AFLOAT Nautical Quiz

AFLOAT NAUTICAL QUIZ 287

• Commander Eric A Feldt RAN
• Lt Commander Eric E Feldt RAN
• Commander Erich R Feldt RANR

• Reducing alcohol consumed by passengers
• Detailing how passenger counts can be made at any time
• Restricting movement on open decks after sunset

• Jonah’s junkheap         
• Murder
• Whale fall

• Join its strands with the ends of an identical rope
• Knot together two ropes of unequal size
• Bring two ropes adjacent so they can be hauled simultaneously

• Height of its metacentre above the waterline
• Height of its centre of gravity above the waterline
• Difference between the metacentre and centre of gravity.

• Argonauts
• Oceanides
• Squaddies

• Producing the first credible vocabulary of nautical terms
• Compiling a comprehensive world atlas
• Studying the effects of long sea voyages on health

• 2010
• 2013
• 2021

• They did nor require a drive shaft under the keel
• They could operate in very shallow waters
• The engines could be fitted next to them at the stern

• Multihulls
• Two handed boats
• 25 years of female participation

Answers to AFLOAT Nautical Quiz 287

1. The founder and commander of the highly successful team of joint service, multi-racial and multi-national teams of Coastwatchers who served in the critical days of the Pacific War was Commander Eric A Feldt, RAN. He was an ‘Australian Argonaut’ – see Q 6
2. AMSA MO 504 requires that the master of a domestic commercial vessel must know number of passengers on board at any time. The new regulation provides some detail on how this can be achieved .
3. A whale ‘graveyard’ under water is a whale fall. The first found in Australian waters was in Bremer Canyon, less than 100km off WA’s southern coast. It was found by scientists from UWA and the Western Australian Museum.
4. To ‘marry’ a rope is to bring two ropes adjacent so they can be hauled simultaneously.
5. The ‘metracentric height’ is the vertical distance between a vessel’s metacentre and her centre of gravity. The metacentre must be above the centre of gravity. It is critical to the righting moment of a vessel when she rolls.  Recent container vessel events have been   worsened by containers on the upper deck that raise the centre of gravity so high the reduced metacentric height lessens their ability to recover from a roll in heavy seas.
6. The first class of cadets at the Royal Australian Naval College in 1915 was nicknamed the Argonauts. Their story of tragedy and success is told superbly by Peter Jones in his book ‘ Australia’s Argonauts …   ‘
7. Belgian Abraham Ortelius (1527-98) was famous for compiling a comprehensive world atlas.  Firstly in1570 and then in 25 further editions in several European languages. He was encouraged by Gerardus Mercator who introduced his new projection the year before Ortelius published his atlas.
8. The first non-manual power used in an America’s Cup racing yacht was in 2010 when both yachts used a small engine to help sail their multihulls. In 2013 & 2017, hydraulic power was provided by ‘grinder’ crew members, to store hydraulic pressure which was bled off as sails and foils were trimmed. In 2021, extra power will come from rechargeable batteries providing power to control and trim the foils. The grinders will again generate stored hydraulic power to trim the sails, but may only use their arms to do.
9. Main advantage of the stern wheel fitted vessels in the early days of steam was they could operate in inland waters with shoals or even rapids. They were mostly replaced with paddle (side) wheelers but continue in some parts.
10. The 2020 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht race will feature Two- handed yachts for the first time, ahead of their inclusion in Paris 2024 Olympic Games. There are stringent conditions for these competitors that include having completed a minimum qualifying race or 24-hour passage two-handed, completion of a Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Course, and have Senior First Aid and Long Range Marine Radio Operators Certificates. The 2020 Race will mark 75 years of female participation.

• 1956
• 1976
• 1986

• Was sunk by a boiler explosion
• Was sunk by a Japanese submarine
• Collided with an unchartered rock

• France
• Russia
• USA

• John Craig
• David Graham
• Iain Murray

• Paint its name on the hull
• Smooth a plank with an adze
• Disinfect heads and bathing areas

• Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and their member countries
• Maritime Forces of adjacent countries
• United Nations’ World Health Organisation (WHO)

• Two
• Four
• Six

• Disguise the setting of sails to confuse competing yachts
• Protect it from ultraviolet damage while moored
• Prevent entry of water where the mast penetrates to main deck.

• Assess the sun’s effects on ocean currents
• Improve night navigation capacity
• Change how Navy carries out sustainment of the Fleet.

