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20th Century Ships #2 Trivia Quiz

Again, famous ships of the past - with a WWII flavor.

A multiple-choice quiz by chargerboy. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
chargerboy

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
82,692

Updated
Feb 20 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
906

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Off the coast of Ireland in 1942, the RMS Queen Mary rammed and sank which ship?
Hint

HMS Kelly

HMS Curlew

HMS Cossack

HMS Curacoa

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Question 2 of 10

2. The SS America, launched in 1939 was under tow and broke free during a storm in 1994. She was grounded in the Canary Islands, where her rusting hulk still remains. By what name is the former America now known? Hint

Italis

West Point

American Star

Australis

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Question 3 of 10

3. The enormous French Liner Normandie is said to have sunk at her berth in New York Harbour on February 9, 1942. This is not exactly correct, is it? By what name was she known when she burned and settled on her side? Hint

USS Dunkirque

USS Normandie

USS Lafayette

USS France

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Question 4 of 10

4. After the government-forced merger of Cunard and White Star, what major difference appeared on the Queen Mary that had never before been seen on a Cunarder? Hint

Named after a Queen

3 Funnels

Raised Forecastle

Quadruple Screws

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Question 5 of 10

5. In what was one of the last battleship engagements of all time, which ship came to the rescue of a damaged USS South Dakota to destroy the Japanese battleship Kirishma in November 1942? Hint

USS North Carolina

USS Wisconsin

USS Indiana

USS Washington

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Question 6 of 10

6. Of all the carnage resulting from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941 only 2 battleships were total losses. Obviously the USS Arizona was one of them; which was the other? Hint

USS Mississippi

USS Pennsylvania

USS Oklahoma

USS Maryland

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Question 7 of 10

7. The "Great White Whale" was an affectionate name given to which ship? Hint

Aquitania

Canberra

Mauretania

Oriana

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which former Blue Riband holder met an unhappy demise at the hands of the R.A.F.? Hint

Albert Ballin

Bremen

Rex

Columbus

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Question 9 of 10

9. From 1998-2008, the fleet carrier USS Kitty Hawk was based at which non-US location? Hint

Plymouth, England

Yokusuka, Japan

Sydney, Australia

Cape Town, South Africa

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Question 10 of 10

10. The RMS Britannic was to be named what until the loss of her sister the Titanic changed the view of White Star officials? Hint

Gigantic

Homeric

Oceanic

Majestic

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Off the coast of Ireland in 1942, the RMS Queen Mary rammed and sank which ship?

Answer: HMS Curacoa

On the 2nd of October 1942, the "Grey Ghost" sliced through her escort, the light cruiser HMS Curacoa off the Irish coast near Donegal. The Queen Mary had 15,000 G.I.'s on board and it was deemed too risky to stop and pick up survivors of the Curacoa. HMS Curlew was her sister ship, and HMS Kelly was a famous destroyer under the command of Lord Mountbatten.

Answer: American Star

She was known as the USS WEST POINT during her service as a troop ship in WW2. She was also known as both the AUSTRALIS and ITALIS during her extensive life, but was the AMERICAN STAR when she was shipwrecked.

Answer: USS Lafayette

Rumours of her being raised and rebuilt as a troop ship or converted into an aircraft carrier never rang true. Her superstructure was dismantled on site and her once proud hull was pumped and towed away for scrapping in 1946.

4. After the government-forced merger of Cunard and White Star, what major difference appeared on the Queen Mary that had never before been seen on a Cunarder?

Answer: Raised Forecastle

The raised forecastle was a distinctive White Star feature, as seen on the Olympic class ships. Quadruple screws date back to Lusitania, and the Berengaria (despite being the German built Imperator) had 3 funnels and was the first Cunard ship to be named after a Queen. She was the wife of Richard the Lionheart.

5. In what was one of the last battleship engagements of all time, which ship came to the rescue of a damaged USS South Dakota to destroy the Japanese battleship Kirishma in November 1942?

Answer: USS Washington

The USS Washington responded to the IJN Kirishma's salvoes that knocked the USS South Dakota out of action in a night battle off Savo Island in November 1942. The USS North Carolina was the Washington's sister ship and class leader. The USS Indiana was a sister of the South Dakota and the USS Wisconsin was yet to be launched!

6. Of all the carnage resulting from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941 only 2 battleships were total losses. Obviously the USS Arizona was one of them; which was the other?

Answer: USS Oklahoma

USS Pennsylvania was the Arizona's sister ship. All three went on to play important roles in the war, mainly bombarding shore batteries in the Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean.

7. The "Great White Whale" was an affectionate name given to which ship?

Answer: Canberra

P&O's Canberra was dubbed 'The Great White Whale' during her outstanding effort as a troop ship during the Falklands war in 1982. Still in her all-white livery, she was at the very centre of the action in San Carlos Waters. With Argentinian fighters swarming around the area, she somehow remained in tact and unloaded some 2000 troops, many with her own lifeboats. She was retired in 1998.

8. Which former Blue Riband holder met an unhappy demise at the hands of the R.A.F.?

Answer: Rex

The Rex was sunk by the R.A.F. in the shallow waters of the Italian coast in September 1944. She held the Blue Riband from 1933 until 1935. The Bremen was mysteriously torched while undergoing troop ship conversion and The Columbus was scuttled off the US coast in 1939 to avoid capture.

9. From 1998-2008, the fleet carrier USS Kitty Hawk was based at which non-US location?

Answer: Yokusuka, Japan

The USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) was based at the US Navy base in Yokosuka until 2008, when she returned to the US to be decommissioned. The USS George Washington took her place at Yokusuka.

10. The RMS Britannic was to be named what until the loss of her sister the Titanic changed the view of White Star officials?

Answer: Gigantic

The Oceanic, which would have been the 3rd ship to bear that name, was cancelled after the merger with Cunard. Majestic was the renamed Bismark that was given to White Star to compensate for the loss of the Britannic to a mine in the Aegean Sea in November 1916.

Source: Author chargerboy

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