Warspite's wrecking near Prussia Cove made her loss especially painful because the ship had effectively reached a possible preservation site. Her service would have connected the First World War, the interwar period, and the Second World War through one hull. A museum ship in Mount's Bay could also have drawn visitors to an area already linked by rail and known for St Michael's Mount. Britain retained no battleship from that generation, leaving smaller vessels and displays to interpret a navy that shaped much of the period's history.
Notable Point · 45:39-50:52
HMS Warspite and Britain's lost battleship generation
Warspite's long First World War-to-Second World War career made her a powerful candidate to represent a whole generation of British capital ships.