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Quiz about Ships of the Royal Navy  1960s
Quiz about Ships of the Royal Navy  1960s

Ships of the Royal Navy - 1960s Quiz


The Royal Navy in the 60s was one of the biggest navies in the world - how much do you know about the ships serving in the RN in that decade?

A multiple-choice quiz by Bazingstoke. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
Bazingstoke
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
361,495
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
204
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Question 1 of 10
1. The Leander Class frigate first came into service in the early 60s and went on to become the biggest class of frigates in the Royal Navy. They were named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology. Which of these was not the name of a Leander Class frigate? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Whilst the new submarine base at Faslane was being built, a submarine depot ship, which had been launched in 1938 and served throughout World War II, was based in the Gareloch. In 1967 she was taken to Rosyth to be paid off, but her life was considerably extended when she was taken to Belfast to be used firstly as an army accommodation ship and then as a prison ship for IRA prisoners. What was her name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In August 1966 a cruiser berthed alongside in Devonport dockyard accidentally fired a 6" gun during routine maintenance. The shell, which was of course a dummy, ricocheted off the cruiser's deck, onto the jetty and hit a dockyard crane, fortunately with nobody being injured. What was the name of the cruiser? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The Royal Navy had several large aircraft carriers in the 60s. Remarkably, one of them, which was first commissioned in 1959, was the flagship of the British forces during the Falkands War in 1982. At the time of writing (2013) she is the oldest aircraft carrier in commission anywhere in the world as INS VIRAAT (Indian navy). What was her name whilst in the Royal Navy? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Built at the end of the 50s and serving right though the 60s, were four Type 61 frigates. They were for aircraft direction and were named after cathedral cities. Which of these was NOT the name of a Type 61 frigate? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The first of the UK's nuclear-powered submarines joined the fleet in 1963. Her name evoked hugely powerful ships from an earlier era - what was she called? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Three ships of the same class, HM Ships HECATE, HECLA and HYDRA, joined the fleet in the mid-60s. They looked different to the rest of the fleet, having white hulls and buff funnels. What were they? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The RN operated a class of four Type 41 Anti-aircraft frigates during the 60s, known as the "Cat" class as they all bore the names of big cats. Which of these was NOT a Type 41 frigate? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Throughout the 1960s the Royal Navy operated scores of wooden-hulled minesweepers whose names all ended in "-ton", such as HMS WILTON and HMS BEACHAMPTON. What were they named after? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Royal Navy's "County" class of Guided Missile Destroyers were large and manpower-intensive ships, whose main missile armament was the Seaslug ship-to-air missile system. The class consisted of HM Ships ANTRIM, DEVONSHIRE, FIFE, HAMPSHIRE, KENT, LONDON, NORFOLK and which other? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Leander Class frigate first came into service in the early 60s and went on to become the biggest class of frigates in the Royal Navy. They were named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology. Which of these was not the name of a Leander Class frigate?

Answer: HMS ORION

HMS ORION was a World War II light cruiser.

Please note that throughout this quiz all ships' names are written in upper case, as per the standard RN procedure (and as in "Jane's Fighting Ships", which I used for reference).
2. Whilst the new submarine base at Faslane was being built, a submarine depot ship, which had been launched in 1938 and served throughout World War II, was based in the Gareloch. In 1967 she was taken to Rosyth to be paid off, but her life was considerably extended when she was taken to Belfast to be used firstly as an army accommodation ship and then as a prison ship for IRA prisoners. What was her name?

Answer: HMS MAIDSTONE

MAIDSTONE was my first ship, and was already really showing her age when I joined her in 1966. Leaving her to join a small diesel submarine was something of a luxury!
3. In August 1966 a cruiser berthed alongside in Devonport dockyard accidentally fired a 6" gun during routine maintenance. The shell, which was of course a dummy, ricocheted off the cruiser's deck, onto the jetty and hit a dockyard crane, fortunately with nobody being injured. What was the name of the cruiser?

Answer: HMS TIGER

It seems that a real cordite charge had been mixed with the practice charges. Although the shell was a dummy, the accidental firing caused a huge panic (and an official enquiry!)
4. The Royal Navy had several large aircraft carriers in the 60s. Remarkably, one of them, which was first commissioned in 1959, was the flagship of the British forces during the Falkands War in 1982. At the time of writing (2013) she is the oldest aircraft carrier in commission anywhere in the world as INS VIRAAT (Indian navy). What was her name whilst in the Royal Navy?

Answer: HMS HERMES

The Naval drafting authorities showed their sense of humour in 1969 when they sent me from a small diesel submarine with a crew of 70 to the EAGLE with well over 2,500 people on board. It took me a month to find my way around!
5. Built at the end of the 50s and serving right though the 60s, were four Type 61 frigates. They were for aircraft direction and were named after cathedral cities. Which of these was NOT the name of a Type 61 frigate?

Answer: HMS COVENTRY

The hull that was to be COVENTRY actually became HMS PENELOPE, the fourth of the Leander class.
6. The first of the UK's nuclear-powered submarines joined the fleet in 1963. Her name evoked hugely powerful ships from an earlier era - what was she called?

Answer: HMS DREADNOUGHT

DREADNOUGHT hit the headlines in 1967 when she was called upon to sink a drifting and abandoned tanker, the Essberger Chemist, south of the Azores. She struck the ship with three torpedoes which set off the cargo of 600 tons of explosive chemicals, and gunfire from HMS SALISBURY completed the task by holing her tanks and sinking her.
7. Three ships of the same class, HM Ships HECATE, HECLA and HYDRA, joined the fleet in the mid-60s. They looked different to the rest of the fleet, having white hulls and buff funnels. What were they?

Answer: Survey ships

Two of them, and their later sister ship HERALD, served as hospital ships in the Falklands conflict, while HECATE assumed the role of Ice Patrol Ship immediately after the conflict and was the first RN ship to visit South America after the war.
8. The RN operated a class of four Type 41 Anti-aircraft frigates during the 60s, known as the "Cat" class as they all bore the names of big cats. Which of these was NOT a Type 41 frigate?

Answer: HMS PANTHER

PANTHER, originally to have been the fifth of the class, was eventually built for the Indian Navy as BRAHMAPUTRA. PUMA was my fourth ship in the RN and I sadly took part in her decommissioning in Chatham in 1971.
9. Throughout the 1960s the Royal Navy operated scores of wooden-hulled minesweepers whose names all ended in "-ton", such as HMS WILTON and HMS BEACHAMPTON. What were they named after?

Answer: Villages

Many other navies around the world purchased ships of this class, including Argentina, New Zealand, Ghana, Malaysia, South Africa and Australia.
10. The Royal Navy's "County" class of Guided Missile Destroyers were large and manpower-intensive ships, whose main missile armament was the Seaslug ship-to-air missile system. The class consisted of HM Ships ANTRIM, DEVONSHIRE, FIFE, HAMPSHIRE, KENT, LONDON, NORFOLK and which other?

Answer: HMS GLAMORGAN

GLAMORGAN fought in the Falklands war, and was the only ship to be hit by a shore-launched Exocet missile, which struck the hangar and killed 14 of the ship's company.
Source: Author Bazingstoke

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