• EUR€975,000 (approx. AUD$1,620,000), weighs 2,500kgs
• EUR€1,250,000 (AUD$2,074,000), weighs 2,700 kgs
• EUR€1,450,000 (AUD$2,406,000), weighs 2,950 kgs

Answers to Nautical Quiz 286

1. The first ‘commercially successful’ container ship sailed in 1956 – SS Ideal X, a converted WW2 oil tanker. Various containers had been tried for centuries but standardised containers removed the need for manual sorting of shipments, most warehousing, and most dock workers. They reduced port congestion, shipping times and losses from damage and theft.
2. Coastal freighter SS Wollongbar lost off Crescent Head NSW on 29 April 1943, and just discovered, was sunk by a Japanese submarine with the loss of 23 of its 28 crew members.
3. The largest submarine ever built is the Russian Typhoon (or Shark) class. It carried ballistic missiles and was 175m long with a submerged displacement of over 48 000 tonnes. It had twin pressure hulls and extensive facilities for crew welfare.
4. Independent Regatta Director for the 2021 America’s Cup is Australian Iain Murray – his third such role. He has contested numerous world championships for 18ft skiffs and Etchells, four America’s Cups, and 26 Sydney-Hobart yacht races with three overall victories. John Craig was the previous AC IRD, and David Graham is CEO of World Sailing.
5. To ‘dubb ‘in relation to a wooden vessel is to smooth a plank with an adze to make it suitable for use on the deck or sides. An adze was also used to assess the condition of ageing planks.
6. Fishing outside countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones is governed by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO) and their member countries. Most RFMO manage fish stocks in their region, but some manage highly migratory fish species like tuna and dolphins.
7. Major restoration projects under way by Sydney Heritage Fleet number Two. These are 1927 Steam Ship John Oxley and 1950s Speedboat Kookaburra II. Several small wooden boats are also being restored.
8. A ‘mast coat’ is intended to prevent entry of water where the mast penetrates the main deck and is stepped above the keel. It is usually made of painted canvas or rubber.
9. RAN’s Plan Galileo is intended to change how Navy carries out sustainment of the Fleet. It involves integrated Capability Life Cycle management, learning new technologies, and generating the necessary skilled workforce.
10. U Boat Worx Nemo 2-seat personal submersible costs EUR€975,000 (approx. AUD$1,620,000) and weighs 2,500kgs.

AFLOAT Nautical Quiz 285

• Cutty Sark
• Esmeralda
• Pamir

• Temporary bulkheads to stop cargo shifting
• Side buffers for use when docking alongside
• A crew member ordered to picket dangerous cargo

• Allows fishing at higher speeds
• Has a closable lower section
• Opens unexpectedly allowing the catch to escape

• Course being followed
• Method of transmitting orders from bridge to engine room
• Speed that allows a rudder to be effective

• Caused the Russian Navy to focus on Submarines
• Removed the Russian naval threat from the Pacific for many years
• Was instrumental in Japan becoming an ally of Australia in WW1.

• Sardegna – Caglari, Italy
• Portsmouth, England
• Auckland, New Zealand

• Damaged equipment
• All equipment allowing anchorage or mooring
• Items lost overboard

• Large anchor chain capstan
• Uncharted protrusion just below the surface
• A huge sea animal

• Angry crew member
• Aid to enhance safety when belaying a line
• Early device for measuring altitude of a celestial body

• Dutch merchants arrived there on Easter Day
• It was most easterly of a group of four islands
• It was ‘discovered’ at dawn on the vernal equinox

Answers to Nautical Quiz 285

1. The last commercial sailing vessel to round Cape Horn was the 4-masted barque Pamir in 1947. She was built in Germany in 1905, carried 3 800 sqm of sails; was taken as reparations by Italy after WW1 and by New Zealand after WW2. She was repurchased by a German company but sunk with loss of most on board off the Azores in 1957.
2. Pouches in cargo ships were temporary bulkheads to stop cargo shifting.
3. A ‘purse’ net is one that has a closable lower section that traps fish enclosed
4. Steerage Way is the speed of a vessel at which the rudder is effective in steering.
5. The Japanese Fleet victory over the Russian fleet in the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905 removed the Russian naval threat from the Pacific for over 60 years.
6. The America’s Cup 2021 Series races planned for Spain (late April) and England early June) were cancelled because of the Covid-19 outbreak.  At present, the first 2021 America’s Cup series is to be at Auckland in mid-December 2020, with final races 6-21 March 2021.
7. ‘Ground tackle’ refers to all equipment carried by a vessel that allows anchoring and/or mooring.
8. A ‘leviathan’ was traditionally a huge sea animal, such as crocodiles, sea dragons, serpents and whales.
9. A ‘Cross Staff’ is an early device for measuring altitude of a celestial body, It depends on the properties of similar triangles. Similar devices are still used by Arabian navigators.
10. Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was so named because Dutch East India Company vessels under command of Jacob Roggeveen arrived there on Easter Day, 5 April 1722. This Polynesian Island in the SE Pacific contains many humanoid monoliths.