HMS Implacable was a rare chance to preserve the most common type of battleship from the age of sail. Formerly the French Duguay-Trouin, she fought at Trafalgar, was captured by the Royal Navy at the Battle of Cape Ortegal, and remained afloat into the twentieth century. By 1943 she was serving as HMS Foudroyant, used for Sea Cadet accommodation and Royal Navy signalling training. A French-built, British-captured third-rate could have anchored a major maritime museum outside Portsmouth, illustrating both the ship type and the transnational history of the Napoleonic wars. Her 1949 scuttling is especially stark because the vessel survived for roughly 149 years before the decision was made to dispose of her.
Notable Point · 28:45-33:35
HMS Implacable: the last lost third-rate
The French-built former Duguay-Trouin survived for generations after Trafalgar, making her 1949 scuttling a major lost opportunity to preserve a third-rate.