Built as a battleship by the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth for the Royal Navy.
15 January 1914 laid down.
17 November 1914 launched under the name HMS ROYAL OAK (08) one of the Revenge class.
Displacement 29.150 tons standard, 33.500 tons full load. Dim. 190.3 x 27 x 8.7m. (draught).
Powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, 40.000 shp, four shafts, speed 20 knots.
Range 4.000 mile by a speed of 10 knots.
She was designed to burn coal but during her construction altered to oil fuel burning.
Armament 8 – 15 inch, 14 – 6 inch, 2 – 3 inch AA, 4 – 3pdrs. and four torpedo tubes 21 inch, later removed.
Crew 1.009/1.146.
01 May 1916 commissioned. Building cost £2.468.269.
After commissioned joined the Fourth Battle Squadron, with that squadron she was at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, in which she made not a significant contribution.
During World War I she stayed with the Grand Fleet till 1918.
1919 After the scuttling of the German Fleet in Scapa Flow she was one of the three battleships to transport the 2000 German sailors from Scapa Flow to Invergoden.
1919 till 1922 in the Atlantic Fleet.
From 1922 until 1923 underwent an 18 months refit in Portsmouth.
29 April 1924 recommissioned in the Second Battle Squadron in the Atlantic Fleet.
March 1926 transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet and served in this fleet the next 8 years.
In 1928 was the most published court martial of the century, after a ball on board the ROYAL OAK between two senior officers of the ship and Rear Admiral Collard.
1934 Decommissioned in Devonport for an extensive refit.
21 August 1936 commissioned as a unit of the Second Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet.
02 February 1937 during the Spanish Civil War a Spanish aircrafts dropped bombs in her vicinity when she was mistaken for the French cruiser CANARIAS.
23 February 1973 an AA projectile exploded on her quarter deck.
November 1938 conveyed the body of the late Queen Maud of Norway from Portsmouth to Oslo.
When World War II broke out she was stationed in Scapa Flow a large naval anchorage on the Orkney’s
13-14 October 1939 during the night the U-47 under command of Gunther Prien managed to slip into the anchorage of Scapa Flow and fired three torpedoes around 1.30 a.m. at two targets the battleship Royal Oak and the seaplane tender PEGASUS.
The ROYAL OAK was struck in the bow, and a muffled explosion was heard by the crew, and at first thought it was internal and near the store with kerosene.
Not any action was undertaken against the submarine, and about 20 minutes later she was struck by three of four torpedoes, where after in a very short time she capsized and sank.
She took with her 24 officers under which Rear-Admiral Blagrove and 786 ratings, (other source give 833 killed) only 424 men were rescued under which Captain Benn .
She is now lying upside down in 30 meter of water, and designated as a war grave.
Marshall Island 1989 45c sg249, scott 240.
Uganda 2001 1000s sg?, scott?
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Oak_(08) Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam 1824-1962 by Charles Hocking. Ships of the World by Lincoln P. Paine. Devonport built warships since 1860 by Burns.