Q&A · 4:19:01-4:19:25

HMS Africa would make a mobile ship-of-the-line museum

A 64-gun ship offers the scale of a true ship of the line without becoming too large to sail between ports as a working museum.

Question

Which Age of Sail warship would make the best working museum ship?

Short answer

HMS Africa, because a 64-gun ship provides the ship-of-the-line experience while remaining manageable enough to sail widely.

Notes

HMS Africa is the preferred design for a working museum ship. A 64-gun ship would give visitors the experience of sailing in a ship of the line. That would fill a different role from the smaller sailing vessels already available to experience. Its relatively modest size within the battle line would also allow it to visit more places than a much larger reconstruction.