As stated, no multiple choice freebies today. This one is pure knowledge; keep an open mind and be ready to think outside the box.
What 20th-century event marked the greatest loss of vessels in a single day since the advent of steel ships?
Battle of Leyte gulf?
Pearl Harbor
My second guess was going to be The S.S. Minnow on Gilligan’s Island, but instead , I’ll try D Day.
The Bikini Atom Bomb Test. TOM
Tom -
this was an excellent guess, and - honestly - an answer I had NOT thought of. You made me WORK to check this one out!
I just now finished an admittedly fast review of the A-bomb tests at Bikini. My search indicates that only three ships sank within 24 hours of Test Able detonation (01 July 46); only two vessels (including carrier Saratoga) during the 24 hour period after test Baker (25 July 46). I stopped digging after Landing Ships Medium (LCM); anything else was just a big pile of craft!
ref:https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/article-bikini-atoll-nuclear-target-fleet.htm
Jack
I researched the Bikini Test after submitting my answer and was surprised as to how few actually sank. TOM
Thinking outside the box on this one -- Would it be the battle of Tsushima Straights when the Japanese under I believe Togo defeated the Russian fleet?
Frog
The Battle of Jutland? TOM
Still going with the battle of Tsushima Straights but Jutland would be my second guess
Frog
John - another one I had not even considered. My fast look at the summery table on
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tsushima
shows 21 Russian ships lost and NO IJN ships (only 3 torpedo boats). You made me smarter (doesn't happen much these days). Thank you.
Jack
"As stated, no multiple choice freebies today. This one is pure knowledge; keep an open mind and be ready to think outside the box.
What 20th-century event marked the greatest loss of vessels in a single day since the advent of steel ships?"
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Some fine answers, gents. I originally thought of most of these too, when I first ran "afoul" of this question. Listed below are the four answer choices that appear on the original quiz. Look them over and see if you wish to reevaluate the conta..err...I mean...the answer.
Battle of Jutland, 1916
German High Seas Fleet scuttling at Scapa Flow, 1919
Marianas "Turkey Shoot", 1944
Pearl Harbor attack, 1941
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*Spoiler alert - Answer Follows
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Between November 1918 and January 1919, 74 ships of the German High Seas fleet were interned at the British anchorage at Scapa Flow Scotland. While the victorious allies debated final disposition (the French and Italians each wanted 25% of the fleet as war prizes; Britain wanted all the vessels destroyed), demoralized German sailors languished in near prison-like conditions: forbidden time ashore; forbidden to visit other German vessels; censored mail; monotonous diets. Fearing that the Allies would arbitrarily seize the fleet, the scuttling plan was devised by senior officers, and German crews discreetly prepared the ships for sinking. After six months of internment, 21 June 1919 saw the scuttling of 52 warships; 22 others either remained afloat or were beached.
Beginning in the 1920s, 45 of the sunken ships were salvaged and scrapped. Seven vessels remain as protected wrecks in Scapa Flow, and are occasionally visited by divers.
Jutland cost 25 ships and about 9400 lives; The Battle of the Philippine Sea (aka "Marianas Turkey Shoot") cost six Japanese ships and about 600 aircraft - US losses were 123 planes. Although several ships were "sunk" at Pearl Harbor, all except Arizona and Utah were refloated. Nearly all these ships saw action during the war. Oklahoma was not repaired, and sunk after the war while being towed to the scrappers.
Was this a fair & honest question? Or is it what we used to call a "4.0 Buster"? Only 41% of the non-OT quizzees ("testees" sounds a bit....invasive) got it right.
As you said, this question was a true 4.0 ball buster. Some where in the past I had heard of this incident but at the time it was a footnote on what else was going on in the world. Can not wait to see what you come up with next. Thanks for a good one
Frog