Q 01/05

Which type of warship did the aircraft carrier replace as a fleet's flagship after the Second World War?

A) The frigate

B) The battleship

C) The destroyer

D) The cruiser

Answer · why

B) The battleship

Carriers transformed naval battles from gunfire to beyond-visual-range air strikes.

Q 02/05

Which US Secretary of State described an aircraft carrier as '100,000 tons of diplomacy'?

A) Colin Powell

B) Dean Rusk

C) John Foster Dulles

D) Henry Kissinger

Answer · why

D) Henry Kissinger

Britain's Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope put it another way: countries that aspire to strategic influence have carriers.

Q 03/05

How many large nuclear-powered fleet carriers does the United States operate?

A) 11

B) 20

C) 6

D) 15

Answer · why

A) 11

Their combined deck space is more than twice that of all other nations put together.

Q 04/05

To evade nuclear submarines, carriers are expected to sustain speeds above roughly what?

A) 15 knots

B) 50 knots

C) 30 knots

D) 20 knots

Answer · why

C) 30 knots

High speed also increases the 'wind over the deck', giving aircraft more lift at launch.

Q 05/05

The term 'supercarrier' was first used by The New York Times in 1938 about which ship?

A) USS Lexington

B) HMS Ark Royal

C) USS Enterprise

D) HMS Illustrious

Answer · why

B) HMS Ark Royal

That Ark Royal was 800 feet long and designed to carry 72 aircraft.