Famous Shipwrecks Quiz

About Famous Shipwrecks Quiz

Give your memory a workout with Famous Shipwrecks Quiz: 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 7 medium, 5 easy, 3 hard questions, free to play right in your browser. Set sail through history and recall the great maritime tragedies and legendary lost vessels, from the Titanic to the Lusitania. Expect to spend about 7 minutes; every question comes with an explanation, so you learn something even when you miss.

A few sample questions

1. 1. The RMS Titanic sank in April 1912. In what ocean did she go down?

   Answer: The Atlantic Ocean

   The Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. She struck an iceberg just before midnight on April 14, 1912.

2. 2. The RMS Lusitania was sunk in 1915 during World War I. Which country's submarine torpedoed her?

   Answer: Germany

   A German U-boat (U-20) torpedoed the Lusitania on May 7, 1915, off the coast of Ireland. The sinking killed nearly 1,200 people and helped turn American public opinion against Germany.

3. 3. The Titanic was famously described as 'unsinkable' before her maiden voyage. Where was she built?

   Answer: Belfast, Northern Ireland

   The Titanic was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Construction began in 1909 and took about three years to complete.

4. 4. The USS Arizona was sunk during a surprise attack on December 7, 1941. Where did this happen?

   Answer: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

   The USS Arizona was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 1,100 of her crew were killed and she remains on the bottom of the harbor as a memorial today.

5. 5. The Mary Rose was a famous warship of which English king when she sank in 1545?

   Answer: King Henry VIII

   The Mary Rose was a favorite warship of King Henry VIII. She sank in the Solent channel near Portsmouth, and her remarkably preserved wreck was raised in 1982 and is now on display in a museum.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓The Titanic's wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, by a joint American-French expedition led by Dr. Robert Ballard. She was found resting about 12,500 feet below the surface.
• ✓After being crippled by a British torpedo plane that jammed her rudder, the Bismarck was finished off by British cruisers and destroyers on May 27, 1941. The engagement marked the end of Germany's biggest battleship.
• ✓The Vasa sank just minutes into her maiden voyage from Stockholm harbor on August 10, 1628. She was recovered in 1961 and is now displayed in her own dedicated museum in Stockholm.