NS2 Maritime History NJROTC Exam

Early warships, which were crewed by trained fighting men and propelled by oars as well as sails, were called

galleys

For many centuries after the fall of Rome in 476 AD, Europe suffered in the turmoil of the Dark Ages while the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Mediterranean fell under the control of the

Moslems

The capital of the Byzantine Empire was at

Constantinople

The longest period of peace in world history was known as the

Pax Romana

Our alphabet is based on the alphabet of what ancient people?

Phoenicians

What famous war was fought to secure control of the Turkish Straits in order to insure Greek control of the Aegean-Black Sea trade?

The Trojan War

What city is known as the birthplace of democracy in government?

Athens

The Punic Wars were between what two major powers?

Rome and Carthage

The first to seek new sea routes to the Indies and the Orient were the

Portuguese

With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the war in North America between France and England ended. Who controlled the world's seas at the time?

England

After the Battle of Salamis of 480 BC, the great period of peace during which theater, sculpture, writing, and philosophy flourished is known as the

Golden Age of Athens

National wealth was measured by the amount of treasure in the royal vaults. The total wealth of the world is limited. To become richer and more powerful, a nation had to make some other nation poorer through capture of its trade and colonies. This was

Mercantile Theory

In the battle of Lepanto in 1571, Christain forces defeated the

Ottoman Turks

The ability of a nation to defend her own sea communications and to deny the enemy use of the sea to carry on a war is called

sea power

Which of the following were English 'sea dogs'?

Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, and Martin Frobisher

The second group to master the sea were the

Phoenicians

What group of Europeans became the leaders of the Western culture after the Greeks?

Romans

What Italian state became a great commercial and naval power during the Crusades?

Venice

The 'Age of Discovery' was referred to as being a new age of

sea power

The first people known to use sea power were the sailors and traders of ancient

Crete

The CSS Hunley was a submersible vessel that was designed to pull a torpedo into the side of an enemy ship. Who developed this vessel?

Confederate forces

The Continental Navy did not affect the outcome of the war with England

True

In a battle with British ships, John Paul Jones uttered the famous words, 'I have not yet begun to fight!'

True

When France formally joined the war in 1778, England had to change her war strategy.

true

The end of fighting in the colonies was marked by the British loss at

Yorktown

The peace treaty ending the Revolutionary War was signed in

Paris

The Continental Congress was reluctant to establish a navy because they thought that 'coastal calvary' forces of the various colonies would suffice, and any continental NAvy warships would be overwhelmed at sea

true

Although General Arnold lost all of his ships in the Battle of Lake Champlain, it is considered a victory because it

slowed the British advance enough to allow the Americans time to regroup and train troops

The Declaration of Independence was signed July 4

1776

Captain Richard Pearson commanded the British ship Sarapis in its famous battle with John Paul Jones on the Bonhomme Richard.

true

The Peace of Paris in 1783 gave the Americans a territory that extended West

to the Mississippi River

When General Clinton returned to New York, he left General Cornwallis in command of British forces in the South

true

The battle of the Virginia Capes, when Admiral de Grasse drove the British fleet back to New York, made victory at the Battle of Yorktown possible

true

Who was the first commander of the Continental Navy?

Esek Hopkins

Who was in charge of the American troops in the battle of Lake Champlain in 1776?

Benedict Arnold

Instead of meeting General Burgoyne in Albany in 1777, General Howe made an ill-advised decision to capture which city?

Philadelphia

England imposed a tax on the colonies in order to

raise money to pay its debts from the war with France

The American Revolution began at

Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts

General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, New York, in October 1777, after marching his troops European style through an open field

true

Who led the Maine backwoodsmen in the first American capture of a British ship?

Jeremiah O'Brien

When did Congress finance the start of the Colonia Navy?

10/13/1775

When did Congress authorize the beginning of the Marine Corps?

11/10/1775

What was the name of the US ship Commodore Preble sent to recapture or destroy USS Philadelphia?

Intrepid

President Jefferson did not favor building large seagoing ships because

he believed the Navy should only protect the American coastline

What US ship fought in the two most famous Quasi-War battles in France?

USS Constellation

The Bashaw of Tripoli agreed to a treaty that would release captive US crew members and

the requirement for tribute payments to Tripoli was emanate

Giving in to demands for tribute and ransom usually

leads to more demands

The name of the last ship left in the navy after the Revolutionary War was the USS

Alliance

The Barbary States economy was based on

piracy and tribute payments

The Navy Act of 1794 authorized the construction of 6 Frigates, however, only three were built

true

In 1804, Commodore Preble tried to convince the BAshaw of Tripoli to

release the US crewmen

When the Bashaw of Tripoli refused to cooperate in the release of US crewmen, Commodore PRebel decided to

use force

Why didn't the United States build any new ships after the Revolutionary War?

there were no funds for maintaining or building ships

All of the below are a result of the British government's orders in council EXCEPT

Britain was prohibited to trade in the West Indies

The Constitution authorized the United States Congress to

provide and maintain a navy

After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, what was one of the first acts of the new American government?

to tax incoming foreign shipping

Those citizens of the United States that lived inland

didn't want to be taxed for a coastline navy

When Congress passed the Navy Act in 1794, the bill stated that naval shipbuilding would stop when

the United States made peace with Algiers

The first man to be Secretary of the Navy was

Benjamin Stoddert

When the US did not meet the tribute demands of the Bashaw of TRipoli he

declared war on the US

In 1802, President Jefferson sent a squadron of ships to the Mediterranean Sea to

protect American trade

In 1803, when Commodore Preble assembled his forces in the Moroccan port of Tangier, the Emperor of Morocco was impressed by Preble because of his

display of strength

In 1803, Commodore Preble sent the USS Philadelphia to blockade the port of Tripoli. What happened to the ship?

it ran aground and was captured

Who was the youngest man to reach the rank of captain in the short history of our Navy?

