Ship Trivia Quiz

How about Robert Holmes, in the service of the Royal African Company, sent by James, Duke of York (Lord High Admiral of England and later King James II) to capture Dutch trading posts and colonies in West Africa?

Rick

Thanks...

Early in the twentieth century, parts of this ship were reputed to have been used to restore a much more famous vessel. Years earlier she had been involved in a "first" in the Pacific. Which ship, what was the "first" and how did she help in a restoration?

Rick

So...got you all foxed, eh? A clue, then, before it falls off the bottom of the page.

The restored ship can be seen in an English south-coast dockyard.

Rick

Would that be HMS Shah, Pacific flagship of Rear Admiral De Horsey. The lower masts of the Shah, were used on HMS Victory as replacements.

The Shah had a interesting career, the last sailing frigate, she fought a single action against a Peruvian armoured turret ship Huascar, and 400 of her crew later fought in Natal for five months as an infantry battalion.

Nearly there George, but what was the "first" she achieved?

Rick

Are you referring to the firing of the first torpedo by a British naval ship in the action with the Peruvian ship?

You've got it, George. Reputedly the first firing in action of a locomotive torpedo. It never reached its target!

Next question please.

Rick

This one may be a little more testing and hopefully google proof;  the location is real, but the ship and the Captain are fictional, but are very well known. The period is Napoleonic.

Combine a mechanical device for raising the cro'jack yard on HMS Victory with the title of an iconic British film of the 1960's, set in a peculiarly British institution, and you will find the place that will lead you to the Captain of a vessel with a name that echoes the ancient kings of Egypt.

What is the Place?

What is the name of the ship?

Who is the Captain?

There have been a number of questions on this topic relating to written or film trivia with a nautical twist, and this is no different.

If you don't like the question searat ..... then pass

Here's an initial clue to start the ball rolling.

The mechanical device in the first part of the question is shown on this photo of Dr Longridge's fine model of Victory.

George,

Despite giving us a picture of HMS Victory, I think your question concerns the old enemy. I also think I've got the answer, but can't connect a windlass with a French castle - if indeed, that's what you are drawing our attention to. If I'm right, the film starred Malcolm McDowell.

However, I don't want this thread to become the "George and Rick Show" - if I'm right - so perhaps somebody would like to take it on from here - if they can. I hope you don't mind me leaving a couple of clues - I'm sorry if I'm treading on your toes or if I'm totally wrong.

Rick

When I posed this question Rick I had you and perhaps Bryan 01 very much in mind to provide the answer.

I believe you do have it, but as far as the link with Victory is concerned, don't think windlass, the device is staring at you in the picture, don't let the trees block your view of the wood, so to speak.

No need for an apology, my next clue was to be a photo of the location; in the absence of any other reponses, it may be a kindness for you to put our American cousins out of their misery

Nah, George. IF they can't work it out from what is already there, they don't deserve it.

Rick

It's not the Victory channel schoonerbumm , it's the device used in association with the Cro'jack  lifts that gives the link.

I can see your thinking re Rameses, but that's not it.

Here's a further picture, this time of the location, obviously not the English Channel.

GeorgeW wrote:

When I posed this question Rick I had you and perhaps Bryan 01 very much in mind to provide the answer. I believe you do have it, but as far as the link with Victory is concerned, don't think windlass, the device is staring at you in the picture, don't let the trees block your view of the wood, so to speak. No need for an apology, my next clue was to be a photo of the location; in the absence of any other reponses, it may be a kindness for you to put our American cousins out of their misery

I am thinking that you may be insinuating a sort of insult to us "Americans" (intended or not) in this statement, I am an American and very proud of it, but I am of overwhelmingly British heritage (with a quarter Dutch Boer thrown in) and don't like where your insinuations are going. I am by no means in "misery". What's up with you guys?

No offence intended subfixer, my comments were not directed at you personally, just a little gentle teasing, given the comments about the nature of my question from your side of the pond. 

Please don't have a sense of humour failure over a trivia quiz of all things.

I gave up right after you said cro'jack. 

I'm just watching the emails go by, waiting for the answer so I can assure myself that it's not that I'm stupid so much as it's that I'm completely ignorant of sailing-related stuff. 

(From across the pond, over the falls and under the bridge.)

It's not a question of stupidity or otherwise Don, I'm lost when you guys start talking about DDs CVNs etc;

The Cro'jack (Cross jack) yard incidently is the lowest of the yards on the Mizen mast of a square rigged ship. It generally doesn't bear sails but is used to spread the foot of the Mizen Topsail.

My wife never believes me - my bad jokes never translate well over the web.

 And that definition does nothing for me - mizzen schmizzen, but I DO know what a square is!

Hi surfsup, whether the site was used in the the El Cid film I don't know, but I can see the similarity. It will not however lead to the correct answer.

In my initial post I indicated that the period was Napoleonic, and that the name of the location was central to identifying both the Captain and his ship. To identify the place without actually knowing it by sight, it is helpful to know both the name of the device on Victory, and the 1960s film title, the combining of which will lead to the location.

If the film title cannot be brought to mind, it is taken from a much earlier work by a famous Edwardian writer.

I think it is time to perhaps draw this one to a close after Five days.

Here's the answer.

The device on Victory is the ‘D' block. (a question perhaps in its own right)

It is below the second and third Poop hammock cranes in the Longridge model photo.

The iconic film is ‘IF', set in an English Public school, the title being taken from the Poem by Rudyard Kipling.

Put together you get D and if or  D´if, as in Chateau D´if the famous Island fortress off Marseille.

Here is a more expansive photo of the Island Fortress.

The most famous fictional inhabitant of Chateau D΄if is Edmond Dantes, better known as The Count of Monte Cristo. He was Captain of the ship Pharaon which is the reference to the ancient kings of Egypt.

This is such a famous work by Alexandre Dumas with at least two movies of the book, I felt sure that someone would make the association, and indeed Rick I believe had this a while ago, with his references to Old enemy, Malcolm Mcdowell, and French castles, and his hint using the word IF in capitals.

I therefore think he is deserving of the baton for the next question. Over to you Rick if you want it.

Well, I guess I was on the wrong track with the assumption that the movie/book was Lord Jim. 

Wow, George - that was a doozy.  Not a bad doozy - it was a real poser.  Questions like that, which tie in things like books & movies, are good for us lesser nautical types.  Not that I had a chance with this one - but I'm definitely not complaining.  I love a good challenge!