Quest for Merfolk Enchantment Day 5

September 11, 2008	
==Description==
Welcome to the VFK Merfolk Enchantment Epic Quest, Day 5!<BR><BR>
This is the fifth day of your epic quest for merfolk enchantment!
For our quest today, we will explore the stunning backdrop of shipwrecks in the undersea world of our merfolk!<BR><BR>
Your reward for completing this fifth stage of this Epic Quest will be 1,000 credits and your fifth Merfolk Pin, the Shipwreck Pin!<BR><BR><BR>
===Prizes===
===Questions===
1. Since mankind has taken to the seas, one of the primary causes of shipwrecks has been the weather. Sudden squalls, dense fog, waterspouts, hurricanes and typhoons can arise suddenly at sea and capsize or damage a ship sending it to the watery deep. Ships that are blown off course by gusting winds and huge waves may run aground, be dashed onto rocks or broken on reefs that they could have easily avoided in calm seas. What is another of the major causes of shipwrecks?
* Scuttling
* Pirates
* Icebergs
* War
* Attack by Sea Monsters<BR><BR> 
2. Attacks on ships and vessels during times of war have always been tragic. Some of the largest wrecks in the world and the greatest maritime disasters have been caused due to human conflict over the centuries. The monuments to the catastrophes lie on the bottom of the oceans and seas. Go around to the back of the Sydney Opera House and say "Avast mateys, there's rough seas ahead!<BR><BR>
3. In the year 1912, on April 15th, the R.M.S. Titanic created one of the most unforgettable events in maritime history as it sank beneath the waves of the Atlantic two hours and forty minutes after colliding with an iceberg. The circumstances surrounding its demise are compounded by the publicity surrounding the great "White Star Liner" and the proclamation of its being "unsinkable". Many superlatives describe the great ship. It was the largest passenger steamship in the world. It was on its maiden voyage and had been launched with great ceremony. It possessed the latest and most advanced technology with an experienced crew. In addition, with the great loss of life, and the notoriety of many of the passengers, the sinking is ranked as one of the worse peacetime disasters in history. The remains of the Titanic were discovered in 1985. Who discovered the famous wreck?
* Robert Ballard
* Jean Francheteau
* Eroni Kumana
* Henryk Arctowski<BR><BR>
4. Even though the wreck of the Titanic was one of the worst maritime disasters in peacetime, there have been far greater disasters in times of war. Go inside the Mercantile in the Wild West and say "I need to provision my boat."<BR><BR>
5. One of the most famous maritime mishaps included one of the original explorers of Australia. James Cook was in charge of the Endeavour, considered the first European ship to reach land on the eastern Australian coast. On June 11th, 1770, the Endeavour struck a part of the Great Barrier Reef. The crew furled the sails set the anchor and tried to pull the ship off the reef. Their attempt being unsuccessful resulted in them lightening the ship as much as possible to try to float the ship off the reef. They threw 50 tons of equipment overboard including the cannons and pumped all the drinking water out of the ship. Finally after adding more anchors and blocks and tackles to pull the ship off the reef, they managed to float the damaged ship off. The ship was leaking badly. What did the crew do temporarily to keep the ship afloat until they could reach land?
* Pumping water and Fothering
* Abandoned ship
* Grounded the ship back on the reef
* Attached extra planks over the hole<BR><BR>
6. The Endeavour was repaired, very fortunately returned home and was ultimately sold to a private shipping company, James Mather & Sons, who renamed the ship Lord Sandwich. In 1776, the British Admiralty asked Mather to provide a ship to bring Hessian mercenary soldiers to the colonies to help quell the revolt in America. Lord Sandwich was put to the task and repaired to meet the navy's standards. After transporting the Hessians, the ship was used as a prison ship, and then finally was sunk by the British to blockade the mouth of Narragansett Bay Harbor. Go to the colonial garden room (just outside your back door) and say "Please may I have a sandwich?"<BR><BR>
7. The most exciting aspect of shipwrecks, and what brings out the treasure seeker in us, is the lure of the treasure ships that sunk down to the sea floor with priceless cargos of gold, silver and gems in their hold. When Spanish galleons sailed the seas, they were often carrying treasures that were lost to the ocean depths due to reefs, storms or pirates. Some of the treasure has been recovered, but the sheer volume of the treasure which is still buried beneath the waves encourages modern day treasure hunters to keep searching for "pieces of eight", gold and jewels. What is a piece of eight sometimes called?
* Doppia
* Spanish penny
* Eight Real Coin
* Coin of the Realm<BR><BR>
8. Many people do not know of a major treasure route sailed by ships called "East Indiamen". These ships were operated and owned by the great powers of the time, the Dutch, Portuguese, English, and French. Carrying a wealth of gold and silver, these merchant ships voyaged to India and Africa, then on to Japan and China. In Asia, they bartered their precious cargo for such items as silks, spices, jewels, and Chinese porcelains. An estimated half of East Indiamen never reached their home port and what remains of the great ships and their cargo are scattered along the trade route. It was common in the 1700's, for an English East Indiaman to transport thousands of pieces of Chinese porcelain packed in wooden chests in the hold of the ships. Chests of china are still being recovered from these wrecked ships and bringing millions of dollars at auction. Go to the hotel in the Wild West and say "What a treasure!"<BR><BR>
9. Most of the world's shipwrecks are found in depths less then 200 feet. When ships sink in shallow water, they usually run aground, hit a reef or some rocks and are damaged in some way. They may break into parts as they sink. The ocean currents and creatures continue to batter them and human treasure hunters may loot them. One discovery made in 1997 was the deep sea discovery of several ancient shipwrecks. Because the shipwrecks were at sea, the ships most likely took on too much water from a storm and sank gently to the bottom intact. Once on the floor of the ocean, even if wood boring creatures destroyed the hull, the cargo and any metal would remain largely undisturbed. What type of technology did the deep water explorers use to initially locate the ancient shipwrecks? 
* Satellite remote sensing technology
* Deep sea probes
* Cameras mounted on weighted cables
* Nuclear Submarine equipped with Sonar<BR><BR>
10. Ninety-eight percent of the world's oceans are over 10,000 feet deep and greater. By treasure hunting in only shallow seas, most of the oceans have remained unexplored. The Black Sea, which is in the heart of the ancient trade routes, is known to be the only sea on earth which does not have oxygen at the bottom. It is believed that the most highly preserved ancient ships will be found in its depths revealing huge amounts of information about ancient cultures. Go to the ship on the map and say "We have only begun to explore the oceans!"<BR><BR>
===Answers===
1. War
2. Go around to Sydney Opera House Back and say "Avast mateys, there's rough seas ahead!"
3. Robert Ballard
4. Go inside the Mercantile Shop in the Wild West and say "I need to provision my boat."
5. Pumping water and Fothering
6. Go to The Garden room (just outside your back door) and say "Please may I have a sandwich?"
7. Eight Real Coin
8. Go to the Grand Hotel in the Wild West and say "What a treasure!"
9. Nuclear Submarine equipped with Sonar
10. Go to the Medieval Age map and say "We have only begun to explore the oceans!"
Category:Quests Category:Epic Quests