Sabotage on the USS Missouri
An alarm is blaring in the deep! A rogue saboteur has locked down the control systems of the USS Missouri. They have locked the Chief Engineer out of the main reactor room, and our oxygen supply is starting to tick down. As the elite detective on board, you must crack the clues, examine the crew roster, and find the culprit before we run completely out of air.
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Station Duty | Sabotage Gear | Writing Hand | Uniform Cap | Loud Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Miller | ballast pump | decoy drones | left handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Pilot O Connor | ballast pump | emp jammers | left handed | white officer hat | steam whistles |
| Lieutenant Chen | sonar tracking | override codes | left handed | blue ballcap | alarm sirens |
| Officer Taylor | sonar tracking | override codes | left handed | blue ballcap | sonar pings |
| Seaman Harris | sonar tracking | laser cutters | left handed | white officer hat | sonar pings |
| Engineer Scott | galley cooking | override codes | right handed | white officer hat | sonar pings |
| Analyst Martinez | galley cooking | bypass chips | left handed | white officer hat | alarm sirens |
| Specialist Green | sonar tracking | emp jammers | left handed | black watch cap | sonar pings |
| Cook Robinson | galley cooking | laser cutters | left handed | white officer hat | sonar pings |
| Cadet Campbell | sonar tracking | bypass chips | left handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Diver Ramirez | reactor control | override codes | left handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Mechanic Nelson | reactor control | bypass chips | right handed | black watch cap | steam whistles |
| Gunner Wright | sonar tracking | decoy drones | right handed | white officer hat | sonar pings |
| Sonar Man Jackson | reactor control | override codes | right handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Lookout Baker | torpedo loading | override codes | left handed | black watch cap | sonar pings |
| Petty Officer Jones | sonar tracking | emp jammers | left handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Technician Brown | ballast pump | decoy drones | right handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
| Commander Davis | galley cooking | decoy drones | right handed | blue ballcap | alarm sirens |
| Sentry Mitchell | ballast pump | decoy drones | left handed | black watch cap | steam whistles |
| Ensign Smith | reactor control | laser cutters | right handed | white officer hat | sonar pings |
| Quartermaster Adams | sonar tracking | decoy drones | left handed | blue ballcap | steam whistles |
Addition
The Quartermaster is counting the spare oxygen tanks in the forward storage locker. Adding up these supply crates helps us track where the saboteur sneaked in.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
Our fuel levels are dropping fast as we chase the rogue signal. Subtracting the leaked gallons from our total tank size tells us how much time we have left.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Fractions of a number
Only a small fraction of the Missouri power grid is still working. Finding the fraction of active circuits reveals a hidden message in the reactor computer.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
The torpedo bay crew arranged the heavy sonar decoys in neat rows. Multiplying the rows by the columns lets us quickly tally the gear to find the clue.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Fractions of a number — the last clue
The submarine is diving to avoid detection, but we can only safely use a fraction of our maximum depth. Calculating this fraction points to the villain.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — Sabotage on the USS Missouri
- Clue 1 (Addition): "THE SABOTEUR DOES NOT USE EMP JAMMERS"4821 + 5012 = 9833 (T) · 2508 + 5768 = 8276 (O) · 2206 + 2429 = 4635 (R) · 2805 + 5571 = 8376 (E) · 1644 + 863 = 2507 (U) · 4422 + 2194 = 6616 (B) · 2238 + 4858 = 7096 (P) · 3900 + 5605 = 9505 (J) · 3190 + 2263 = 5453 (D) · 3179 + 3943 = 7122 (N) · 1098 + 2042 = 3140 (S) · 4268 + 4666 = 8934 (H) · 3990 + 2549 = 6539 (M) · 4426 + 2406 = 6832 (A)
- Clue 2 (Subtraction): "THE LEFT HAND WAS USED TO WRITE THE NOTE"5583 - 4178 = 1405 (T) · 6636 - 4587 = 2049 (H) · 4733 - 3171 = 1562 (D) · 8328 - 1713 = 6615 (O) · 10049 - 3428 = 6621 (R) · 7720 - 990 = 6730 (L) · 11064 - 3297 = 7767 (W) · 5971 - 1029 = 4942 (S) · 11867 - 4621 = 7246 (U) · 9231 - 4469 = 4762 (A) · 11441 - 2608 = 8833 (I) · 6212 - 471 = 5741 (E) · 7538 - 3561 = 3977 (F) · 3765 - 51 = 3714 (N)
- Clue 3 (Fractions of a number): "THE RASCAL CANNOT STAND STEAM WHISTLES"3/10 of 120 = 36 (T) · 3/6 of 66 = 33 (S) · 2/3 of 33 = 22 (R) · 3/6 of 54 = 27 (H) · 2/4 of 64 = 32 (N) · 1/5 of 150 = 30 (M) · 2/5 of 10 = 4 (I) · 1/5 of 170 = 34 (A) · 8/10 of 15 = 12 (D) · 2/5 of 95 = 38 (C) · 2/4 of 62 = 31 (E) · 1/8 of 112 = 14 (L) · 1/5 of 185 = 37 (O) · 1/2 of 78 = 39 (W)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "A BLUE BALLCAP WAS FOUND ON THE DECK"12 × 4 = 48 (A) · 1 × 6 = 6 (T) · 1 × 2 = 2 (D) · 7 × 7 = 49 (L) · 5 × 1 = 5 (O) · 10 × 12 = 120 (N) · 5 × 8 = 40 (K) · 9 × 1 = 9 (C) · 3 × 1 = 3 (P) · 4 × 3 = 12 (W) · 11 × 5 = 55 (S) · 7 × 11 = 77 (F) · 3 × 8 = 24 (E) · 12 × 11 = 132 (H) · 8 × 7 = 56 (U) · 6 × 11 = 66 (B)
- Clue 5 (Fractions of a number): surviving statement (box 7) → Cadet Campbell2/8 of 16 = 4 · 3/8 of 16 = 6 · 3/5 of 5 = 3 · 1/4 of 4 = 1 · 2/10 of 55 = 11 · 2/10 of 25 = 5 · 4/10 of 20 = 8 · 8/10 of 15 = 12 · 3/6 of 20 = 10 · 1/6 of 54 = 9 · 1/4 of 8 = 2
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 5 math
- Math topics
- Addition, Subtraction, Fractions of a number, Multiplication
- Reading level
- grades 5-6
- Theme
- Sabotage on the USS Missouri — set in the high-tech deep ocean corridors of the submarine USS Missouri
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects