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HMS IMPLACABLE Téméraire-class ship-of-the-line & boy's training ship Originally the French 74 ship-of-the-line Duguay-Trouin; Present at Trafalgar, she escaped only to be captured one month later in 1805; and was the second oldest British warship after HMS VICTORY. In 1908 King Edward VII intervened to save the ship. Seen flying Lord Nelson's famous flag signal on Trafalgar Day 1943 >the Admiralty scuttled her by an explosive charge on 2 December 1949. A fireboat towed her to a spot east of the Isle of Wight; A French warship was in attendance to render honours. There were heavy protests against her disposal; however, given the post-War austerity the British decided against the cost of her restoration, which was estimated at £150,000 with another £50,000 for re-rigging. In 1947 they had offered her to the French, who too declined to spend the money to turn her into a museum. Still, her figurehead and stern galleries were saved and are on display in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, while her capstan is on display at the maritime museum at Rochefort. Public reaction to the "criminal action against the maritime history of Britain" forced the government to support the preservation of Cutty Sark. Those who wanted to save historic ships saw that they must organise themselves more effectively. A few years later, they managed (yet again with royal help, from Prince Philip) to save the old tea-clipper Cutty Sark and preserve her in a dry-dock at Greenwich. In 1970 the Maritime Trust was founded, followed in 1979 by the World Ship Trust which is now restoring over 400 historic vessels and has three times as many on its books. The motto of the World Ship Trust is “Implacable – Never Again”. wiki