Maritime Disasters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bismarck

Bismarck had a short but eventful career. Attempting to evade British pursuers, she made for the French coast. Torpedo planes disabled her steering gear and she was trapped and sunk the next day, either by fire from the Dorsetshire or by scuttling, taking 2100 sailors with her.

Answer: Titanic

Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. She was considered unsinkable, but there is some evidence that faulty rivets may have contributed to her demise. Of the 2200 on board, 710 were saved. Only some 300 bodies were recovered.

Answer: Edmund Fitzgerald

She was carrying a full load of ore pellets when struck by a storm containing winds of 65-90 miles an hour. She carried 29 crewman with her. She was the subject of a song written and recorded by Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Opinions are now that she suffered some sort of structural failure which allowed water to enter one or more of the cargo hatches.

Answer: Graf Spee

Graf Spee, under the command of Capt. Hans Langsdorff, was damaged and had to seek refuge in a Uraguayan port. Denied enough time to make proper repairs and believing that more British ships awaited his return to sea, he scuttled his ship near the mouth of the River Platte. He then committed suicide.

Answer: Lusitania

Despite warnings from the German embassy via newspapers, the Cunard liner sailed from New York as scheduled. She was rumored to be carrying munitions and the German Uboat captain considered her fair game. She was luxurious and fast, having held the Atlantic crossing record of 4 days, 19 hours. She took nearly 1200 people with her, among them 123 Americans.

Answer: Wilhelm Gustloff

Trapped in port for a large part of the war, she had served as a hospital ship and barracks for cadets in the submarine service. She was hit by at least 3 torpedos at night in very cold temperatures. Poor decision-making by her officers led to navigation lights being turned on, thus making her an easier target. Of the civilian and military deaths, some 4000 were children.

Answer: Sultana

Sultana was carrying nearly 2400, of whom 1800 drowned or burned to death. She had a legal capacity of 376. As she fought the current, the weight on her decks caused the ship to list one way, then the other, which in turn caused one or more of the boilers to come loose.

The resulting explosion and fire was tremendous. As the river has changed course, her remains were found in a cornfield 2 miles east of the river.

Answer: Dona Paz

Dona Paz was bound from Leyte to Manila. The oil tanker was carrying gasoline and other petroleum products. The collision and fire quickly set the Dona Paz ablaze, as well as the surrounding sea. There were but 25 survivors. Estimates of the toll taken in lives varies, but is believed to be well over 4000.

Answer: U.S.S. Maine

The initial findings blamed the sinking on a mine and were instrumental in causing the Spanish American war. The yellow press, led by Hearst, agitated until war was declared. There were 266 casualties. The war led to the emergence of the U.S. as a world power. Ironically, after many studies and dives on the wreck, it is now believed that spotaneous combustion of coal dust in a bunker next to a powder room was the real culprit.

Answer: SS Portland

She was carrying between 190 and 200 people. Despite warnings of the impending weather, Captain Blanchard decided to try and outrun the storm. Bodies and debris began to wash up on shore the next day. She lies in 400 feet of water south of Boston.