Discovering Underwater Disasters
Which underwater disaster led to the creation of the International Ice Patrol?
- After the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, the International Ice Patrol was formed to monitor iceberg danger in the North Atlantic.
What was the cause of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010?
- Equipment failure was the cause. The blowout preventer, a safety device, failed to seal the well, leading to the largest marine oil spill.
The Kursk submarine disaster occurred in which body of water?
- The Kursk, a Russian nuclear submarine, sank in the Barents Sea in 2000 due to an internal torpedo explosion.
Which shipwreck is often referred to as the “underwater Chernobyl”?
- The SS Richard Montgomery sank near the U.K. during WWII and still holds a large amount of explosives.
What was the primary cause of the loss of the USS Thresher in 1963?
- Equipment malfunction is correct. A failure in the submarine's piping system led to its sinking.
How many people died in the sinking of the MV Sewol in South Korea in 2014?
- Around 300 is correct. Most of the victims were high school students on a field trip.
Which underwater disaster is the subject of the movie "The Abyss"?
- "The Abyss" is a science fiction film and does not actually depict a real underwater disaster.
Which country did the capsized ferry MV Princess of the Stars belong to?
- This Philippines ferry capsized during Typhoon Fengshen in 2008.
What year did the Costa Concordia disaster occur?
- The Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy in 2012, leading to 32 deaths.
What caused the loss of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in the 1840s?
- Both ships were lost during Sir John Franklin's ill-fated attempt to discover the Northwest Passage, and ended up trapped in ice.
