WorksheetsThe Finest Hours Prologue-Ch. 3 Review
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 25mins
Where did this disaster take place?
Cape Cod, MA
Baton Rouge, LA
Portland, ME
New York City, NY
What term refers to the front of a ship?
(a)
The ship’s name is CG36500. What do the letters and numbers stand for?
Who is the Coxswain mentioned in the prologue?
Bernie Webber
Len Whitmore
Frederick Paetzel
What was the date when the big storm hit New England?
spring 1945
winter 1852
winter 1952
spring 1952
Who is the Boatswain mentioned in Ch. 1?
Wallace Quirey
Raymond Sybert
Len Whitmore
Can you describe what a nor'easter is?
What did the Boatswain’s father want him to do as an occupation?
Sea captain
minister
run the family business
join the Marines
What was the name of the first known wreck in the waters off Cape Cod?
The Fort Mercer
The Paolina
The Eastwind
What type of ship was the SS Pendleton?
Cutter
Sailboat
Battleship
Who was the captain of the SS Pendleton?
Frederick Paetzel
Bernie Webber
John J. Fitzgerald Jr.
Len Whitmore
Where was the SS Pendleton traveling from? Where was it traveling to?
When the SS Pendleton reached Boston Harbor, the captain ordered the ship back out to see. Why?
What did Charles Bridges discover on the SS Pendleton when he tried to walk the catwalk to reach the bow of the ship?
half the ship was missing
The catwalk was too damaged by the storm
The catwalk was missing
Seamen Henry Anderson and Fred Brown were described as being “wipers” What is a “wiper?”
A captain
An officer in charge of the engine room
A crew member responsible for food preparation
A maintenance worker
At the time of the break, where was the captain?
On the bridge at the bow
In the engine room at the stern
According to Wallace Quirey, how tall were the waves that crashed over the SS Pendleton?
85 feet
100 feet
55 feet
Chief Engineer Raymond Sybert was in charge of the stern section of the SS Pendleton. Why?
All other officers were dead
All other officers were on the bow section
The captain gave him control of the stern
He seized control of the ship
Why were T2 tankers often referred to as “serial sinker” and “Kaiser’s coffins?”
because of their tendency to sink easily and the high number of crew fatalities.
The radio room was located in the bow, but the captain could not send an SOS signal. Why?
The captain was in the stern section of the ship
The ship had lost power when it split in two
The radio room was underwater.
What report did the men on the stern of the Pendleton hear on the radio?
Their ship was lost at sea
A distress call reporting another ship was in trouble.
An announcement from the Coast Guard that they could not be saved
What caused the SS Fort Mercer to break apart?
A collision with another ship
A powerful winter storm
A mechanical failure in the engine room
A fire on board
How did the crew of the Fort Mercer realize the ship was in serious trouble?
The captain announced it over the loudspeaker
The ship’s stern suddenly dropped, and water rushed in
The radio stopped working
They saw another ship sinking nearby
What action did the crew take after the ship broke in two?
They immediately abandoned ship in lifeboats
They radioed for help and waited on both sections of the ship
They tried to repair the broken hull
They signaled nearby ships with flares
What was the main concern for rescuers approaching the Fort Mercer?
The ship could sink completely before they arrived
The waves were too high to safely approach
The crew might have already abandoned the ship
The Coast Guard didn’t know the ship’s exact location
The Fort Mercer broke apart immediately. (True/False)
True
False
The storm that caused the shipwreck was considered one of the worst in years. (True/False)
True
False
The Fort Mercer had a well-functioning radio system throughout the crisis. (True/False)
True
False
Describe the weather conditions during the sinking of the Fort Mercer.
How did the crew of the Fort Mercer communicate their emergency to rescuers?
