Which historic ship should be reconstructed accurately?

Which historical vessel should be rebuilt with period methods, and what could its construction teach us?

A quinquereme would test rowing arrangements, while steam clippers and turbo-electric warships raise machinery questions. Other choices include a 74-gun ship, Jesus of Lübeck, Great Eastern, and an early dreadnought.

A working Roman quinquereme could test disputed arrangements of rowers and oars. Other choices include a clipper converted to single-screw steam propulsion, a 74-gun ship, Jesus of Lübeck, SS Great Eastern, and an early dreadnought. A turbo-electric Lexington or Saratoga would allow close examination of the machinery and electrical controls. The 74-gun proposal accepts modern safety modifications, and the existing Hermione reconstruction is cited as evidence of how much sailing-ship construction is already understood. The quinquereme proposal also receives a caveat: different yards or design traditions might produce different working rowing arrangements.