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Gunboat 658 Trivia Quiz

This quiz is based on the book of the same name by one of the crew - L.C.Reynolds, DSC.

A multiple-choice quiz by tnrees. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
tnrees

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
296,137

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
7 / 15

Plays
353

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. What was the original armament of MGB 658? Hint

A- 40mm pom pom, B and C- two single 20mm Oerlikons, X- twin 20mm Oerlikon, Y- hand operated six pounder and two twin .303 Vickers machine guns on the bridge.

A gun A- 40mm pom pom, B and C- two twin half inch machine guns, X- twin 20mm Oerlikon, Y- Twin 40mm pom pom and two twin .303 Vickers machine guns on the bridge.

AA gun-40mm pom pom, B and C- two twin half inch machine guns, X- twin 20mm Oerlikon, Y- hand operated six pounder and two twin .303 Vickers machine guns on the bridge.

A - 40mm pom pom, B and C- two twin half inch machine guns, X- twin 20mm Oerlikon, Y- hand operated six pounder and two twin half inch machine guns on the bridge.

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Question 2 of 15

2. What was her maximum speed in knots (nautical miles per hour)? Hint

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Question 3 of 15

3. How big was her crew? Hint

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Question 4 of 15

4. What was 658's first combat success? Hint

FW190 fighter.

FW FW200 Condor (officially a reconnaissance plane but highly effective against shipping).

JU88 bomber.

Arado Ar231 unarmed reconnaissance seaplane.

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Question 5 of 15

5. Why was MGB 658 was the first MGB to get to Sardinia? Hint

There was a mistake in their orders.

They had to deliver a naval liaison officer.

The other boats in their flotilla were laid up with water in their fuel.

A crew member had severe stomach pains and had to be rushed to a doctor.

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Question 6 of 15

6. How many vessels did they destroy in their first action against surface ships? Hint

Two

Three

Four - but two were small speedboats.

Two definite and one probable.

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Question 7 of 15

7. Which of the following terms is incorrectly defined? Hint

'Sunflower' means 'enemy aircraft in sight'

'Nuts' means 'enemy in sight ' (usually followed by a direction such as port).

'George' means speed in knots as in 'George 22' means a speed of 22 knots

'Harry' means 'engines out of action'

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Question 8 of 15

8. Soon after the action US PT boats started working from their harbour. Why did they frequently go on joint operations? Hint

Bureaucratic wrangling meant that neither side would tell the others where their mine fields were so they had to guide each other through the fields.

The Americans were worried the British would achieve a prestigious victory and wanted to be able to claim a share and vice versa.

The Americans acted as eyes with their superior radar sets.

The US boats had better anti aircraft capability and the British had better anti surface ship capability.

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Question 9 of 15

9. An attempt to land four French agents and a lot of equipment in Elba failed. Why? Hint

A traitor revealed the location of the landing.

One agent dropped a container of weapons into the MGBs dinghy and it went through the bottom.

They trod on a courting couple and the ensuing noise alerted a German patrol.

Two of the Frenchmen insisted on standing up in the MGBs 3m dinghy, which capsized.

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Question 10 of 15

10. Their next surface actions were against F lighters. What were they typically armed with? Hint

Two 75mm guns and several 20mm.

Quadruple 40mm gun and several 20mm.

An 88mm gun and several 20mm guns.

A large number of 20mm guns.

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Question 11 of 15

11. They used a calcium flare. Why? Hint

To generate a smoke screen

To fumigate the boat

To distract the enemy

As a signal

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Question 12 of 15

12. When they were taking part of the invasion of Elba they intercepted the only major attempt at evacuation. They suffered heavy casualties. What losses were there on the bridge? Hint

3 from 5.

4 from 6.

3 from 4.

4 from 5.

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Question 13 of 15

13. Soon after Elba they were involved with a mine. What happened? Hint

They saw it floating and narrowly avoided it.

They hit it but it failed to explode.

They passed over it and it blew the bows off the boat behind.

It sank the boat in front.

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Question 14 of 15

14. What was the last time 658 fired her guns (other than for practice)? Hint

At an E boat about 3 hours before Germany surrendered.

At a landing craft that had hit a mine and become a drifting hazard just after VE day.

At a harbour defence motor launch outside Venice the day before Germany surrendered.

Destroying mines cut loose by minesweepers after VE day.

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Question 15 of 15

15. What was MGB 658's eventual fate? Hint

Laid up and destroyed in a fire at Plymouth in 1949.

Used as a radio controlled target and destroyed by the RAF in 1947.

Sold as a yacht and hit a rock near Rhodes in 1961.

Sold to Egypt and sank in a gale while under tow in late 1945.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the original armament of MGB 658?

Answer: AA gun-40mm pom pom, B and C- two twin half inch machine guns, X- twin 20mm Oerlikon, Y- hand operated six pounder and two twin .303 Vickers machine guns on the bridge.

