HMS Implacable
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Bold textItalic textSPOILER WARNING! PLOT OR ENDING DETAILS FOR BLUE AT THE MIZZEN FOLLOW!Italic textBold text
Bold textItalic textHMSItalic text ImplacableBold text was a 74-gun third rate that served as the flagship of Admiral Lord Barmouth in Italic textThe Hundred Days.Italic text The ship appears again in the Aubrey-Maturin series on the second-to-last page of Italic textBlue at the Mizzen,Italic text in which Captain Jack Aubrey is ordered to "proceed to the River Plate, there joining the South Afican Squadron: you will go aboard Italic textHMS ImplacableItalic text, hoisting your flag, blue at the mizzen, and take command of the blue squadron." However, when Aubrey makes his rendevous with the squadron at the River Plate in Italic text21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey,Italic text it is Italic textHMS SuffolkItalic text and not Italic textImplacableItalic text which serves as his flagship.
The historical Italic textImplacableItalic text originally served in the French naval forces, launched by the French sometime between 1795 and 1800 as the Italic textDuguay-Trouin.Italic text She fought with French forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and was captured by Royal Navy forces a few days after the battle. The vessel was taken into the Royal Navy and served in-and-out of commission in various capacities throughout the 19th century.
Unwilling to fund continued maintenance and upkeep of the ship, the British government offered to return Italic textImplacableItalic text to the French government in the 1940's. The French government, similarly unwilling to spend money on her, declined. Italic textImplacableItalic text was towed out of Portsmouth on December 2, 1949 and scuttled by the explosion of charges placed in her hold. She was one of the last surviving examples of the 74-gun third rate, the most popular variety of "ship-of-the-line." Italic textImplacableItalic text was, at the time of her sinking, the second oldest vessel in the Royal Navy, behind Italic textVictory.Italic text
