Which Royal Navy warship was most dangerous to the sailors who served aboard her?
Short answerHMS Captain is an obvious candidate, but some age-of-sail first- and second-rates vanished on their maiden voyage and may have been worse.
NotesHMS Captain is the familiar answer because her stability failure killed most of the crew when she capsized in 1870. The comparison reaches further back than that famous disaster. Some large sailing warships disappeared on their first voyage and never returned, making them equally serious candidates for the title. The exchange encourages readers to compare design reputation with the actual human cost of a ship's service history.