A six pounder is a 57mm gun. Six lbs is about 2.5 kg. The A and Y guns were replaced by semi automatic six pounders and the half inch guns by 20mm Oerlikons. They got the two new six pounders in time for what Reynolds described as the final round.

2. What was her maximum speed in knots (nautical miles per hour)?

Answer: 30

Her cruising speed was 18 to 22 knots. She was about 35m long, 6 .5m wide with a draft of 1.5m. She had four 1,500hp Packard engines plus two auxiliary engines and carried 23000 litres of 1,000 octane petrol (which is a worry when you are regularly shot at).

3. How big was her crew?

Answer: 36

The Commander and First Officer were Canadians. The other officer was the author who was only a midshipman when he joined. The only crew allowed below during a combat patrol were the six engine room crew, the radio operator and the radar operator.

4. What was 658's first combat success?

Answer: FW190 fighter.

This was during operation Husky - the invasion of Sicily. Six FWs attacked the flotilla of five dog boats (as the D class MGBs were called) and two were shot down.
En route between England and Gibraltar they had been shadowed by German aircraft and one ship in the convoy had been damaged by fire from a submarine. Two subs were lost but there is some confusion about what happened - the Germans claimed they had collided.
The second kill was also a FW190, but after that they had little contact with enemy aircraft.
A lot of their work during Husky consisted of unexciting things like delivering messages and guiding convoys into port.

5. Why was MGB 658 was the first MGB to get to Sardinia?

Answer: A crew member had severe stomach pains and had to be rushed to a doctor.

They were the third ship after two minesweepers. None of the three doctors spoke English but they cured him with a large bottle of medicine.
All fuel was filtered through chamois leather to keep water out. This made refuelling slow.

6. How many vessels did they destroy in their first action against surface ships?

Answer: Three

Two were flak ships - about 40m long, a 75mm gun, a 40mm gun and several lighter weapons.
Unfortunately, the other boat was MGB 636 which had failed to respond to their challenge, whereupon one of 636's crewmen opened fire on them without orders. There were about ten dead. 658 also suffered its first fatality.

7. Which of the following terms is incorrectly defined?

Answer: 'Sunflower' means 'enemy aircraft in sight'

'Sunflower' is actually the radio code for radar. 'Flag four' means 'fire torpedoes'.

8. Soon after the action US PT boats started working from their harbour. Why did they frequently go on joint operations?

Answer: The Americans acted as eyes with their superior radar sets.

The US sets were like modern ones with a rotating scanner. The British ones had to be moved by hand and were intended mainly for use against aircraft.

9. An attempt to land four French agents and a lot of equipment in Elba failed. Why?

Answer: Two of the Frenchmen insisted on standing up in the MGBs 3m dinghy, which capsized.

They called it a 'false nose operation'. They could not find the French capitain de corvette who was in charge for some time as he had got stuck under the chine near the bows.

10. Their next surface actions were against F lighters. What were they typically armed with?

Answer: An 88mm gun and several 20mm guns.

Once when fighting F lighters was when they were creating a diversion for the Anzio landing by playing recordings of invasion noises.
The 88mm guns were protected by concrete emplacement. It seems this worked against the enemy as the gunners tended to hide while the British gunners had nothing to hide behind and so kept shooting.

11. They used a calcium flare. Why?

Answer: To distract the enemy

It was described as an old dodge to leave a blaze on the water. They were being engaged by a KT boat (a well armed 1500 ton transport), shore batteries and probably a convoy so they needed to get away.

12. When they were taking part of the invasion of Elba they intercepted the only major attempt at evacuation. They suffered heavy casualties. What losses were there on the bridge?

Answer: 4 from 5.

In total three of the crew were killed. The only unwounded man on the bridge was the author who first thought he was wounded as he was hit by blood and fragments.
They were fighting a force including an ex-Italian destroyer and F lighters.
The actual invasion force was Free French and French colonial troops.

13. Soon after Elba they were involved with a mine. What happened?

Answer: They passed over it and it blew the bows off the boat behind.

The priming mechanism of a mine 'clicks'. When it has done enough clicks it will explode.
Five of the crew of the following boat were killed and three were recovered from the water.
It then took ten minutes with the pom pom and Oerlikons to sink what was left of the boat.
Towards the end of the war the same thing happened to them and a following boat was sunk again.

14. What was the last time 658 fired her guns (other than for practice)?

Answer: Destroying mines cut loose by minesweepers after VE day.

They had acted as a lamp to guide convoys into Trieste then as a liberty boat for cruisers then moved up a bit to show the flag in Trieste during clashes with Yugoslavs.

15. What was MGB 658's eventual fate?

Answer: Sold to Egypt and sank in a gale while under tow in late 1945.

Lieutenant Reynolds was the only person who joined the ship when she was commissioned on 26th March 1943 in Brixham harbour who was still serving in her when she was paid off in Malta. He rose from being the junior officer of three to being commander.

Source: Author tnrees

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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