How well do you know the ships of the U.S. Navy?

By: Becky Stigall

The _______________ is the oldest ship in the navy.

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy. It was launched in 1797.

What is the name of the first nuclear-powered submarine?

The first nuclear-powered submarine was called Nautilus. It was launched in 1954.

What was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier called?

The first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the USS Enterprise. It was launched in 1961 and decommissioned in 2017.

What are walls called on a navy ship?

On a navy ship, walls are referred to as bulkheads.

On a U.S. Navy ship, where do crew members sleep?

U.S. Navy crew members sleep in a rack. Sounds cozy.

Where do crew members eat on a navy ship?

Navy crew members eat in a mess. That's especially true in rough seas!

In what year were the first U.S. ships authorized?

The first U.S. ships were authorized in 1775. They were authorized by the Continental Congress.

How wide is the USS Missouri?

The USS Missouri is 108 feet, 2 inches wide. It's classified as an Iowa battleship.

What is the displacement of the USS Missouri?

The USS Missouri displaces 57,500 tons. That's a lot of water.

What was the name of the first aircraft carrier before it was an aircraft carrier?

The first aircraft carrier, before it was an aircraft carrier, was called USS Jupiter.

The first U.S. aircraft carrier, converted from the USS Jupiter, was called _______?

The first aircraft carrier, converted from a warship, was the USS Langley. It was the navy's first turbo-electric-powered ship.

Who developed and tested the technique used to land a plane on an aircraft carrier?

Curtiss and pilot Ely first successfully landed a plane on an aircraft carrier. They originally used ropes.

Which of the following carrier ship crew members is called a grape?

On U.S. carriers, the fuel handlers are called grapes. They wear purple shirts, of course.

Which of the following carrier ship crew members wears a yellow shirt?

Aircraft directors wear yellow shirts on US carriers. In essence, they decide where to park each plane on the carrier.

What do carrier crew members call the tower/bridge?

Carrier crew members call the tower or bridge the island. It's about 150 feet tall.

Which of the following was NOT one of the first eight Continental Navy ships?

The eight ships of Washington's fleet were the Washington, Hannah, Hancock, Lynch, Lee, Warren Harrison and Franklin. The fleet was commissioned in 1775.

Who gets to name U.S. Navy ships?

The Secretary of the Navy gets to name all U.S. ships. The Chief of Naval Operations gives a list of suggestions.

True or False: before the TV show "Star Trek" started filming, the first draft referred to the USS Enterprise as the USS Yorktown.

In Gene Roddenberry's first draft of the "Star Trek" series, the Enterprise was called the Yorktown.

Planes on an aircraft carrier are called _____.

On an aircraft carrier, planes are called birds. The bird farm is where planes take off from.

Who was the first U.S. Navy admiral?

David Farragut was the first U.S. Navy admiral. He fought in the War of 1812.

The USS Constitution was what type of ship?

The USS Constitution was a frigate. It was used in the War of 1812.

Who designed the first U.S. steam-powered warship, the Demologos?

Robert Fulton designed the first U.S. steam-powered warship. It fought in the War of 1812 and was destroyed in a gunpowder explosion in 1829.

In what year was the USS Fulton, a steam-powered frigate, launched?

The steam-powered frigate, the Fulton, was launched in 1837. The launch took place in New York.

The first U.S. steam-powered warships were propelled using what device?

The first U.S. steam-powered warships were propelled using paddle wheels. They were not ideal because disabling the paddle wheel would disable the ship.

What device replaced the paddle wheel in U.S. Navy ships?

The screw propeller replaced the paddle wheel in U.S. Navy ships. This device made steam power better for warships.

Which U.S. Navy ship was the first fitted with a screw propeller?

The Princeton was the first U.S. Navy ship fitted with a screw propeller. It was launched in 1843.

The Monitor and the Virginia were what type of warships?

The Monitor and the Virginia were armored warships. They both participated in an 1862 battle.

The first U.S. Navy armored warships were powered by what?

The first U.S. Navy armored warships were powered by steam. Steam made U.S. warships more efficient.

The South Carolina and the Michigan, the first U.S. Navy big-gun ships, were put into service in what year?

The South Carolina and the Michigan, the first U.S. Navy big-gun ships, were put into service in 1910. These ships were bigger and faster than previous warships.

Which of the following carrier ship crew members wears a brown shirt?

Crew chiefs wear brown shirts on U.S. carriers.

Which of the following carrier ship crew members wears a red shirt?

Munitions handlers wear red shirts on U.S. carriers. Don't be confused.

True or False: The first steam-powered warship was called Demologos.

The first steam-powered warship was the Demologos. The word "demologos" means "voice of the people."

How deep is the USS Missouri at the keel?

The USS Missouri is 37 feet, 9 inches deep at the keel.

How many ships were in the U.S. Navy at the end of the Civil War?

At the end of the Civil War, the US Navy had 681 ships. Most of them were powered by steam.

How many weapons does the USS Missouri carry?

The USS Missouri carries 73 weapons. The weapons include 32 armored Tomahawk missile launchers.

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About This Quiz

Do you know which aircraft carriers are in commission right now? Do you know how many battleships the U.S. Navy is using? How about what the oldest naval ship still in use is? America's Navy not only keeps the United States secure as a world superpower, but it also develops cutting-edge technology, brings relief and medical aid to disaster zones, and instills a sense of pride and tradition in the young men and women who serve. The U.S. Navy covers the world to bring safety and peace over the oceans and in the air, and the ships it commissions are the all-important infrastructure of that security and peace.

The U.S. Navy has been serving America since 1775, and its ships have been sailing the world ever since. Maybe you know the ships because you have been a U.S. Navy sailor your whole life, or perhaps you are just a lifelong naval enthusiast. Either way, this quiz will take you from the earliest U.S. Navy ship to the latest and most advanced naval vessels in the United States Fleet. Do you have a passion for the U.S. Navy in your heart and blood? Or are you just a casual aficionado of naval warfare? Test your knowledge of the largest Navy in the world with this intense quiz to find out!

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