Shipwrecks, Ghostships & Maritime Mishaps Quiz

Answer: East River

The burning and subsequent sinking of the SS General Slocum in New York's East River was that state's greatest disaster until the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center. The Slocum was a side-wheeled paddleboat that was being used for excursion trips around New York City.

When the fire started in a storage compartment it quickly became evident that safety precautions had been ignored. Fire hoses were rotted; life jackets were reported to fall apart when touched. All lifeboats were inaccessible and the crew had never even had a fire drill.

The captain also refused to run the ship aground which would have saved many, but instead kept sailing into prevailing winds which caused the fire to strengthen. Only 321 people survived. The captain only served 4 years in prison.

Answer: It was the first ship to be sunk by a nuclear powered submarine.

The sinking of the Belgrano by HMS Conqueror was the first time a nuclear-powered submarine had sank a ship. It was also only the second time a submarine of any kind had sank a ship since WWII. 20 minutes after being hit by 2 torpedos, the crew abandoned ship.

In bad weather and semi-darkness they had been unable to send out an S.O.S. and so rescue was delayed. Over 700 men were plucked from the icy waters in the following days.

Answer: SS Waratah

In July of 1909 the SS Waratah disappeared with all aboard while on a trip from Durban to Cape Town. The ship was believed lost off the east coast of South Africa on a return trip from Australia to England. They had docked in Durban and one passenger got off.

He unknowingly became the only survivor. The ship set off for the next leg of its journey with 211 passengers and crew and was never seen again. There was bad weather in the area and there were some reports of a ship that appeared to have been smoking.

These reports were never verified. The ship was searched for diligently at the time and for another 80 years off and on. Sadly, it has never been found. An interesting piece of information I found is that there have been at least 4 other ships with this name that sank within 60 years. Two of these ships sank within a couple months of each other in Sydney Harbor!

Answer: The Medusa

The Medusa ran aground on a sand bar 50 km from the west coast of Africa. Unable to free the ship, some people set sail in lifeboats; a few stayed behind and 146 people were put on a raft. The raft was too heavy to tow and was released to float in the sea.

When it was accidentally found 13 days later only 15 subjects had survived. Reports of cannibalism and murder were rampant. Of the 17 men who stayed with the ship only 3 were still alive 56 days later when the captain went back in an unsuccessful attempt to save the cargo. Enter "Le Radeau de la Meduse" in any search engine and you will be able to see the image painted by Gericaults.

It is intense look at a horrible tragedy.

Answer: Lake Superior

The Edmund Fitzgerald is just one of hundreds of shipwrecks that litter the bottoms of the Great Lakes. These lakes are among the most dangerous in the world, with terrible weather, rogue waves, and very deep, icy water. The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald was saved for posterity when singer songwriter Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song within weeks of the sinking memorializing the ship and its crew.

The bell of the ship was recovered in 1995 and is on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan.

Answer: 17 minutes

The Estonia disappeared from the radar of surrounding ships at 01:50 hrs. The MS Mariela arrived at the location only 17 minutes later. The first helicopter arrived at 03:05 hrs. Even with this quick response, 852 lives were lost. Only 138 people survived the sinking.

The Estonia was a large cruise ship with an experienced crew. The sinking was believed to be due to design flaws and equipment failure even though there are conspiracy theorists who believe the ship may have been transporting military equipment.

When the wreck was explored underwater nothing was found to support these ideas.

Answer: Halifax Harbor

The Halifax explosion occurred in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada on Dec. 6, 1917. The SS Mont-Blanc was a cargo ship fully loaded with wartime explosives. The explosion when the two ships collided in the harbor caused a tsunami, and a pressure wave of hot air that was responsible for the bending and melting of metal ornaments, the collapse of a local bridge and the breaking of large trees in the area. Over 2000 people were killed in the initial explosion that was heard over 130 miles away. The explosion also caused a blizzard to fall the next day.

The SS Imo was lifted up by the tsunami and planted several hundred feet inland. The SS Mont-Blanc was completely destroyed, and a piece of the ship was embedded in the wall of a local church where it still resides today.

Answer: USS Indianapolis

The sinking of the cruiser USS Indianapolis led to the greatest single loss of life event in the history of the U.S. Navy. Over 300 of her crew were killed when the Japanese submarine I-58 hit her with a torpedo. The rest of the crew, estimated to have been 880 men went into the water. Rescue of these men did not start for more than 3 days.

