Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:25:29-2:27:30

Why HMS Nubian deserved preservation

HMS Nubian is chosen for her extraordinary destroyer record, while surviving British-built ships abroad show how much representative naval heritage Britain failed to preserve at home.

HMS NubianMikasaMuseum ShipsNaval HeritageRoyal NavyTribal Class Destroyers (1936)
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Question

Which historical ship would you most want to own or preserve?

Short answer

HMS Nubian, because the Tribal-class destroyer's exceptional service record made her one of Britain's clearest missed opportunities for naval preservation.

Notes

The choice moves from HMS Renown, HMS Tiger, and several aircraft carriers to HMS Nubian. The Tribal-class destroyer's operational record gives the choice more historical weight than appearance or size alone. If destroyer battle honours were counted like those of battleships, Nubian's total would exceed HMS Warspite's. Britain's losses are then contrasted with Mikasa in Japan, the youngest surviving British-built battleship, and a British-built 1930s submarine preserved in Tallinn. The comparison turns one missed destroyer into a wider lesson about how much representative British naval heritage survives abroad rather than at home.