Ship Trivia Quiz

We clearly have a situation here where we are just trying to hunt your reference source to find somebody's definition.  Finding the ship that you have listed as "often referred to" as anything can be a bit of a fool's errand, but I've been called that, among other things...

Let's give a stab at the Russian Yermak of 1898.

You're in the right century, but I was thinking of a true heavy duty arctic breaker.  Quoting from the same article you cited, "At the beginning of the 20th century, several countries began to operate purpose-built icebreakers. Most were coastal icebreakers, but Russia, and later, the Soviet Union, also built several oceangoing icebreakers of around 10,000 ton displacement."

I am looking for the first "purpose-built" breaker. 

Quoting one source, she was "often referred to as the world's first true icebreaker, with a strengthened hull shaped to ride over and crush pack ice".   

Quoting a second source, "She was 10,000 tons and 10,000 horsepower, with four screws: three aft and another forward. With 1 1/2 inch plating at the waterline, she became the prototype of icebreakers to come".

Significantly earlier than that

converted oil tanker Manhattan-1969?

OK - another easy one just to get the ball rolling again.

What ship is considered to be the first true iebreaker and when did she enter service.

Come on. Take a bite.

First come, first served.

I was only sticking my nose in where it really doesn't belong, I'm more of an aircraft guy - Although I do have more than a passing interest in MTBs. I doubt that I would be able to come up with much of a challenging question for you tug boat boys

oh, so very close, but i will "give you the cigar". The ELCO design was the one based on the Vosper, the third Company was Huckins Yacht Company, which is still in business today.

Over to you

Motor Torpedo Boat MTB, or Patrol, Torpedo (PT),

ELCO, Higgins & Vosper.

?

This class of vessel was built by 3 different manufacturers at the same time (in several different lengths). One company based their design on a british vessel, and another based their design on a personal yacht. These vessels saw service in the pacific, the med sea and a few in the english channel. Name the Class, and the manufacturers

Take It Navypitsnipe.

Since no one seems to be interested, I'll post the answers and let the thread move on.  FelixC or navypitsnipe can ask the next question.

The wedge was known as a "staukeil", and it worked in conjuction with the  Lurssen-Effekt side rudders to increase boat speed.  At high speed, the side rudders were cranked out  a fixed angle and essentially created a low pressure area at the stern, enhancing propeller efficiency  and flattened the rooster tail, stern wave and reduced wave drag. The downside of the Lurssen-Effeckt was that it dropped the stern and lifted the bow, creating another form of drag.  The staukeil created a high pressure area under the stern and lifted it, flattening the boat in the water and decreasing drag.... think of the rear spoiler on a Ford GT40, only instead of turning the fluid to create downforce, the body and spoiler are upside down, creating upforce on the boat hull.  Ref. Warship Pictorial #15 and Fock's "Fast Fighting Boats" 

Thanks for the bump.  I thought this would go fast. I'll give it a few more days and see if anyone comes up with the answers, at least the name for the appendage...  

bump

  I notice these questions have gone multiple.

 Anyway the effect is known as Luerssen Effekt

I will let someone else handle the other two questions.  

anyway... time for a new question.

Those of you who have built the schnellboot kits have probably noticed the flat-wedgy-thing on the bottom of the hull at the stern.

What was this flat-wedgy-thing called and what was its purpose?

What was the name of the hydrodynamic phenomena tying it to the schnellboot?

cassibill,

I know the area; my family is from a tiny "town" down Highway 46, between Nashville and Columbus.  Gnaw Bone... just off the Salt Creek.... sounds like something from L'il Abner.   

Home is southeastern Indiana about equidistant from the Ohio River, Ohio state line, and Brookville Lake.  I'm about halfway between Indy and Cincy, south of I-74. 

I'm a college student so I'm currently at my sis's in Muncie, attending Ball State.

Cassibill,

Where in Hoosierland do you reside?

Serves them right to have to pay storage fees. Those who have interest in those sorts of things rarely do them for money and Greed is a sin after all.  That's one of the reasons I pull militaria out of junkboxes at flea markets. I feel it doesn't there.  Some one did something that gave them the right to wear those medals/ribbons.  Paying a dollar for the privlege of escorting it to a new place where it will be properly displayed and cared for is certainly worth it.

Here's a link to the story with a then and now pic of Energy.  The shape is fairly straight forward since it's a 48' fishing tug. LINK

So you working out a really hard question that will drive us all crazy?

Any photos of the Energy in 1943?  Would make an interesting diorama... maybe the tail of a Wildcat sticking up in the background.

 I have an acquaintance that has one of the Wolverine's Wildcats.  Fished it out of Lake Michigan and restored it. The Navy played its "they belong to us forever" routine and I guess the issue went to court. Turns out, he was able to show that the plane had mechanical problems and the crew shoved it over the side... an intentionally abandoned aircraft is up for grabs, and it still sits in my friend's hangar.

The best story I've heard, true or not, is of the farmer who sells the decades old remains of a Navy plane that crashed on his property. The Navy goes to court after the restored plane and the money that the farmer collected for its carcass.  The story goes that the farmer lost the money from the sale, but then collected it, and more back, from his claim that the Navy owed him for however many years' storage of such a valuable asset!

The floor goes to Alan.  I left enough clues that it could be puzzled out, since the story isn't widely known.

A pilot off the Wolverine went over the edge as he landed.  When "The Energy", a fishing vessel, saw this and didn't see the pickup vessel nearby, they went to do some pilot fishing instead as the Wolverine continued landing ops.  When the pickup vessel arrived, the lake was too rough to transfer him aboard, so he went along on the fishing boat to port.  The Navy picked him up when they arrived in port, but two weeks later a US Navy truck came to the Energy's reel-yard, dropped the tailgate, and two sailors unloaded a large spool of 2" Nylon line, then left.  For many years, the Energy had the best lines in the whole fishing fleet and is still in service today.

I love the oddities that we come up with here. I'd love to build a Minotaur.  This question is about an incident that I've thought about trying to build.

This might be a hard one, but I think I've given you enough info to figure it out..  We've all heard of the "ransom" system for downed airman rescued by the smaller vessels in the fleet.  Traditionally it was paid in ice cream as smaller vessels lacked the facilities for it on board ship.

In fall 1943, a downed trainee US pilot was pulled from freezing lake water by a civilian vessel.  Weeks later, a spool of nylon cable is dropped off as payment. 

Where was the rescue?

What ship was the pilot from?

And why was the cable such a fitting gift to his rescuer?

Correct. HMS Minotaur, launched 1863. Here she is in all her single-screwed, five-masted glory:

The floor is yours.

Rick