HMS Royal Oak (1892) well as the Cruiser Squadron. In April 1904, while operating with the Home Fleet off the Scilly Isles, "Royal Oak" and her sister ship "Revenge" had their bottoms lightly damaged when they struck a sunken wreck. On 9 May 1904, "Royal Oak" became flagship of the Home Fleet's second-in-command, relieving her sister "Empress of India", and took part in annual maneuvers in July and August. On 7 March 1905, "Royal Oak" paid off at Portsmouth into the Chatham Reserve, and her crew transferred to the battleship "Caesar". The following day the ship recommissioned with a skeleton crew for service with
HMS Royal Oak (08) who survived the sinking while serving as a Boy, First Class on "Royal Oak", served as the Royal Oak Association's Honorary Secretary. An annual ceremony of remembrance is held by the survivors and descendants of the crew at the Naval War Memorial, Southsea, on the anniversary of the sinking. The last remaining survivor of "Royal Oak", Arthur Smith, who had been a 17-year old Boy, First Class when the ship was struck, died on 11 December 2016. He had been on watch at the bridge and had jumped from the sinking ship, swimming in the wrong direction until he was