Q&A · 1:56:44-1:57:07

Three First World War ships worth preserving

Warspite, a Town-class cruiser, and a representative wartime destroyer would preserve three different scales of Royal Navy service from the First World War.

Question

Which three First World War Royal Navy ships would you preserve as museums?

Short answer

Warspite, a Town-class cruiser, and one representative First World War destroyer would provide the strongest three-ship selection.

Notes

HMS Warspite is the capital ship that most deserves preservation. A Town-class cruiser would represent the numerous cruisers that connected battle fleets, trade protection, and overseas service. One of the wartime destroyers would complete the group, although the variety of candidates makes a single choice difficult. Together the three ships would show naval history beyond the battleship alone: major combat power, global cruiser work, and the small fast ships on which fleets depended. A later aside adds HMS Dreadnought, which might even have fitted at Greenwich, as another strong preservation case competing for a limited number of museum berths.