Q&A · 1:12:29-1:13:46

Why a recovered British battleship would fill a museum gap

A preserved British battleship would represent a major missing type in a museum fleet already rich in surviving American ships.

Question

What intact lost ship type would be most valuable to recover for preservation?

Short answer

A British battleship, preferably Repulse, because no Royal Navy capital ship survives to represent that fleet.

Notes

The possible choices include an Age of Sail ship, a cruiser and a British battleship. The battleship is preferred because the United States already preserves several major combatants that can stand for their lost sisters. Britain and Australia lack an equivalent capital-ship survivor. An intact Repulse, or alternatively Prince of Wales, would therefore repair a large imbalance in how twentieth-century naval power can be encountered by museum visitors.