HMS Monmouth pursued the larger French Foudroyant at Cartagena while carrying a paper history that reached back to a 1667 launch. The ship had undergone great rebuilds in 1700, 1718, and 1742, with another possible reconstruction also mentioned. By 1758 she could therefore be described as ninety-one years old, yet repeated rebuilding makes the physical continuity behind that number ambiguous. The Ship of Theseus comparison shows how age-of-sail records can preserve a ship's identity even when its material fabric has repeatedly changed.
Notable Point · 45:51-47:20
HMS Monmouth and the Ship of Theseus problem
Monmouth's repeated great rebuilds complicate the claim that a ship launched in 1667 fought at Cartagena ninety-one years later.