Quiz Time: Who Named My Battleship?

Victor Wishna

Staff Writer

Victor Wishna's work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Baltimore Sun, the New York Post, NPR, KCMetropolis.org, and others. His writing and editing services firm, The Vital Word helps find the right words for nonprofit, corporate, and individual clients. Follow him on Twitter: @vwishna.

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If you’re a fan of fantasy/adventure literature, American history, or advances in underwater warfare,* then you might know that last week marked the 58th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS. Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. Of course, it derives its name from the craft first captained by one Nemo in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In other words, on September 30, 1954, one of the most famous vessels of literature gave its name to one of the most significant warships in real life.** *Or you just occasionally check out history.com’s This Day in History, like I do. **Technically, Verne named his Nautilus for the first successful submarine tested in 1800 by Robert Fulton, who was better known for steamships. So really it’s a real ship named for a fictional ship that was named for a real ship. Whatever. So here’s a little quiz for your Sunday: Which of the following ships set sail on real seas, which ones only floated through the imaginations of writers and readers—and which have done both? Answers later this week…  

USS Abraham Lincoln

African Queen

American Queen

HMS Artemis

HMS Beagle

HMS Bellipotent

SS Bismarck

HMS Bounty

USS Caine

USS Chicago

USS Consitution

Dawn Treader

Essex

Exodus

Hesperus

Hispaniola

SMS Konigen Luise

RMS Lusitania

USS Missouri

USS Monitor

RMS Olympic

Patna

Pequod

USS Pequod

RMS Queen Elizabeth

MS St. Louis