Famous Passenger Ship Disasters Quiz

Answer: SS City of Rio de Janeiro

The SS City of Rio de Janeiro was operated by the United States and Brazil Mail Steamship Company and was launched in 1878. The ship travelled between San Francisco and other Pacific ports including Honolulu, HI, Yokohama, Japan, and Hong Kong. The ship struck a reef near the entrance to San Francisco Bay in 1901, and sank in less than 10 minutes due in part to the lack of watertight bulkheads (not common at that time). 128 of the 210 people on board at the time died.

Answer: SS Norge

The SS Norge was operated by Theodore C. Engals & Co. and was launched in 1881. The ship was sailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, via Kristiania and Kristiansand, Norway, to New York, NY, when it struck a rock on the reef, ripping a large hole in its hull and sinking in 12 minutes. Only five of the eight life boats could be launched before the ship sank and about 635 of the 795 people on board died.

Answer: RMS Titanic

Victim of one of the most famous nautical disasters of modern history, RMS Titanic was owned by the White Star Line and was launched in 1912. The ship was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York, NY. The ship struck an iceberg about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, late on the night of April 14, before sinking less than three hours later on April 15.

The ship only carried lifeboats sufficient for about half of the people on board and far less than the number it could have carried. 1,514 out of the 2,224 people on board died.

Answer: Principe de Asturias

Principe de Asturias was owned by Naviera Pinilos and was launched in 1914. This ship and the Infanta Isabel were the two largest passenger ships in the Spanish merchant fleet at the time. On the morning of March 5, in a dense fog, the ship ran aground near the island of Sao Sebastiao, opening a large hole in the hull and sinking in about five minutes. Of the 588 people aboard, about 445 died.

Answer: SS Afrique

The SS Afrique was owned by Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis and was launched in 1907. During its final voyage, the ship was en route from the Gironde Estuary in Western France to Dakar, Senegal. A gale caused the ship to lose power and run aground on a reef. The same gale made rescue efforts difficult. About 575 of the 609 people on board died.

Answer: SS Principessa Mafalda

The SS Principessa Mafalda was owned by Navigazione Generale Italiana and was launched in 1908. The ship was usually used on the company's run between Genoa, Italy, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. After service as a troop transport in World War One, the ship had a reputation for faded luxury. Off the coast of Brazil in 1927, one of the ships propellers shattered, damaging the hull, causing the ship to slowly sink.

Although rescue vessels were nearby, confusion and panic contributed to the deaths of 314 of the 1,252 people on the ship.

Answer: MS Georges Phiippar

The liner MS Georges Phiippar was owned by Cie des Messageries Maritimes and was launched in 1930. In 1932, the ship made its maiden voyage from Marseilles, France, to Yokohama, Japan. On the return trip, after stopping at Shanghai, China and Colombo, Ceylon, an electrical fault caused the ship to catch on fire near the Gulf of Aden.

A distress signal brought several ships to the side of the MS Georges Philippar. Because of the response of the ships only 54 of the 752 people on board died.

Answer: SS Andrea Doria

The SS Andrea Doria was owned by the Italian Line and was launched in 1951. During its short life, the ship was a symbol of attempts by Italy to rebuild its economy after World War Two. The ship was near the end of one of its typical trips between Genoa, Italy, and New York, NY when it collided with the SS Stockholm near the coast of Nantucket, MA.

The ship took over 12 hours to sink and due to efforts by the crew of the Andrea Doria and other ships, only 46 of the 1,702 people on board died. Recent findings suggest that errors by both ship led to the collision.

Answer: TSMS Lakonia

TSMS Lakonia was owned by the Netherland Line and was launched in 1929 as the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. The ship originally sailed between Amsterdam and the Dutch East Indies before being sold and refitted in the early 1960s. At the time of the disaster, the ship was in the midst of a cruise between Southampton, UK, and the Canary Islands. En route to the Madeira Islands, a fire broke out on the ship. Of the 1,022 people on board the ship, 128 died, due to a combination of fire, exposure to the elements, and drowning.

Answer: SS Yarmouth Castle

The SS Yarmouth Castle was launched in 1927 as the Evangeline. At the time of the accident, it was owned by the Chadade Steamship Company. The ship had seen a variety of service including serving as a troop transport in the Pacific Theater during World War Two.

By the 1950s and 1960s it was serving as a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea. The ship was enroute from Miami, FL, to Nassau, Bahamas, when a fire broke out shortly after midnight. 90 of the 465 people on board the ship died, and in the aftermath of the disaster new regulations about fire safety at sea were passed.