Q&A · 15:13-16:12

HMS Africa as a missing Trafalgar museum ship

The 64-gun HMS Africa stands out as a museum-ship choice because of her conspicuous independent fight at Trafalgar.

Question

Which Royal Navy ship from the world-war eras or earlier should have been preserved as a museum ship?

Short answer

HMS Africa, the 64-gun ship whose independent action at Trafalgar made her appear to be a much larger threat.

Notes

A surviving 74-gun ship would be an obvious museum choice. HMS Africa offers a particularly vivid route into the Battle of Trafalgar because she approached and fought so independently that the combined fleet initially mistook her for a much larger ship. Preserving such an unusual participant could illuminate the battle from a different angle than a more typical or famous vessel.