A Life on the Ocean Wave — Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

The first question concerns today’s date, 15 July. The others are unrelated to the date but share a nautical theme.

One

On 15 July 1815, almost a month after his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon surrendered to the captain of a British warship. Named after a son of Poseidon and Eurynome from Greek mythology, what was the warship’s name?

Answer: HMS Bellerophon.

Following his defeat at Waterloo in July 1815, Napoleon sought refuge aboard the British warship HMS Bellerophon, surrendering to Captain Maitland. This marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  Transported to England on Bellerophon, he was kept isolated from the public though word of his presence eventually leaked out attracting sightseers. After two weeks in Plymouth harbour, Napoleon learned of his exile to Saint Helena and was transferred to HMS Northumberlandfor the journey.

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Two

Which warship was scuttled in Montevideo harbour on the 17th December 1939 after the Battle of the River Plate?

Answer: Admiral Graf Spee.

Admiral Graf Spee, a Deutschland-class Panzerschiff of Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine during World War II, was named after Admiral Maximilian von Spee. Exceeding the Treaty of Versailles’ size limit, she sank nine vessels in 1939 before the Battle of the River Plate. Convinced by false British reports suggesting superiority in gathering British numbers, she was ultimately scuttled in Montevideo.

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Three

Cher’s use of a ship for the 1989 music video caused offence. Which song was it for and which ship was it filmed on?

Answer: If I Could Turn Back Time; USS Missouri.

The If I Could Turn Back Time video, directed by Marty Callner, features Cher performing on the USS Missouri with her band and son. Filmed in 1989, it faced controversy over Cher’s revealing outfit, leading to network bans. The Navy supported the shoot for recruitment, despite criticism from WWII veterans. No Navy officials faced discipline for supporting the video, despite the Secretary of the Navy considering firing the USS Missouri captain. However, other Navy sections praised the event.

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Four

The third published novel in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia features a ship’s name in its title. What is that ship’s name?

Answer: Dawn Treader.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a 1952 novel by C. S. Lewis, is the third published in The Chronicles of Narnia. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes, it follows Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace as they join King Caspian X on a quest to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia.

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Five

After being appointed in 1768 to lead a joint Royal Society and Admiralty expedition, Captain James Cook circumnavigated the world aboard HMS Endeavour. What size was the ship Endeavour approximately:

• 98 feet (30 m) and 368 tons
• 175 feet (53 m) and 1,954 tons 
• 248 feet (75 m) and 2,998 tons

Answer: 98 feet (30 m) and 368 tons.

In 1768, the Royal Society and Admiralty appointed James Cook, aged 40, to lead a Pacific expedition. He commanded HMS Endeavour, a sturdy Whitby bark, to Tahiti for observing Venus’s transit and to find Terra Australis. Scientists included Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, with Cook as an astronomer. James Cook’s Endeavour charted New Zealand and discovered Australia’s east coast, navigating the Great Barrier Reef. Despite grounding and repairs, Cook returned to England, avoiding scurvy by ensuring cleanliness, ventilation, and a nutritious diet. Tragically, 30 crew members died of fever and dysentery in Batavia.

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