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Geeky

If you've never owned a copy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane's_Fighting_Ships" target="_blank">Jane's Fighting Ships</a> or at least one of the Aubrey/Maturin series, this quiz probably isn't for you.

If you've never owned a copy of Jane's Fighting Ships or at least one of the Aubrey/Maturin series, this quiz probably isn't for you.

Only Total Naval History Nerds Should Even Try This Quiz

Shortly before Trafalgar, he had learned that Napoleon was planning to relieve him of his command – Bonaparte said "Villeneuve does not possess the strength of character to command a frigate. He lacks determination and has no moral courage" – so he set off from Cadiz before his replacement could arrive. His fleet was was intercepted by Nelson and heavily defeated.

It was Villeneuve.

Everyone knows that Admiral Nelson commanded the British fleet at Trafalgar. But who commanded the French and Spanish forces?

The most common manoeuvre in major naval battles at the time was for the two fleets to line up alongside each other and fire their broadsides. But Nelson ordered his fleet to sail in two lines directly at the French, exposing themselves to French fire and unable to respond, so that they could cut through the "line of battle" in two places, forcing a mêlée that the British fleet, with its better gunnery and seamanship, would likely win despite being outnumbered.

It was Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood.

And who was Nelson's second-in-command, leading the lee column in the _Royal Sovereign_ as Nelson led the windward column in the _Victory_?

The _HL Hunley_ and its crew of eight sank the USS _Housatonic_ off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1864, using a torpedo that it screwed into the ship's side. The _Hunley_ had sunk twice before in trials, killing 13 men, and, after sinking the _Housatonic_, sunk again, with the loss of all hands. It was salvaged in 2000.

It's the American civil war.

In which war did this little submarine become the first in history to sink an enemy ship?

She was the first steam-turbine-powered battleship, fast and immensely powerful, armed with 12-inch guns. Her arrival rendered an entire generation of naval ships obsolete; later battleships became generically known as "dreadnoughts". She served in the first world war and was retired in 1919.

It's the _Dreadnought_.

What's the name of this early battleship?

The British grand fleet, 151 ships commanded by Admiral Jellicoe, met the 99 ships of Admiral Hipper's German High Seas fleet off the coast of Denmark. It was an extraordinarily bloody action – 14 British ships and 11 German ones sank or blew up, with the loss of more than 8,500 crew.   
The battle was indecisive, with both sides claiming victory.

It was in May and June 1916.

What year was the Battle of Jutland?

That meant they often exploded outside the German ships, doing much less damage than the TNT-based shells of the enemy, which penetrated the armour before detonating.   
The German battlecruiser SMS _Seydlitz_ (pictured) survived 21 direct hits from British main guns, as well as from several smaller shells and a torpedo. She was badly damaged, but back in service by November.

The explosive used in British shells, picric acid, often exploded with the shock of impact.

What did the British naval high command blame for the failure to win a more decisive victory at Jutland?

(This is not a picture of the first raid.)

Seven Sopwith Camels took off from HMS _Furious_, a converted battlecruiser, to attack a German Zeppelin base. Two Zeppelins were destroyed; three pilots made it back to the ship, ditching their aircraft in the water alongside, while three landed in Denmark and one drowned.

It was the "[Tondern Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondern_raid)", in 1918, the last year of the first world war.

Which war saw the first air raid launched from an aircraft carrier?

The fleet was interned there during the Armistice. After nine months, during a moment of inattention from the watching British ships, the German admiral ordered his captains to sink all the ships to prevent them from being given to the Allies.

A total of 74 ships were [scuttled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttling_of_the_German_fleet_in_Scapa_Flow), with most of them sinking or settling on the shallow bottom.

What major event of the first world war took place at Scapa Flow?

The painting's full title is "The Fighting _Temeraire_ tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838".

It's the [_Temeraire_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fighting_Temeraire). It was in Nelson's weather column, and performed heroically, capturing two French ships and rescuing Nelson's flagship, the _Victory_.

This Turner painting of one of the Trafalgar ships being towed away to be broken up is called:

Specifically, this is a 42-pounder carronade on board HMS _Victory_. They were lighter and easier to manage than "long guns", and required less gunpowder per shot, but the Royal Navy phased them out by about 1850 as accurate long-range gunnery became more important than close-range broadsides and boarding.

It's a carronade, or "smasher", a kind of short-range cannon that threw heavy balls in close combat.

This is one of HMS _Victory_'s great guns. What is it?

The battleship HMS _Prince of Wales_ severely damaged _Bismarck_ in the encounter.

The _Hood_, the "Pride of the Navy", was hit by a shell from the _Bismarck_ in its aft magazines, and blew up immediately. Just three crewmen survived.

Which _Bismarck_-class battleship sank HMS _Hood_ in the Battle of the Denmark Strait??

A total of 30 Lancasters, from both 617 Squadron (the "Dam Busters") and 9 Squadron, attacked the battleship at its moorings in Tromsø, Norway. Each plane carried a five-ton "Tall Boy" bomb. At least two hit the ship, causing huge internal explosions; the ship capsized at anchor.  
The raid was called [Operation Catechism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Catechism), and was the ninth attempt by British forces to sink or disable the _Tirpitz_.

It was the _Tirpitz_.

The Lancaster bombers of the "Dam Busters" sank one of the same _Bismarck_-class battleships. Which one?

The _Typhoons_ were the largest class of submarines ever built. They went out of service in 2012, and could carry 20 ballistic missiles with up to 10 nuclear warheads on each. The _Red October_, the fictional submarine from the Tom Clancy novel and subsequent film _The Hunt for Red October_, was supposed to be an upgraded _Typhoon_.

The others are USS _Asheville_, a _Los Angeles_-class attack submarine; HMS _Victorious_, a _Vanguard_-class Trident missile submarine; and [U-534](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-534), a German second world

Which of these is a Soviet _Typhoon_-class SSBN?

Still not really got your sea legs, there, matey. If Captain Aubrey tells you to pull a rope, just pull the rope.

Landsman!

You're in the ranks, you're not quite officer class. There's no disgrace in this. It was a hard quiz.

Able Seaman!

A solid performance. You may not be destined to be an Admiral of the Red, but you can hand, reef and steer, and wouldn't be afraid to board 'em in the smoke.  
(Note: The picture is of John Wild, a Royal Navy lieutenant who later became a highly respected radio-astronomer. We just thought that was worth noting.)

Lieutenant!

You're not quite in the upper ranks, but you know your larboard from your starboard and your mainsails from your topgallants.

Master and Commander!

You're a bluff old cove, and you can tell the difference between a sloop and a brig. You can probably navigate a 38-gun frigate from Portsmouth to Recife by dead reckoning alone. Amazing.

Post Captain!

Nelson, famously, "saw no ships". You've just seen lots of ships and were able to correctly answer EVERY SINGLE QUESTION ABOUT THEM. So in a very real sense, you're better than Nelson.

Admiral!

The Bismarck and the Tirpitz were Bismarck-class battleships. A previous version of this post misidentified them.

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