Q&A · 1:40:44-1:41:13

What became of the first HMS Africa?

She was broken up for timber, and furniture said to contain her wood has appeared at auction.

Question

What happened to the first HMS Africa after the Royal Navy sold her?

Short answer

She was broken up for timber, and furniture said to contain her wood has appeared at auction.

Notes

The 1761 Africa did not continue as a preserved hull after her sale. Her structure was broken up and the timber reused. A desk attributed to her wood appeared at auction roughly a decade before this stream. That object belongs to the earlier Africa, rather than the better-known ship that fought at Trafalgar. Reused material can therefore preserve a fragment of a ship even when the vessel itself disappears.