the leading whaling ports in the world.

4. What happened to the battleship USS Massachusetts when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941?

Answer: She was not at Pearl Harbor

The USS Massachusetts, nicknamed "Big Mamie" was launched on September 23, 1941 but was not commissioned until May 12, 1942 at Boston. She fired the first 16-inch (410 mm) shells at an enemy target in World War II and is believed to have also fired the last 16-inchers of the war.

5. The fishing boat "Andrea Gail," lost during the so-called "perfect storm" in 1991, was based in which town?

Answer: Gloucester

The term "perfect storm" was given to the Halloween Nor'easter by a meteorologist at the US National Weather Service's Boston office. The term was used as a book title, a movie and has come to mean any convergence of dire events.

6. When cod fishing in Massachusetts was at its zenith, how many tons were caught each year?

Answer: Over 155,000 tons

According to the United States Commissioner of Navigation, the average annual tonnage between 1854 and 1866 was 155,179 tons.

7. Where is the frigate USS Constitution docked?

Answer: Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown

The USS Constitution, nicknamed "Old Ironsides", was commissioned in 1794 and was named by George Washington. She earned her nickname during the War of 1812 when some cannonballs from a British warship bounced off her hull made of Southern live oak. She is still an officially commissioned U.S. Navy ship.

8. Which Massachusetts town has as its motto: "America's Oldest Seaport"?

Answer: Gloucester

Gloucester, on the Annisquam River, was first chartered in 1623.

9. In the 19th or 20th centuries, if you were sailing at night off Surfside, Massachusetts and became disoriented, what would you look for to reestablish your position?

Answer: The Lightship Nantucket

Surfside is on the southern side of Nantucket Island and the southernmost town in Massachusetts. Lightships were floating lighthouses used in several places in the U.S. The ones named the "Lightship Nantucket" were positioned on dangerous shoals south and east of Nantucket Island near well-travelled shipping lanes to and from New York City.

The last one positioned off Nantucket Island was decommissioned in 1985.

10. There is a marine sciences institute in Massachusetts that has contributed much to our understanding of oceans and climate. What is it's name?

Answer: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is located in Woods Hole on Cape Cod. It was founded in 1930 and studies all things oceanic and climatological. It's three-person research submarine "Alvin" can dive to a depth of almost three miles.

Source: Author CmdrK

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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