Marine Trivia Quiz 179

Compiled by Jim Broadside

1. The 2013 America’s Cup contest will be held at:
-    San Francisco, California
-    Newport, Rhode Island
-    Long Beach, California
2. SS John Oxley was built:
-    On the River Clyde in Scotland
-    In Navy Yard, New York
-    On the Hunter River, Newcastle
3. Over 90% of US Navy vessels in September 1943 had been built by:
-    Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine
-    A private business in New Orleans, Louisiana
-    New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
4. The vessel type for the 2013 America’s Cup will be:
-    The traditional 12 metre type
-    A wing-sail Catamaran
-    A Beneteau 55 or equivalent
5. The first vegetables grown on Garden Island (Sydney Harbour) in 1788 were:
-    Onions and corn
-    Tomatoes and chokos
-    Peas and carrots
6. Drag Chains are mostly used to:
-    Clear underwater obstacles
-    Slow and stop a vessel being launched
-    Decorate vessels for regattas
7. The main design imperative for ship’s propellors was that:
-    They would be safer for passengers than paddle wheels
-    They would remain submerged in heavy seas
-    They simplified the transmission required
8. The Falls of Clyde is:
-    The only surviving sail-driven oil tanker
-    A series of locks on the River Clyde near Glasgow
-    The biography of English privateer Lord Artemis Clyde
9. The new President of the Boating Industry Association of NSW is:
-    Doug Olding
-    John Bertrand
-    Darren Vaux
10. The Murray River flows approximately:
-    From west to east
-    From east to west
-    According to the wind direction

Last month’s winners –  

Edward Gibb, Brighton, VIC; Jordan Harker, Applecross, WA.

Answers to Quiz No 178

    1.    The first vessel to leave harbour with the Australian convoy that left Albany on 1 November 1914 was HMS Minotaur.
    2.    The longest ship built was super tanker Seawise Giant, built 1979 at 458 metres, she had several names before being broken up in 2010.
    3.    The British Admiral executed in 1757 was Admiral John Byng, who had ‘failed to do his utmost’ to save Minorca when in French possession. It is accepted that he was made a political scapegoat for Admiralty failings but the execution encouraged in Royal Navy officers aggression that underpinned later successes.
    4.    The Centenary of King George V granting the title ‘Royal Australian Navy’ will be on 10 July 2011. The RAN will commemorate as they occur centenaries of key naval events, including support to the Gallipoli landings.
    5.    Purse seine fishing involves large nets that can be closed at the bottom by a line passing through a series of rings linked by rope.
    6.    Lady Hopetoun was built in Sydney by the Sydney Harbour Trust in 1902 as a vice-regal steam yacht.
    7.    The world’s deepest lake is continental rift Lake Baikal in southern Russia which is 1642m at its deepest and averages 744m deep. It harbours over 1700 plant and animal species of which 2/3 are said to be unique to that lake.
    8.    Regulation of pilotage in Sydney Harbour was enhanced after sinking of the Dunbar in 1857, with the tragic loss of 121 lives. One crew member survived.
    9.    The Australian Farr 30 Championship hosted by RQYS in early April was won by Goa Nova 106.9 skippered by Chris Tyquin.
    10.    A highly positive Southern Oscillator Index indicates La Nina conditions with high moisture air over Australia.