Tick--Tick--Tick Mystery Cache

The above coordinates will not take you to the cache. They will, instead, take you to the middle of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Not someplace you want to even try to go. The guards have limited senses of humor. Trust me on this.

Put in a new container in a new location. If you have already solved this, you will need to again.

You will need to find the answers to the questions below in order to determine the location of the container. The container is in an area that will afford you a good view of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Port Orchard Marina. All the answers can be found on the Internet.

First, a history lesson;

The US Navy introduced the modern Hull Number system to the Fleet in the 1920’s. Before the introduction of this system, the ship classification was haphazard, at best. Battleships were classified as First Class, Second Class, Ocean-going, and Coastal. Cruisers were usually designated as Peace Cruiser, Scout Cruiser, Protected Cruiser, and so on.

The system that was put in place in the ‘20’s is still, with several modifications over the years, in use today. The system designates Ship Type and a Ship’s sequential number within that Type. The Ship Type is determined from the letters in the hull number. BB=Battleship, CV=Aircraft Carrier, DD= Destroyer, SS=Submarine, etc.

Letters added after the first two in the case of fighting ships designates other information about the ship. For example: N=nuclear powered, B=ballistic missile armed, G=guided missiles as the main battery. So, CVN=Aircraft Carrier, Nuclear powered; CGN=Cruiser, Guided missiles as the main battery, Nuclear Powered; SSBN=Submarine, Ballistic missile armed, Nuclear powered.

Now that the history lesson is over, here are the questions. Remember, all the answers can be found on the Internet. They were Beta-tested by two people with zero knowledge and interest in the subject matter, and the correct answers were quickly found.

1) A Union Naval officer became a national hero after he destroyed the Confederate ram Albemarle. The Navy has named five ships after him. What was the hull number of the first US Navy Destroyer that was named for him?

2) In 1803, the US Frigate Philadelphia was captured by the Barbary Pirates. The Commander of Philadelphia was later given command of the Frigate Constitution. Four US Navy ships have been named for him. One was a Nuclear-Powered Cruiser. What was its hull number?

3) In June of 1944, a Task Group under the command of Captain Daniel V. Gallery captured the German submarine U-505 at sea. This was the first time the Navy had captured an enemy warship at sea since the War of 1812. What was the hull number of Captain Gallery’s Flagship?

4) A World War II US Submarine commander was nicknamed “Mush”. What was the hull number of the ship named for him?