Ship Trivia Quiz

A radio operator on USS Enterprise coined that name at Iwo Jima from participating in ops with a bunch of escort carriers that had names ending in "Bay". 

"just call us Enterprise Bay..." 

Not to be outdone, a flier from a jeep carrier is said to have asked Enterprise for her current active runway.

thanks for the floor - the pressure is huge to not get lost into trivia, so I will aim shallow.  :-)

What ship used the name "Enterprise Bay", and why?

Since this is rapidly approaching page three after a week... I'll pass to SurfaceLine for the next question, since we did nearly tie for the last one.

Murphy's Law came into prominence in the early fifties, named after an American engineer working on a rocket sled program for the USAF. It became popular in advertising for a while and then became lodged in the popular lingo. But it was predated by at least a couple of hundred years.

Alfred Holt stated the premise in an 1877 marine engineering presentation, trying to make the same point as Murphy, you cannot be overprepared when dealing with complex systems or extreme environments. "Holt's Law" could be one answer.

But this is predated by at least another century with English sailors and "Sod's Law", also known as the "Law of Imbuggerance", based on the derivative of "Sod", an offensive slur in the 18th century for what was a captial crime under the Royal Navy's articles of war.

Even when I was growing up (in the last century), threads weren't stripped, they were still "buggered".

Rick, the floor is yours.

nope... "sailor's law" simply says "don't sail the boat where the birds are walking"...

the two forms of nautical jargon that I'm looking for refer to the concept that "unfortunate things always happen at the worst time and in the worst place", similar to the accepted modern concept of Murphy's, that "if it can go wrong, it will"

You're probably thinking more well-known incidents than those times when I was on watch, right?

 Now there was this one time coming out of San Diego on Jouett in 1981, when...   No, that wouldn't be what you're looking for.

If the incidents described in the prior question had occurred on land, they would have been ascribed to Mr. Murphy.

What are two seagoing equivalents to "Murphy's Law"? 

Well, I want it to be clear that I defer to Mr. Bumm for having the correct answer to this one. 

Billy says he was looking for the Melbourne and JFK, and I plumb forgot that the JFK ran down the  destroyer Bordelon later on the same cruise after the Belknap.  All I could remember was the Belknap, and she was certainly no destroyer.

Did JFK and Melbourne have little detroyer silhouettes painted outside the bridge windows???

I was looking for JFK and Melbourne. 

Duke Maddog wrote:

Wow, I'd love to hear the story of the Ark Royal and the Kotlin class! That should be interesting reading! Thanks for the list, this is awesome! I love this game!

That was Ark Royal's own 9/11 (9th November 1970) and there are quite a few things on the internet about it. Here are two links...

http://lionels.orpheusweb.co.uk/AirSea/ArkRoyal/Russkies/Ark7.html

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1970/nov/11/ark-royal-collision

And on a personal note; HMAS Melbourne was built (as HMS Majestic) just across the road from my house.

During the 1960s-70s, there were at least four carriers that fit this category... the US carriers Shangri-La (vs. Perry, 1965) and John F. Kennedy (vs. Bordelon, 1976), the British Ark Royal (a Russian Kotlin class, 1970), and the top scorer, the Australian carrier Melbourne (vs. the Austrailian Voyager, 1964 and USS Frank E. Evans, 1969).

Wasp ran over Hobson in 1952. 

Uhh-

Wasp & Melbourne?

JFK wasn't very friendly to a cruiser?

Since it's early in the morning here, I'll give an easy one.

Name the 2 Aircraft carriers of the 60's and 70's that weren't very friendly to destroyers. 

 Thanks surface_line. OK> This question may or may not be straight forward but here goes.

 Which former WW1 well known vessel stayed in her original condition for 20 years until slightly enhanced in an overhaul. She was finally decommissioned in the very early 1960's. She also served for two Nations. Clue:- Both are European Nations. What were her two Navies and associated names. She also was not a small ship.

I understood Azov to be otherwise a standard Kara class cruiser (in NATO's eyes) or a project 1134 large ASW ship in the Soviet navy, but the after SA-N-3 launcher was replaced by a trial installation of the VLS SA-N-6 system.  So not a purpose-built trials platform, but a regular member of the class that was diverted for use as a trial platform, for this SA-N-6 system.

Thanks for putting this one out of its misery, and please, let's have a good straightforward question now!

Rick

At least this will not be a US Navy-specific question.  Not too trivial, I hope.

What unique feature did USS Hull (DD-945) have in common with the Soviet/ Russian cruiser Azov?

Correct answer, I thought I was the only one on this thread.     

On August 31st 1591 the Revenge with about a hundred men fought a battle against some fifty Spanish ships. Battle ceased as darkness fell, and the next day the Spaniards were surprised to see the Revenge still floating. Its mast and sails were gone, its holds were flooded. Grenville ordered his chief gunner to sink the Revenge to stop it falling into enemy hands, but the survivors wanted him to surrender. Grenville agreed provided the Spanish would grant them full honours of war, and return them to England immediately. The Spanish commander agreed and the battle ended. The Revenge was captured, and Grenville, mortally wounded, was taken on board the Spanish Admiral's ship San Pablo, where he died a few days afterwards. Shortly afterwards an enormous storm sank the Revenge and 14 Spanish ships.

The captain of the George Noble is said to have offered his help , but was told, " Save thyself, my friend and leave me to my fate."

Grenville had about 150 men on deck and 90 others below deck sick, he faced 7000 men on the Spanish ships. the Spanish lost 3 galleons sunk and 1 ran aground to stop itself sinking and around 2000 dead.

The book ,  Defiance at sea by Jon Guttman contains a good account of the action.

The next question is yours.