Stephen Decatur

The main reason Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory was to

finance his war in Europe

Where did England defeat France to become ruler of the Atlantic Ocean in 1805?

Trafalgar

Kidnapping of men and forcing them into military service is defined as

impressments

What tactic did the English Navy use to get sailors to serve on their vessels?

They began seizing seaman off US ships, claiming they were deserters from the Royal Navy

Between 1808 and 1811, over 6000 American citizens were forced into the Royal Navy

True

Which Navy vessel did the British take four crewmen from in 1807?

USS Chesapeake

As a result of the Chesapeake affair, Jefferson had CCongress try to stop the drift toward way by

stopping all exports of needed raw materials and food to Britain and France

When James Madison became President in 1809 he

urged Congress to pass a bill declaring an import embargo against harassing nations

Who cried out the immortal words 'Don't give up the ship!' after being mortally wounded in battle during the War of 1812?

Captain James Lawerence, Chesapeake vs. Shannon

During the twenty-five (25) major battles between Americans and British men-of-war, who had the first and probably most famous American victory?

Captains Issac Hull in the USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere

Which of the following American warships of the War of 1812 was given the lasting nickname 'Old Ironsides' because of the way her heavy oaken hull deflected British cannonballs?

USS Constitution

The naval battle that kept the Great Lakes and Northwest Territory for America was fought and won on 10 September 1813 by

Oliver Hazard Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie

With Napoleon defeated in Europe, Britain was able to send more troops and ships to American waters in 1814. At this time they made damaging amphibious assaults in the Chesapeake Bay area on

Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland

On September 1814, a night-long British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry guardian Baltimore

inspired Francis Scott Key to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

Though the British began negotiations to end the War of 1812 in August 1814, at the same time they began reinforcing their forces in North America and planning major invasions in order to

win some battles and force the United States to give up important land in the peace treaty

What famous battle took place after the treaty ending the War of 1812 had been signed in Europe on Christmas Eve 1814?

The Battle of New Orleans

What was the name of the treaty that ended the War of 1812?

TReaty of Ghent

The Chief task of the US Navy between 1815 and 1860 was

protecting America's growing overseas commerce

After the Civil War, the US whaling industry stopped being of much importance in the United States mainly because of the

discovery of oil and natural gas in Pennsylvania

Which of the following statements is incorrect concerning naval and maritime importance after the Algerian War of 1815-16?

The Navy ceased all operations in the Mediterranean Sea and returned to home waters

US Naval operations in the Western Hemisphere between 1822 and 1826 were concerned mainly with

wiping out piracy in the Caribbean-West Indies area

In his great adventure story, Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote about the great New England industry of

whaling, for lighting oil, whalebone, and other products

Since colonial days, the most important commercial fish species for Massachusetts fishermen have been the

codfish

The first regular, scheduled ship services for passengers, mail, and freight between New York and England was provided by the

Packet ships

The profitable trade carried on during the 18th to mid-19th centuries among New England, West Africa, and the West Indies was called the

triangular trade

The principal cargoes carried, in order, on the New England West Africa-West Indies circuit were

rum, slaves, and molasses

The basic reason that the United States and Mexico went to war in 1846 was that

Texas had been admitted to the Union before the Rio Grande had been established as the state's southern border

The largest amphibious landing carried out by US forces during the Mexican War took place at

Veracruz under the command of General Winfield Scott

The beginning phase of the Marine Hymn, 'From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli,' refers to the USMC actions, respectively, in the

Mexican War and the War with the Barbary States, 1801 to 1805

The most beautiful and fastest sailing ships ever to cross the seas were the

Square-rigged clippers

During the peak years, most clipper ships were used as

passenger-cargo ships front the East Coast to California during the Gold Rush

After the Navy succeed in reopening the CHina trade in 1842, the next objective of American maritime and naval interest was to

open the trade dorr to Japan

When the War of 1812 began, the Royal Navy significantly outnumbered the US Navy in Men of War and Ships of the Line

True

The CSS Alabama was built in a British port for a COnfederate agent without the British government's approval. What was its purpose?

To disrupt the Union's commercial shipping

The forces that were protecting Charleston used a kind of war vessel made from old gunboats cut close to the water line and covered with iron plating. They were armed with a charge of gunpowder attached to the end of a long spar that produced front the bow. They were called

Davids

The lost ships of the Confederate Navy were destroyed, and the last major Southern port was closed by Admiral Farragut in August 1864 in the violent naval battle of

Mobile Bay (Alabama)