The reasons for this have been hotly debated for decades. In the end, of the 880 men who went into the water, only 321 crew members were rescued. Many of the men did not have lifejackets and the oceanic white tip shark went into full scale feed frenzy as the men died off.

It was one of the most horrific maritime tragedies of all time.

Answer: cyclone

The Yongala sailed into a cyclone in 1911 and neither it nor any of its 120+ passengers were seen again until the wreck sight was rediscovered in 1958. For many years there were stories circulating that the Yongala was a ghost ship and that to glimpse it was considered an omen for upcoming disaster.

The wreck site sits in clear water and many conservation rules govern the site which has over 10,000 visitors every year.

Answer: running aground

The SS America was a large ocean liner built in 1938 that was being towed for refitting when a thunderstorm caused the tow lines to break. The crew was rescued by helicopter and the ship was set adrift in the ocean. It finally ran aground on the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. If you enter its name in a search engine you can find a series of photos that show the boat slowing sinking over a matter of 18 YEARS!

Answer: The Flying Dutchman

The legend of The Flying Dutchman supposedly started in 1641. Legend says that the ship was trying to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope (at the bottom of Africa), one of the most dangerous areas in any of the oceans. After being caught in a storm and being driven into the rocks, the ship started to sink.

Its Captain, Willim van der Dekken exclaimed loudly that "I will round this cape even if I have to sail until doomsday"! Sightings of this ghostship have persisted for centuries. It is believed that a sighting of this ship means certain doom for those who see it. One of the last sightings was in 1939, when a large group of bathers who saw the ship sail into Table Bay and then vanish into thin air.

There is some disagreement as to the historical facts of the sinking but the belief of certain doom is accepted by all sailors.

Answer: commercial alcohol

The Mary Celeste was carrying a full load of commercial alcohol. It was being sent to Italy for use in wine making. One of the most popular theories of why the captain and crew were not on board was that one or more of these casks broke open and the ship was abandoned temporarily while the fumes dissipated. Everyone was assumed to have climbed into a lifeboat and floated behind.

When the line broke they were set adrift at sea and lost. The fact that the boat was found in pristine condition (excepting some broken alcohol casks)with everything but the people intact has given rise to many theories that range from alien abduction and sea monsters to mutiny, piracy, and the above described scenario. None of us will ever know.

Answer: One of her lifeboats was found floating in the ocean.

The sinking of the SS Valencia was the cause of many new safety rules and modifications. The ship was caught in a storm and ran aground on a reef 50 meters from shore. Life boats were lowered against the captain's commands and all of them flipped over spilling the occupants into the ocean and to their deaths. 12 men made it to shore but three were washed away even after they got to the beach. None of the ships that came to help could get to the survivors still clinging to the slowly sinking ship.

They watched for hours as the survivors were washed away one by one. There is now a lighthouse at this point which had long been known as "The Graveyard of the Pacific". 136 people died including every female and child on the ship. 27 years later one of the lifeboats was found floating in the ocean still seaworthy.

It is now on display at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia. Sightings of this ship and her lifeboats filled with skeletons have led to it being one of the most well known ghost ships.

Answer: Chile

Local myth claims the ghost ship The Caluche sails the seas around Chiloe Island in Chili. It is only seen at night and sounds of a party are frequently heard. Unlike many ghost ships, a sighting of this ship does not portend doom. It is said to appear to ships in distress as an assurance that help is on the way.

It is said to roam the area so the sailors that it carries for eternity can stay near their families. It is unknown whether The Caluche was a real ship, just myth, or a mixture of both.

Answer: pack ice

On October 1, 1931 the Baychimo a 1,322 hundred ton cargo steamer became stuck in pack ice. It was carrying a full load of animal pelts. Some of the crew was evacuated and some of the crew stayed behind to guard the valuable cargo. The made a camp a short distance away from the ship.

A blizzard hit and after it was over the crew found that the ship was gone. Advised by an Inuit seal hunter that he had seen the ship 45 miles away they found it and attempted to take the most valuable furs and abandoned the ship which was stuck again.

While it was assumed that the crushing ice would cause the ship to sink there were repeated sightings of the boat for 38 years. It was last sighted in 1969 still trapped in ice. It is unknown if the boat has sank, is floating in the open sea, or is still trapped in ice.

But it is known as a very unique ghost ship that has actually been boarded and photographed.